DMV
Shenandoah National Park
I’m on a roll with the national parks this year! I knew I wanted to hike on this trip, and I even originally wanted to come to Shenandoah three times. That’s because the list of hikes is insanely long. Skyline Drive is a scenic route that goes through the entire park from north to south and is 105 miles long. Technically from Winchester it’s only about 35 minutes to the northern tip of Shenandoah but the mountain roads are very curvy and it takes time to get through the park. Definitely wish I could come here with no rain on a motorcycle!
A good chunk of the foothills were under the cloud line and were so foggy we lost a ton of visibility. Here’s a picture from above:
So choosing a hike was going to be challenging. There are tons of options with a wide range of difficulty. I like waterfalls though, and I was recommended three hikes: Rose River, Dark Hollow Falls and Hawksbill Loop.
Rose River and Dark Hollow Falls trails are right next to each other. What I didn’t realize when we went is you can actually do both in one loop. We accidentally did the two of them as separate hikes which probably added an additional mile or two to our hike.
The closest visitor center is Big Meadow. We started there because I had to use the bathroom, and then went to Dark Hollow Falls first. This is a pretty straightforward hike downhill to the falls. We’ve been playing around with Seek to identify flowers and bugs and I was able to identify a brook trout in one of the pools. The trails are very green and and relatively easy to follow. Also because it actually rains here, the waterfalls had plenty of water!
This trail is only 1.2 miles roundtrip but the way back up is straight back up the hill so it was pretty grueling. It was also pretty hot and muggy at this point in the day.
The parking for Rose River trail is at Fisher’s Gap Overlook. From there you cross Skyline drive and go towards the fire road. Everyone online said make sure to turn left first, which we did. Even though this hike is about 4 miles, it felt easier. It was also cooler on this hike. Not sure if it was the shade from the trees or the fact it runs along the Rose River for most of the trail.
We ate our sandwiches next to the Rose River falls which unfortunately I couldn’t get a great picture of.
As the trail description mentions, you keep going until you cross a bridge. After that it’s about a mile uphill of walking along the creek as it comes down. There are tons of mini cascades along this part of the trail and they really are lovely.
Compared with hiking in California, I knew going into it that Shenandoah would be less majestic. The highest point on Skyline drive was only 3600 feet above sea level, for one. But what the mountains lack in height they make back in moisture, creating a lush green landscape and actual flowing water. Not to mention the accessibility of the park – it’s 105 miles long with entrances at multiple junctures. You have a ton of options no matter which side or end you decide to go to.
Hopefully we’ll get one more chance to hike there this trip so I can explore the more northern section!