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 in .
| Address | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
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.