1 Day in Shenandoah National Park Itinerary
If you only have 1 day to explore Shenandoah National Park, you’ll still be able to get an excellent overview of this beautiful park.
Located in the Appalachian Mountains about 90 miles west of Washington, D.C., Shenandoah National Park is an easy drive from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Richmond, and Baltimore, making it a great choice for a short trip.
Whether you’ve found some extra time on a longer road trip through this area, or you’re looking for a quick getaway, it’s always a good time to visit Shenandoah National Park.
Below, you’ll find my suggested 1 day itinerary for getting the most out of Shenandoah in a time crunch. I’ve assumed that you’re based out of Front Royal, Virginia, though you could easily make the same itinerary work with slight modifications if you’re doing it as a day trip from Washington, D.C., or Richmond, Virginia.
I’ve laid out everything from lodging to activities in this Shenandoah itinerary, so you simply need to head to this part of the Blue Ridge Mountains to start the fun!
The Camping Kiddos at Jewell Hollow Overlook inside Shenandoah National Park
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What to Know about Shenandoah National Park before You Visit
The park is incredibly close to major East Coast cities.
Located only 90 miles to the west of the nation’s capitol, Shenandoah National Park is perfectly poised to be a weekend getaway or day trip.
It’s also less than 4 hours from both Pittsburg and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, less than 2.5 hours from Baltimore, Maryland, and 90 minutes from Richmond, Virginia.
The closest major airport is Dulles International Airport.
If you’re flying into the area and plan to spend a day in Shenandoah National Park as part of your itinerary, you’ll want to use Dulles in Washington, D.C. It’s just over 2 hours from the national park.
There is a small regional airport, Shenandoah Valley Airport, that’s less than 40 minutes from the park, but it is limited in the number and times of flights you’ll get.
You’ll come out ahead, both in budget and in time outlay, by flying into Dulles and making your way to the park.
You will need a rental car.
Despite its proximity to many of the major East Coast cities, Shenandoah National Park does not have any public transportation options in getting here or once you’re in the park.
So, if you’re flying into this area, you’ll need to rent a car.
The park is bisected by Skyline Drive, and entrances are far apart.
Marys Tunnel (mile marker 32.2) covered in ice after a winter storm
Shenandoah National Park is unique in its layout, which is long and skinny.
The park is largely situated on the tops of a section of the Appalachian Mountains.
To help visitors access this park and its many overviews, Skyline Drive was built in 1924.
Today, it is still the only way to access the park from north to south.
Since you’re in the mountains, the route from point A to point B is often not direct.
This is also why the entrance points onto Skyline Drive are spaced apart.
You will find the northernmost entrance just a few miles south of Front Royal, Virginia. There’s another at Pass Mountain (mile 31.6)
Another is at Swift Run Gap (mile 64), and a final one at the Rockfish South Station at the southern end of the park.
Since you have such limited time in the park, you’ll want to plan your overnight stay(s) carefully, so that you don’t spend too much time getting to one of the entrances of the park.
Below, you can read more about Front Royal, Virginia, where I recommend you stay if you need an overnight either before or after this 1 day itinerary.
There are limited amenities inside the park.
Unlike places such as Canyonlands National Park or Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, which essentially have no amenities at any point in the year, Shenandoah does offer up several places for snacks, water bottle refills, bathroom stops, and ranger information.
There aren’t any gas stations in the park, so you’ll want to fuel up before you enter in the morning.
Keep in mind that the park does close down most of its ranger programs, all of its visitors center but 1, and all of the lodges and campgrounds in the winter.
The park is open year round.
You’ll get a different experience every month of the year, so don’t worry if you aren’t able to visit during the summer or early fall when most of the visitors do.
Unless there’s a major snow or ice storm coming through, the park and Skyline Drive remain open throughout the winter. The Drive reopens as soon as the icy conditions clear, so you won’t have to wait long.
Just know that you’ll have far more options for ranger programs, in-park accommodations, and waterfall hikes in the summer.
On the other hand, there are far fewer crowds between November and March, so you’ll have to determine which is best for your ultimate 1 day experience in the park.
Dive more deeply into what you’re seeing and doing in the park with the highly recommended Shenandoah National Park tour on the GuideAlong App.
This app is our go-to when visiting national parks as the guide plays automatically based on your GPS location and doesn’t require a cell signal once the tour is downloaded to your phone.
You’ll get information on the park’s history, geology, wildlife, and more.
