Let’s say you’re visiting Washington, D.C., and you’ve reached your museum threshold. You can’t sit through another IMAX at the Udvar-Hazy Space Center or look at another stuffed giraffe at the Museum of Natural History. Metro delays are starting to annoy you as much as they annoy locals. While Washington D.C. is on the smaller side as far as major cities go, it’s still overwhelming and fresh air soon starts to feel like a distant memory. Having lived in D.C. for over two years now, I firmly believe that approximately 87.9 percent of American smokers reside here.
As far as outdoorsy activity and vast vistas of nature go, D.C.’s offerings are far and few between. There are handful of parks in the city, and bicycle paths are plentiful in Arlington, but the city rests on humid marshland. Hiking is not what people visit D.C. for – but they should.
Shenandoah National Park is a quick ninety minute drive from Washington, D.C., but it feels a world away. By far my favorite getaway from the city, I can’t recommend a trek to Shenandoah enough. The park itself is incredibly large, stretching all of the way to the West Virginia border and encompassing over a hundred miles of the famed Appalachian Trail, so opportunities for exploration and repeat visits are plentiful.
Skyline Drive
Shenandoah National Park may be an outdoorsy person’s paradise, with everything from hiking to horseback riding, but its shining star is Skyline Drive, the 109-mile public thoroughfare that runs through the park. Here, you can look out over a seemingly endless horizon…
…and catch one heck of a sunset.
Skyline Drive is essentially a photographer’s paradise. Every turn reveals a new overlook or viewpoint just begging to forever be captured on film (or an iPhone, as 2015 would have it). In all of my travels, Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park more generally is my favorite place to photograph. The colors and lighting are spectacular, leaving me wonder to why California receives all of the sunset accolades. If you want to watch one of the best sunsets on the East Coast, come to Virginia. Shenandoah is nowhere near an ocean, and yet, its sky at dusk is truly incredible.
Of course, if you happen to visit on a pleasant weather day.
Hiking in Shenandoah National Park
On our first visit to Shenandoah, Kevin and I only had time to drive part of Skyline Drive, but we returned one week later, since the pass visitors purchase upon entry lasts for seven days. Like I mentioned above, the park is famous for hiking, an activity we both love, and were saddened that we didn’t have an opportunity to experience it the first time around.
The night before our second visit, we mapped out all of the hikes we wanted to do and even spent the night in nearby Front Royal, Virginia in order to maximize our hiking time. We were expecting to enjoy the same wonderful sunset after a long day on the trails, but naturally, the weather did not cooperate.
We woke up to rainy, cold, foggy weather – basically, a traveler’s nightmare. Even small weekend trips require a fairly substantial monetary investment, between lodging, the rental car, and a few meals out. We continued on as planned, though, even though the fog was so thick that we couldn’t even see a fraction of Skyline Drive’s view that we’d so thoroughly admired the week before. However, a little fog and rain was not enough to stop us from finally exploring the park’s wonderful trails.
We hiked to Overall Run Falls, which turned out to be quite small and obstructed from view. I couldn’t even get a photograph! Oh, well – sounds like a great excuse to visit again, if you ask me. The hike itself was wonderful. The trail was immaculately maintained and clean, and required a moderate amount of effort. It’s the perfect trail for families with teenage children or adults who haven’t hiked in a few months.
Now, here’s where that photographic love I have of this park comes into full-force. Most destinations lose their allure in truly terrible weather. The day of our second Shenandoah visit, the temperature didn’t climb above 45 degrees and the drizzle never tapered off. But that fog I’d initially bemoaned turned out to become completely magical once we entered the forest. Rare is a destination that manages to be so bewitching in these conditions, and I couldn’t put my camera away.
The literature nerd in me felt like I’d stepped into an Edgar Allen Poe or Washington Irving Story. ‘Twas just the right amount of spooky for our mid-October visit.
A little bit of English Gothic going on, don’t you agree? We’re in the U.S., but Emily Bronte would certainly have been inspired by this atmosphere.
I went completely overboard with photographs of this visit. Shenandoah is one truly special destination, and I had a difficult time narrowing down my collection for this post. Guess you, my dear reader, will have to travel there yourself to see its stunning beauty in person.
There are trails for every age and skill, and you can find extensive information for your visit on the National Park Service’s website. Unfortunately, we only had time to see one of the park’s numerous waterfalls, but Shenandoah, I’m coming back for you.
Traveler Tips:
- If you’re weekend-tripping from Washington, D.C. I recommend you book a hotel in the nearby town of Front Royal, Virginia. The town itself isn’t much, but the location is incredibly convenient and there are plenty of restaurants and hotels for every budget nearby.
- You’ll need a rental car to reach Shenandoah National Park. Whether you’re visiting D.C. or are among those of us locals without a vehicle, look into renting a car from Reagan National Airport for the weekend. Rates are typically affordable. In the summer, to save money and avoid crowds, consider visiting on a weekday.
