Shenandoah National Park
Shenandoah National Park is best known for its stunning panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, vibrant fall foliage, and the iconic Skyline Drive, which itself is a part of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Located in the state of Virginia, Shenandoah National Park spans over 200,000 acres of protected wilderness. The park offers a plethora of outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, wildlife spotting, and scenic drives. Visitors can explore over 500 miles of hiking trails, leading to breathtaking vistas, cascading waterfalls, and serene meadows. The park’s crown jewel, the 105-mile long Skyline Drive, winds its way through the park, offering sweeping views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Shenandoah National Park is also home to a diverse array of wildlife, including white-tailed deer, black bears, and a variety of bird species. The park’s rich cultural history, with remnants of Appalachian homesteads and the famous Appalachian Trail passing through, adds another layer of fascination to the park.
VISIT Shenandoah National Park:
Park Details
Shenandoah National Park was established on May 22, 1926, and has a total area of 199,195 acres (311 square miles, or 806 square kilometers).
| Address | Shenandoah National Park, Luray, VA, 22835 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 540 999-3500 |
| Hours | Shenandoah National Park is always open, however, portions of Skyline Drive, the only public road through the Park, are periodically closed during inclement weather. |
| Entrance Fee | $30 per vehicle, valid for 7 days |
| Learn More | Official Website |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
Shenandoah National Park is the 59th most visited park in the country.
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Shenandoah National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Shenandoah National Park is.
Our data shows the best months to visit Shenandoah National Park are June, July, August & October.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | 37,588 | 9,991 | 76,682 | 117,831 | 152,925 | 162,890 | 198,115 | 165,056 | 161,017 | 295,326 | 168,956 | 45,939 |
| Precipitation | 75 | 72 | 104 | 85 | 79 | 62 | 77 | 61 | 82 | 77 | 88 | 85 |
| Avg Temp | 37 | 40 | 48 | 58 | 67 | 75 | 78 | 77 | 71 | 60 | 49 | 39 |
| Max Temp | 55 | 57 | 66 | 75 | 80 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 82 | 75 | 65 | 56 |
| Avg Temp | 20 | 22 | 28 | 38 | 47 | 56 | 60 | 59 | 52 | 41 | 31 | 24 |
| Min Temp | 2 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 31 | 42 | 50 | 49 | 36 | 24 | 16 | 9 |
Shenandoah National Park Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Shenandoah National Park is visited.
| Trip Name | Trip Miles | Trip Days |
|---|---|---|
| The Full Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trip | 713 | 8 |
| DC, Shenandoah, New River Gorge to Great Smoky Mountains | 767 | 9 |
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Shenandoah National Park.
| Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park | 44 mi |
| Manassas National Battlefield Park | 49 mi |
| Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields National Military Park | 50 mi |
| Prince William Forest Park | 53 mi |
| Harpers Ferry National Historical Park | 64 mi |
| Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts | 65 mi |
| Piscataway Park | 69 mi |
| George Washington Memorial National Parkway | 69 mi |
| Thomas Stone National Historic Site | 71 mi |
| Clara Barton National Historic Site | 72 mi |
Nearby Campsites & RV Parks
If you are looking to pitch a tent or park an RV at a campsite near Shenandoah National Park, here is a list of the closest campsites in the surrounding area. They all have slightly different amenitites, so its best to check them all out instead of just chosing the first on the list.
| Name | Details | Miles Away |
|---|---|---|
| Big Meadows - Shenandoah National Park | Stanley, VA more | 5 miles |
| Lewis Mountain - Shenandoah National Park | Stanardsville, VA more | 10 miles |
| Mathews Arm - Shenandoah National Park | Rileyville, VA more | 15 miles |
| Camp Roosevelt | Luray, VA more | 16 miles |
| Shenandoah River - Guest State Park | Front Royal, VA more | 22 miles |
| Little Fort OHV | Fort Valley, VA more | 24 miles |
| Loft Mountain - Shenandoah National Park | Crozet, VA more | 26 miles |
| Elizabeth Furnace | Front Royal, VA more | 27 miles |
| Wolf Gap | Wardensville, WV more | 33 miles |
| Trout Pond | Lost City, WV more | 36 miles |
Nearest Ski Resorts
For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of Shenandoah National Park:
| Name | Location | Summit | Difficulty Score™ | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Resort | Mount Jackson, VA | 1,750 ft | 26% | 22 mi |
| Massanutten | Massanutten, VA | 2,925 ft | 45% | 22 mi |
| The Omni Homestead | Hot Springs, VA | 3,200 ft | 29% | 29 mi |
| Wintergreen | Nellysford, VA | 3,515 ft | 48% | 54 mi |
| Timberline Four Seasons | Davis, WV | 4,268 ft | 36% | 66 mi |
| Canaan Valley | Davis, WV | 4,280 ft | 48% | 68 mi |
| Tussey Mountain | Boalsburg, PA | 1,810 ft | 34% | 88 mi |
| Liberty Mountain | Fairfield, PA | 1,190 ft | 36% | 100 mi |
| Eagle Rock | Fayetteville, PA | 1,810 ft | 28% | 100 mi |
Nearest Airports
When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight. For those of you looking to fly into Shenandoah National Park, we've listed the closest airports in the area.
Large Airports
A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to Shenandoah National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Dulles International Airport | IAD | Washington, DC | 56 mi |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | DCA | Washington, DC | 74 mi |
| Richmond International Airport | RIC | Richmond, VA | 90 mi |
| Baltimore/Washington International Airport | BWI | Baltimore, MD | 101 mi |
| Pittsburgh International Airport | PIT | Pittsburgh, PA | 168 mi |
| Raleigh-Durham International Airport | RDU | Raleigh/Durham, NC | 185 mi |
| Philadelphia International Airport | PHL | Philadelphia, PA | 190 mi |
Medium Airports
A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to Shenandoah National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlottesville Albemarle Airport | CHO | Charlottesville, VA | 28 mi |
| Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport | SHD | Staunton/Waynesboro/Harrisonburg, VA | 35 mi |
| Lynchburg Regional Preston Glenn Field | LYH | Lynchburg, VA | 95 mi |
| Morgantown Municipal Walter L. Bill Hart Field | MGW | Morgantown, WV | 114 mi |
| North Central West Virginia Airport | CKB | Clarksburg, WV | 114 mi |
| Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport | ROA | Roanoke, VA | 122 mi |
| Altoona Blair County Airport | AOO | Altoona, PA | 122 mi |
Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.