Guide to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Shenandoah National Park has over 500 miles of trails, including 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Some trails will lead you to spectacular waterfalls or viewpoints while others penetrate deep into Shenandoah's wilderness.

Before there ever was an internet, Henry Heatwole's book revealed for thousands the incredible opportunity to experience the major features of the park, and some hidden gems found in remote, rarely visited areas. This guide describes 110 hikes covering more than 430 miles of trails. While the guide has many features, the hike section is clearly a major element and one that many find most useful. Download this free SNP Map.

The roots of this Web guide trace back to the popular book written by Henry Heatwole which was first published in 1978. Four editions and several reprints occurred until 1999. Almost 75,000 copies were sold.

Henry did his original field work in the mid 1970s and while changes were made with each edition and reprinting, the guide had never been subjected to a full field review since the original edition.

In 1999, the time of the last printing, it was known that significant changes would have to be made if the guide were to remain accurate and up-to-date.

In 2005, several volunteers as well as members of the PATC, SNPA and the Park Service began the process for making updates to the Guide.

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Old Rag Mountain is SNP's most popular hike, and also a physically demanding hike. The number of search and rescue missions each year attest to its strenuous requirements. Please review this informative NPS web page about Old Rag to plan your hike. Also see A Hiker's Guide to the Geology of Old Rag Mountain. Two different hikes are described here.

Whiteoak Canyon is another favorite, but strenous. Hike through a spectacular gorge with 6 waterfalls with options to hike it from the bottom up or the top down, or opt for a circuit hike that's connected to Cedar Run.

Hawksbill Mountain is Shenandoah's highest peak at 4,050 feet. An observation platform on the summit offers a fine, wide view. Take the round trip hike or the circuit hike.

Rapidan Camp was developed by President Hoover on the Rapidan River for relaxation and working holidays, much as later presidents have used Camp David. Take the round trip hike or opt for the longer circuit hike.

Stony Man is Shenandoah's 2nd highest peak at 4010 feet and offers round trip hikes to the cliffs of Stony Man summit and Little Stony Man. Both offer outstanding views.

Your safety is your responsibility. Know your physical abilities and limitations before taking on any hike in the Park. Review the list of hikes to find the ones which are most suitable for you and/or your group.

Feel free to contact us with your comments, questions, suggestions, or any possible corrections to the information contained within this guide. We look forward to hearing from you.

Film crews were on location at Shenandoah National Park in 2011 to capture footage for the Discovery Channel's 7 episode series titled 'North America'. Click here for more info

Hazel Country Daybreak Photo taken by John H. Messner All photographs contained within this Web site were taken inside the Shenandoah National Park boundaries. We want to personally thank each and every person that contributed photos for use in this Web Guide, it is greatly appreciated. We are particularly grateful for the numerous photograph submissions that were received from the Flickr® Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive groups. Without their generous support there would have been a lot of 'text only' pages. Ironically, a majority of the photo contributors are owners of the original printed version of Guide To Shenandoah National Park & Skyline Drive. © COPYRIGHT NOTICE: the photographs contained within this site are property of the respective owners and subject to their individual copyright notices. All rights reserved.