Guide to Shenandoah National Park: Best Fall Foliage, Hiking & Camping

February 23, 2025

Shenandoah National Park is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. As camping and hiking enthusiasts, living within driving distance of a national park is what dreams are made of. This guide covers how to get to Shenandoah, where to stay, the best hikes to see fall foliage and other great things to do in and around the park.

Getting there

The Blue Ridge Mountains span over Virginia and North Carolina, housing two national parks and the Blue Ridge Parkway in between. Shenandoah receives just a fraction of the visitors of Great Smokey Mountains National Park, its neighbor at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Fall is by far the most popular time to visit Shenandoah, thanks to the amazing display of fall colors that the park is known for. The colors typically peak around mid-October, but any trip throughout October will reward you with beautiful foliage.

Skyline Drive runs like a vein through Shenandoah National Park, connecting the northern and southern entrances through 105 scenic miles. Most attractions can be accessed directly from Skyline Drive.

Where to Stay

Camping

When it comes to exploring national parks, no accommodation can really beat camping. Shenandoah National Park is no exception. Besides saving countless miles of driving in and out of the park, you get to enjoy beautiful nature from dawn till dusk. A morning hike with coffee has become part of our camping routine.

Shenandoah has four campgrounds along Skyline Drive. All campgrounds open from spring to late fall. The largest one is Big Meadows Campground, with 215 spots available by reservation only. The campground is located centrally on Skyline Drive and close to a lot of popular hikes.

Loft Mountain Campground designates part of its 207 sites as first-come-first-served. Spots usually sell out on Friday evening for the weekend, especially RV sites. The iconic Appalachian Trail runs right behind Loft Mountain and comes with stunning views, making this a popular campground from spring to fall.

An alternative way of camping with a trailer or RV around Shenandoah is at a Harvest Host. Both DuCard Vineyards and Blue Quartz Winery allow overnight guests, just minutes away from the Old Rag trailhead. After conquering Old Rag, we enjoyed the views from down below with great wines.

Lodging

Shenandoah does offer a couple of alternatives to camping within the park borders. The Big Meadows Lodge is located adjacent to the campground. Even as a nonguest, you can enjoy a coffee from their beautiful deck overlooking the valley. Skyland and Lewis Mountain Cabins offer traditional rooms and cabins in Shenandoah. Just like the campgrounds, all lodging is closed during the winter season.

Top Activities in Shenandoah

Skyline Drive

Skyline Drive runs from north to south, connecting Shenandoah’s countless overlooks through 105 incredibly scenic miles. Stunning views await at the turn of every corner, made easily accesible by pull-offs from the main road.

Most trailheads and viewpoints in Shenandoah are accessed directly from Skyline Drive. Despite its many attractions, Skyline Drive never becomes overly crowded. At the height of fall foliage season, we still felt like we had the road to ourselves sometimes. Small parking lots at popular trailheads do tend to fill up by noon, but even with our trailer we managed to pull off where we liked.

Fall Foliage Hikes

With 516 miles of trails on the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah is a hiker’s dream. About 100 hiking miles are part of the Appalachian Trail, an iconic long-distance trail in the United States. Combine this with stunning fall foliage for some of the most beautiful hikes on the East Coast. These are five of the best hikes for leaf-peeping in Shenandoah, but the views are spectacular year-round.

Old Rag Mountain Loop

The hike to Old Rag Summit is not just our favorite in Shenandoah, it’s one of the best trails on the East Coast. Giant boulders provide a challenging obstacle course to the top. The rock scrambling makes it a lot of fun and the views throughout the hike are unparalleled.

To hike this unique 9.3-mile loop, you’ll need a reservation from the NPS and good body flexibility. This is the only hike on the list that doesn’t start from Skyline Drive. We hiked in the second weekend of October, when the leaves were just starting to turn. I can only imagine that Old Rag offers some of the best views in Virginia during peak fall foliage.

Bearfence Mountain Trail

The Bearfence Mountain Trail could be an initiation to Old Rag, with fun rock scrambling over the course of just 1.4 miles. The hike is short but sweet, rewarding the rock scramble with 360-degree views from the top.

Stony Man Trail

Another trail that rewards a short hike with amazing views is Stony Man. This easy 1.5 mile loop does attract the crowds, but the views are worth it. The Stony Man Lookout overlooks the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, coated in fall colors if you’re lucky. We used the trail as a warmup before the nearby Mary’s Rock Trail.

Mary’s Rock Trail

Mary’s Rock Trail runs along the Appalachian trail. At just 2.7 miles, it’s one of the many trails along Skyline Drive that can be combined with other short hikes in one day. The endpoint is Mary’s Rock, a collection of boulders that boasts expansive views over the valley. We skipped the crowds at Mary’s Rock and opted for a lookout about half a mile before the trail end instead. If approaching from the south side, park at Meadow Spring.

Loft Mountain Loop

The Loft Mountain Loop is two miles round-trip. When accessing from the Loft Mountain Campground, it adds another two miles to the trail. The loop runs along the Appalachian Trail for just one mile, long enough to pack spectacular views of the mountains covered in fall colors.

Shenandoah Valley Wineries

The Shenandoah Valley’s climate and soils make it the region most suited for winemaking in Virginia. As a result, there are a lot of wineries to visit in the area. What makes these wineries truly unique is their location. Tucked away in the countryside and set against beautiful mountain backdrops, Shenandoah Valley wineries promise good wines and even better views.