Shenandoah: Plan Your Visit
Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a weeklong adventure, these trusted local businesses in and around Shenandoah National Park can help you make the most of your visit.
STAY
Big Meadows Lodge: Perched near mile 51 of Skyline Drive, Big Meadows Lodge offers rustic charm, sweeping views, and easy access to some of Shenandoah National Park’s most popular trails, including Dark Hollow Falls and the Appalachian Trail.
Mimslyn Inn: Just outside the park in Luray, the historic Mimslyn Inn blends Southern elegance with modern comfort, making it a relaxing base for exploring nearby park trails and Luray Caverns. Built in the 1930s, the inn features classic architecture, on-site dining, and beautifully landscaped grounds perfect for unwinding after a day in the mountains.
Mountain Home Bed & Breakfast: A cozy, Appalachian farmhouse retreat in Front Royal, just minutes from the northern entrance to Shenandoah National Park. Located steps from the Appalachian Trail, it provides warm hospitality, hearty breakfasts, and easy access to Skyline Drive, local wineries, and some of the region’s best hiking.
Skyland (Skyline Drive mile 41.7-42.5): Located at the highest point along Skyline Drive (3,680′), Skyland offers breathtaking views of the Shenandoah Valley and a peaceful mountain escape. With rustic cabins and lodge rooms, on-site dining, and direct access to popular trails like Stony Man and Little Stony Man, it’s a favorite base for park visitors.
The Inn at Little Washington: This world-renowned luxury hotel where opulence meets small-town charm is a short drive from the park. With lavishly appointed rooms, impeccable service, and a storybook setting in the village of Washington, it offers an unforgettable retreat after a day of adventure in the Blue Ridge.
EAT
Big Meadows Wayside (Skyline Drive mile 51): A convenient stop for food, gifts, and supplies, the casual restaurant serves up hearty favorites like burgers, blackberry milkshakes, and even local trout, making it a popular break for hikers and road-trippers alike. There’s also a camp store, restrooms, and a gift shop featuring regional crafts and park souvenirs. Open seasonally.
Ciro’s Italian Eatery: Locally owned and family-run for over 30 years, Ciro’s is a beloved part of the Elkton, Va. community and serves authentic, homemade Italian dishes in a warm, family-friendly atmosphere. Known for its pizza, hearty pastas and fresh ingredients, it’s a favorite local spot just a short drive from Shenandoah National Park.
Elkwallow Wayside (Skyline Drive mile 24.1): A smaller but charming stop in the park offering quick bites, picnic tables, and a relaxed, wooded setting. Visitors can grab a sandwich or famous blackberry ice cream, stock up on basic supplies, and browse a small selection of souvenirs before hitting nearby trails like the Appalachian Trail. Open seasonally.
Loft Mountain Wayside (Skyline Drive mile 79.5): Classic park fare like burgers and sandwiches, groceries, camping and hiking supplies, plus a large Shenandoah gift shop. The nearby campstore provides showers and laundry, making it a convenient stop for refueling before hitting trails like Lewis Falls and the Appalachian Trail. Open seasonally.
The Inn at Little Washington (Washington, Va.): Dining at The Inn is a once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience, with Chef Patrick O’Connell’s three-Michelin-starred menu blending whimsy, precision, and regional flavors. Each course is a work of art, served in an elegant dining room that feels both theatrical and intimate. Reservations are essential—often booked months in advance—and the prix fixe dinner menu starts at over $300 per person, not including wine or service.
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PLAY
Luray Caverns: Discovered in 1878, it’s one of the largest and most stunning cave systems in the eastern U.S. Famous for its towering stalactites and stalagmites, crystal-clear pools, and the unique Great Stalacpipe Organ—an instrument that makes music from the cave formations—Luray offers visitors a magical underground experience.
Massanutten Resort: A four-season mountain getaway in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, offering everything from skiing and snow tubing in winter to ziplining, mountain biking, and an award-winning indoor/outdoor waterpark year-round. Set on 6,000 scenic acres just outside Shenandoah National Park, it’s a popular spot for families, outdoor enthusiasts and relaxation seekers.
Old Rag Mountain: Climbing Old Rag is a strenuous 9-mile loop hike famous for its challenging rock scrambles and steep climbs, often taking 4 to 6 hours to complete. This popular trail rewards hikers with breathtaking 360-degree views from the summit, but requires good fitness and careful footing due to its rugged terrain. Hikers must obtain a day-use ticket in advance at Recreation.gov.
Rapidan Camp: The rustic mountain retreat of President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. Built in the 1920s, the camp offers a glimpse into presidential history surrounded by peaceful forest and mountain views. Today, visitors can explore the restored cabins and enjoy hiking trails nearby that showcase the park’s natural beauty.
Shenandoah River Outfitters: Daily guided trips—canoeing, kayaking, rafting and tubing—suitable for all skill levels, offering close encounters with nature while drifting through stunning scenery teeming with wildlife. Closest outfitter to Luray Caverns, Shenandoah, Skyland, and bordering the George Washington National Forest. 2025 marked their 55th season, with cabins available year-round—each equipped with hot tubs for a relaxing stay after a day on the river.
CAMP
HipCamp: An online platform that connects campers with unique outdoor stays on private land, from tent sites and RV spots to cabins, yurts, and glamping retreats. It’s like Airbnb for the outdoors, offering access to places you won’t find in traditional campgrounds—including farms, vineyards, and remote riverbanks. Ideal for travelers seeking more privacy, flexibility, or off-the-beaten-path experiences.
Loft Mountain Campground: Nestled in the southern part of the park, this forested and sheltered campground offers a peaceful, secluded feel. It’s a favorite among visitors familiar with its more tranquil setting and scenic trails such as Riprap and Jones/Doyles Run.