Since we can start and stop the tour as much as we’d like, it’s great for traveling with kids.
It’s like having a tour guide in your car with you—but at an extremely reasonable price.
What to Do with Just 1 Day in Shenandoah National Park
If you’re pressed for time, and only have a day to commit to the park, that’s fine!
You’ll still be able to catch glimpses of what makes this park one of the best national parks in the East Coast.
NOTE: If this is your first trip to a national park, you’ll want to read through my comprehensive guide to the U.S. National Parks for beginners, which explains in detail everything from how the Junior Rangers program works to how to nab accommodations in the parks.
You’ll want to base your day around Skyline Drive, which bisects the park from north to south.
On this paved road, you’ll be treated to incredible overlooks of Shenandoah Valley, easy trail access, and multiple picnic areas.
Plus, you’ll find both visitors centers on the road side. Dickey Ridge Visitors Center is at mile marker 5, while the Big Meadows Visitors Center is at mile marker 51.
NOTE: Mile markers run from north to south with MM0 at the North entrance park sign.
My family and I at the north entrance to the park
Morning
Since you only have 1 day in Shenandoah National Park, I recommend that you start at the North entrance—closest to Front Royal—and drive to the Big Meadows Visitors Center and back over the course of your day.
Bookend your drive along Skyline Drive with visits to the Visitors Centers, where you can purchase a souvenir, enjoy the free interactive exhibits, and get a park map.
Doing this recommended drive would take about 2.5 hours if you did it without stopping, but you’ll likely need all day to complete once you realize how many places there are along Skyline Drive to get out and look!
You can enhance your drive with a self-guided audio tour of the park, which highlights the park’s history, overlooks, and more.
The Camping Kiddos with their Tracks Trail pamphlets at Fox Hollow
Plan to be at the north entrance to the park no later than 8 AM if you’re visiting in the summer or fall, and by 9 AM in the winter or spring. There are far fewer crowds in the off-season, so you’ll be able to accomplish the same amount of items in a shorter amount of time then!
Pay your entrance fee or use your annual pass.
If you’re planning to enter more than 2 paid NPS sites in a single 12 month period, I highly recommend getting an America the Beautiful pass.
We get one every year and it has saved us hundreds of dollars.
Remember, you don’t need reservations here, so you have a flexible arrival time.
Once you’re in the park, head to the Dickey Ridge Visitors Center if it is open during your visit. This is a seasonal visitors center and will be closed when you visit in the colder months. The bathrooms remain open year round, though.
At the Visitors Center, you can pick up your Junior Ranger booklets, browse for a souvenir, or ask any questions you have of the rangers.
More East Coast camping and hiking adventures:
Then, start off your day with a short hike. The Fox Hollow Trail is a 1.5 mile loop, and the trailhead is directly across Skyline Drive from the Dickey Ridge Visitors Center.
The hike is easy and family friendly, and it focuses on the history of the mountains’ inhabitants before this area was a park.
If you’re traveling with younger kids, the Fox Hollow Trail is a Tracks Trail, which is created and maintained by Kids in Parks and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. You can pick up one of the free booklets at the trailhead to help your kids learn more about the area’s history and people.
We love these booklets as they are an excellent way to make hiking more fun for kids!
Our Yorkie at Elkwallow
Along the trail, you’ll see evidence of the family who lived and worked on this land before it was a national park.
Look for old stone walls, farming equipment, and other bits and pieces from their homestead.
If you need to stop for a snack or bathroom break between Dickey Ridge and the Lodge this morning, look for the Elkwallow Picnic Area at mile 24. During the summer, you can also purchase snacks and drinks from the small shop here.
You’ll find shaded picnic tables and restrooms right next to the parking lot. The picnic area is well signposted from Skyline Ridge, and there is plenty of parking here.
If you want to add another hike to your morning, you can access the Appalachian Trail from behind the vault toilet at Elkwallow.
If you turn right onto the trail, you’ll go through an area that is filled with rhododendrons during the summer. Of course, you don’t want to walk too far on the trail since it stretches all of the way to Maine, and we’ve only got 1 day here at Shenandoah!
Just turn around when you’ve gotten a taste of the AT, and return to your car.
On a portion of the Appalachian Trail near Elkwallow
Mid-Day
Continue south on Skyline Drive, stopping at the Jewell Hollow Overlook (mile 36.4) for a bit. This is one of the best overlooks on the western side of the park in my opinion.
