hiking
views
forest
nature trips
walking
birding
wild flowers
dogs on leash
wildlife
kid friendly
trail running
waterfall
river
backpacking
no dogs
camping
beach
dog friendly
scenic driving
horseback riding
Shenandoah National Park encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the state of Virginia. This national park is long and narrow, with the broad Shenandoah River and valley on the west side, and the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont on the east. Shenandoah's Blue Ridge Mountains are covered by hardwood forests that are home to tens of thousands of animals. The Skyline Drive and Appalachian Trail run the entire length of this narrow park that has more than 500 miles (800 km) of hiking trails along scenic overlooks and waterfalls of the Shenandoah River. The highest peak is Hawksbill Mountain at 4,051 feet (1,235 m).
Pretty crowded. Very rocky. With so many leaves on the ground, it made the rocky trail a little treacherous. Very glad we had on hiking boots, but wish we had hiking poles. Views make it worth it!
One of my favorites! Multiple great spots to check out the valley with beautiful rocks and foliage! We always start at night, and get to the first peak at sunrise, an absolutely wonderful way to start the day. Also great to get an early start and beat the foot traffic
Hiked this trail twice (winter and summer). The hike up is challenging and uses quite some upper body strength (not for those with wrist or ankle pains). The hike down was outrageously boring compared to the rock scrambles up. The second time (summer) we scrambled both up and down, which made it a much more worthwhile trip. It felt like getting on a good roller coaster ride twice without having to waste 2.5 hours standing in the line. Not sure if it’s doable in the winter time because it can get icy and slippery.
I'm a completely inexperienced hiker and totally out of shape and I wouldn't rate this as hard. It's different than most hikes I've been on in that it's downhill at the beginning, which was rough on the knees and toes. The falls were lovely and worth the hike. Even with numerous breaks, I was able to complete the hike in just over an hour and spent about 15 minutes at the falls.