Luray RV Resort & Campground: Located on 100 acres along the Shenandoah River, this expansive campground offers a wide variety of pet-friendly accommodations, including RV sites, tent spots, and rental cottages. The resort provides a blend of outdoor adventure and modern comforts, with close proximity to Shenandoah National Park and numerous on-site activities.
Top photo of Shenandoah National Park by iStock
Shenandoah 52: Family-Friendly Hiking
The Shenandoah 52 Explorer Series is 23 trail loops, 52 trail segments, and at just over 150 miles the most family-friendly hiking in Shenandoah National Park.
German Shorthaired Pointers (GSP) are not for the faint at heart. They walk into your life, take hold, and wear you down—unless you wear them down first. Daily hikes, early morning walks, and lengthy weekend journeys. Addison had our number from day one. And Addison turned out to be the muse for a family-friendly hiking challenge and an adventure of a lifetime.
Do you live near Shenandoah National Park? Take the SNP52 Hiking Challenge: 23 trail loops, 52 trail segments and just over 150 miles.
A Pixels and Pointers partnership with the Shenandoah National Park Trust.
When my wife, Tobey, and I found out she was pregnant, we were determined to maintain an active lifestyle for our family. Throughout her pregnancy, we found a rhythm in being outside. By the time Lucy joined us in the world, we were determined to maintain that pace. Mission accomplished—Tobey went into labor the same day we went hiking.
And after that bundle of energy—who I flippantly referred to as the human version of a GSP—arrived on the scene, we really needed a plan. Through trial and error (maybe more like trial by fire) we embarked on all the same journeys.
Within her first month of joining us, Lucy was riding shotgun with Tobey (aka in a baby carrier) at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park. Each week and month that followed, we continued to venture into the wilderness. That same fortitude is what brought everything to life.
And by the holiday season of Lucy’s first year with us, we were looking at what the following year had in store for our outdoor adventures. Maybe a little more organized for the new year. Anything to avoid the blow out.
By December we had started to formulate a plan. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a cold December morning that would put into motion a sequence of events that led to the hiking project. The kind of morning that is written about in a Frost poem. The crystalized ice on the windows, the smell of wood fireplaces, the crackling of the leaves from the dry air.
It was over a cup of coffee that my father and I were discussing the outdoors, and our plan for showing our 4-month-old the things that were important to us. We talked about how important it was that we continue to expose Lucy to the natural world. We felt teaching our child about nature and seeing her big sister (the GSP) enjoy the world around her would be important to her development.
In that same conversation with my father, we discussed one of the Shenandoah National Park hiking challenges that’s been around for a few years. We tinkered with the idea of trying the Shenandoah 500—a long-standing challenge to hike on every trail in the park. We both agreed it would be a hefty adventure to embark on. Mostly because the Shenandoah 500 is not 500 miles, it’s more like 700 or 800 miles because many of the trails require doubling back, and a handful are overnight treks. Pre-parent life, it would have been completely doable, for sure. Post, not so much.
We decided perhaps there was an alternative. My father suggested I utilize my skills with mapping and my understanding of Shenandoah National Park to find trails and treks that would be reasonable to complete. Over the years we had spent quite a bit of time in the park, and had hiked hundreds of miles up and down the North, Central, and Southern Districts that year. Why not formalize our knowledge and approach this with a similar format to the Shenandoah 500?
Crafting an adventure with our 4-month-old addition to the family would require looking at the National Park in a new way, using topographic maps and understanding lengths, elevations, and reasonable treks for hiking in the park.
That evening, I sat down in front of my laptop and started to tag the loops I believed worthy of a family-friendly adventure, what the lengths would be, and how we’d approach them. This was the birth of the SNP52. By the end of the evening, I had tagged about 25 trail loops through the three districts of the park, each less than 10 miles long.
By the turn of the clock to 2023, we had launched The Shenandoah 52 (SNP52)—23 hiking loops in Shenandoah National Park—covering 52 trail segments and approximately 150 miles in the South, Central, and North Districts.
We published all the trails on the website, complemented with hiking resources, all on a digital platform with mobile and GPS resources to take on the trails. As the project continued, we decided to start filming each of the trails.
See all of Kevin’s videos of the Shenandoah 52 here.
By that time, I had purchased a few books on the park. I thought I would throw some history into my videos. Why not? Seemed harmless to blend park history with footage of its trails, creating a narrative for the viewers. I almost need a narrator to enter your head right now to say, “that was not the case” for dramatic effect. Because … that was not the case.
You see, the history of Shenandoah National Park is not straightforward. While some national parks may have interesting stories and colorful folklore, that was not Shenandoah. The hiking challenge together with the trail videos morphed into the filming of experts, historians, and the community to tell the park’s story. Few have attempted to tell a complete story of Shenandoah through the voice of the people, including many of the families who were displaced during the formation of the park. We felt, what better way than coupled with a hiking project?
Fast forward to today, we have 3 components to the SNP 52 Hiking Project:
- Shenandoah 52, Explorer Series: Full 150 miles of hiking trails in loop format as the anchor challenge. Designed for those who seek an aspirational expedition outside.
- Shenandoah 25, Adventure Series: Reduced trail lengths in out-and-back formats on all trails for families, children, and beginners to start their journey through the park.
- Documentary Film: Docuseries in partnership with the Shenandoah National Park Trust focused on the elements of the park including history, the community, and the park’s evolution.
It’s a worthy challenge and even better way to bring the family closer to one another, one step at a time. Especially since Tobey insists on being able to tell Lucy that she carried her on each of the 52 trail segments. You can learn more about the SNP52 Hiking Project at www.snp52.com.