There are huge rocks that you can sit on for a photo (and, since there’s not a sheer drop-off on the other side, the photo opp isn’t as dangerous as it appears!).
Less than a half mile south of Jewell Hollow is the Pinnacles Picnic Ground, which is an excellent place to stop for a picnic lunch if you’d brought one.
If you’re visiting Shenandoah National Park with kids, I highly recommend stopping for lunch at one of the picnic areas so they can run around a bit before getting back in the car. My kids really enjoyed Skyline Drive and the many overlooks, but they also needed some time to fully get their wiggles out.
If you don’t have a picnic, you can push onto Skyland Lodge at mile 41, where you can sit down for a delicious meal at the Pollack Dining Room.
On a longer trip, I’d recommend that you stick around the Skyland Lodge for one of the many activities offered here in the late spring, summer, and early fall, but we’ve got to keep moving today!
Afternoon
The Camping Kiddos at the Big Meadows Visitors Center
After lunch, continue south until you reach the Harry F. Byrd Visitors Center at mile 51. It’s sometimes called the Big Meadows Visitors Center since it sits directly across from Big Meadows (which is, true to its name, a really big meadow).
This visitors center has more interactive and educational elements than Dickey Ridge Visitors Center, so you’ll want to plan to spend 45-60 minutes here.
Walk through the educational displays to learn more about the land pre-park, and the long efforts that went into turning this area from homesteads into a national park. We really loved these interpretive materials, which were hands-on and included many artifacts from the park’s history.
There’s a small, but well stocked gift shop here, too, if you want posters, shirts, mugs, or magnets. You can also grab a Junior Ranger booklet from the rangers if you didn’t get one earlier in the day at Dickey Ridge Visitors Center.
If you’d like to do one more hike in your single day’s journey, I recommend the Dark Hollow Falls trail, which is within easy walking distance of the Harry F. Byrd/ Big Meadows Visitors Center.
Dark Hollow Falls
Dark Hollow Falls is one of the hikes on our list of recommended kid friendly hikes in Shenandoah National Park, thanks to its general lack of elevation gain, short length, and pretty waterfall. The parking situation can get difficult on summer weekends, but if you’re patient, a spot usually opens up quickly.
Once you return to your car, it’s time to make the return journey up Skyline Drive. Turn north and retrace your steps.
NOTE: Skyline Drive continues on south for another 50+ miles, but a single day in Shenandoah truly isn’t enough time to see the entire route. I mean, you probably could speed through all of it, end to end, to say you did it, but you’d miss doing even the shortest of hikes or overlook stops.
On the return trip, you’ll want to do a couple of the overlooks that we didn’t get to while southbound. At mile 46.5, you’ll come to the Old Rag Overlook, which warrants a stop. While we didn’t have time to do the Old Rag hike—which clocks in at 9 miles, and is far too much to include on a 1 day itinerary—you can at least see the famed mountain in the distance here.
As you continue north, stop at the Tunnel Overlook for a moment to get a better look at Marys Tunnel at mile 32.2. The turnout for parking is on the northbound lane, which is why I recommend doing it on your return trip to the north entrance and not in the morning.
You’ll also be able to see several of the larger mountains in this area from the overlook, too.
Finish your day back at Dickey Ridge Visitors Center, turning in any completed Junior Ranger booklets before you go.
While you didn’t get to see everything the park has to offer, you will come away with an excellent overview of this beautiful mountain retreat!
Suggested Accommodations for a 1 Day Visit to Shenandoah
Our cute little camper at Shenandoah River State Park
Since you’re concentrating your efforts on the northern half of the park, I recommend that you stay in Front Royal, Virginia.
Staying outside of the park rather than inside of it means that you’ll be able to get back on the road faster to your next destination.
Plus, a 1 day visit to Shenandoah likely means you’re passing through—and Front Royal has many more options for dining, gas, and other road trip supplies.
If you’re camping outside of the park, make a reservation at Shenandoah River State Park.
This quiet campground is less than 15 minutes to the north entrance of the park, and provides easy access if you’re traveling from Luray to Front Royal and beyond.
Thanks to its wide, wooded lots and easy access to hiking, we think it is one of the best RV campgrounds near Shenandoah National Park.
The campground also has cabins and yurts for rent, too.
There are many hotel options in Front Royal if you’re visiting without a trailer or don’t want to stay in a cabin or yurt.
Check rates for Front Royal hotels here:
