Shenandoah National Park
Just 75 miles from the bustle of Washington, D.C., Shenandoah National Park is a land bursting with cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, fields of wildflowers, and quiet wooded hollows. With over 200,000 acres of protected lands that are haven to deer, songbirds, and black bear, there's so much to explore...and your journey begins right here!
About 1.5 hours from Washington by car.
Alerts
- ClosureNPS ↗Active Closure
Due to recent wildlife interactions and out of an abundance of caution, the Naked Creek backcountry zone is closed until further notice.
- CautionPower Outages
Due to the impacts associated with the remnants of Hurricane Isaias, we are currently experiencing power outages at the Big Meadows Developed Area. As the day progresses, we may also experience outages in other areas of the Park, but for now, Big Meadows has the most impacts.
- CautionEmergency Phone Line Unavailable
Shenandoah National Park Emergency Phone number (1-800-732-0911) is currently unavailable. For all emergencies, Park visitors can dial 911.
- CautionParking at Boundary Access Areas
Visitors are reminded to park in designated parking areas when accessing the park via boundary trailheads. Parking in unauthorized locations may result in your vehicle being towed at the owner's expense. Park on the right side of the road approaching Thompson Hollow. Parking is authorized up to the "No Parking" sign before a private driveway.
- InformationInfrastructure Improvements to Old Rag Trailhead
Effective May 4, Shenandoah National Park will begin infrastructure enhancements at the Old Rag Trailhead main parking lot. We expect to complete work by November 2026. Until then, the main parking lot is closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Visitors can access Old Rag Trailhead via existing overflow parking lots.
- InformationShenandoah National Park Moved to Fully Cashless Fee Collection
On July 1, 2025, the park transitioned to a fully cashless system at our fee entrance stations. Only credit cards, debit cards, or mobile payments will be accepted.
- InformationNPS ↗Get Skyline Drive Status Updates
Sign up for Shenandoah Alerts by texting SHENALERTS to 888777. Any time there are closures, re-openings, or other important safety-related alerts, subscribers will receive a notification via text. You may unsubscribe at any time.
- InformationNPS ↗Ticket Required to Hike Old Rag
March 1 - November 30 those wishing to hike Old Rag are required to obtain a day-use ticket before arriving.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Private VehicleUnlimited entry for one vehicle and all passengers for seven consecutive days, beginning on the day of purchase. Admits the pass holder and occupants of a single, private non-commercial vehicle. | $30 | |
| MotorcycleValid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers. | $25 | |
| Per PersonEntry for walk-up or bicycling visitors, when 16 years of age or older (children under 16 are admitted for free). Includes entering the Park by all means other than a private, non-commercial vehicle. A family traveling together shall pay no more than the vehicle fee. | $15 | |
| Education/Academic GroupsNational Park Service regulations allow school groups and other approved national and international academic institutions to obtain a waiver of Park entrance fees, provided that visit is for educational or scientific purposes, and the resources or facilities that the group intends to use, support those purposes. Request an academic fee waiver through the education section of our website. | Free | |
| Non-commercial GroupsFee is calculated per person for anyone 16 years of age or older (children under 16 are admitted for free). Groups will not be charged more than the equivalent commercial group fee. | $15 | |
| Commercial tours · by vehicle capacity | ||
| SedanThe total cost is calculated: $25 + $10 per passenger. | $25 | |
| Per PersonThis fee is for commercial use between 1-6 passengers (sedan). The total cost is calculated: $25 for the vehicle + $10 per passenger. | $10 | |
| VanBased upon the total capacity of a vehicle that can carry 7-15 passengers, regardless of the actual number of passengers. | $75 | |
| Mini-busBased upon the total capacity of a vehicle that can carry 16-25 passengers, regardless of the actual number of passengers. | $100 | |
| Motor CoachBased upon the total capacity of a vehicle that can carry 26 or more passengers, regardless of the actual number of passengers. | $200 | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkProvides unlimited entry for one year to the pass holder and passengers in the same vehicle, not to exceed 4 total adults. Children under 16 are admitted for free and are not included in this total. Purchase online or at any of our entrance stations. | $55 | |
You are required to pay an entrance fee in order to access Shenandoah National Park, whether you're driving on Skyline Drive or hiking in from the boundary.
Hours
| Shenandoah National Park | Daily · All Day |
When to go
October draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Mathews Arm Campground | 166 sites | |
| $30 a night · Mathews Arm Campground is open during the spring, summer, and fall. Opening and closing dates vary from year to year and are subject to change at any time. | ||
| Big Meadows Campground | 224 sites | |
| $75 a night · Closed Dec 1 to Mar 25 | ||
| Lewis Mountain Campground | 32 sites | |
| $30 a night · Closed Dec 1 to Mar 25 | ||
| Loft Mountain Campground | 213 sites | |
| $30 a night · Loft Mountain Campground is open during the late spring, summer, and fall. Opening and closing dates vary from year to year and are subject to change at any… | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Harry F. Byrd Sr. Visitor CenterPassport stamp
Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51) is located across from Big Meadows in the center of Shenandoah National Park. Available facilities include: restrooms, information desk, ranger programs, bookstore, publications, maps, and first aid.
- Dickey Ridge Visitor CenterPassport stamp
Dickey Ridge Visitor Center (mile 4.6) is located near Front Royal, Virginia, in the northern part of the Park. It's the ideal place for visitors entering through the Front Royal Entrance Station to find restrooms, information, a bookstore, publications, and maps.
Explore
Things to do
- Old Rag Circuit7-8 Hours
PARK BOUNDARY | Visitors must obtain an Old Rag day-use ticket in advance of this hike. Pets are not allowed. Old Rag is a popular, very strenuous hike with sweeping views and several scrambles across large rocks.
Opens on the Park Service site - Stony Man1-2 Hours
MILE 41.7 | Pets are not allowed on this hike. This enjoyable hike brings you to an outstanding view of the Shenandoah Valley, Massanutten Mountain, and beyond.
Opens on the Park Service site - Whiteoak Falls (Lower)1-2 Hours
PARK BOUNDARY | An easier hike to the base of the lower falls in Whiteoak Canyon. Note that a Park entrance fee is still required.
Opens on the Park Service site - Turk Mountain2-3 Hours
MILE 94.1 | A hike to the 2,981’ summit of Turk Mountain, located in the Shenandoah Wilderness, that provides a wonderful view to the west.
Opens on the Park Service site - Riprap - Wildcat Ridge8-9 Hours
MILE 90 or 92.1 | This loop can be hiked from Riprap Parking or Wildcat Ridge Parking. It takes you through the forests of the Shenandoah Wilderness and over several stream crossings, while offering beautiful views of the hollows and valley to the…
Opens on the Park Service site - Nicholson Hollow6-7 Hours
PARK BOUNDARY | An alternate option for visitors with pets who still wish to hike from the Old Rag parking area. This hike takes you through the Shenandoah Wilderness to Corbin Cabin, an old homesite built by a former resident, and features several…
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 12Hide
- Knob Mountain - Jeremys Run7-8 Hours
Elkwallow Wayside (mile 24) | This hike goes around a beautiful area of the Park featuring one of the most picturesque streams in Shenandoah. The majority of this hike is in the Shenandoah Wilderness.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hazel River Falls5-6 Hours
Meadow Spring Parking Area (mile 33.5) | A trail that leads you into the Shenandoah Wilderness to an exceptional waterfall.
Opens on the Park Service site - Chimney Rock2-3 Hours
Riprap Parking Area (mile 90) | An out-and-back hike into the Shenandoah Wilderness ending at Chimney Rock, an excellent viewpoint with some very interesting geological features.
Opens on the Park Service site - Cedar Run - Whiteoak Circuit6-7 Hours
Hawksbill Gap Parking Area (mile 45.6) | This hike is very challenging, although those who do it are rewarded with exceptional cascades and waterfalls. You will also hike through the Shenandoah Wilderness along the Cedar Run Trail.
Opens on the Park Service site - Rose River Falls4-5 Hours
MILE 49.4 | A hike to a dazzling 67' waterfall. For most of this hike, you’ll be on a beautiful trail in the Shenandoah Wilderness.
Opens on the Park Service site - Overall Run Falls4-5 Hours
MILE 22.2 | A hike into federally designated Wilderness to a view of the highest waterfall in the Park at 93 feet. Unless rain is plentiful, Overall Run Falls may have minimal to no water flow.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Webcams
Camera images load live from the National Park Service and partner agencies
Events
- · free
- · free
News
- Shenandoah National Park Announces Extended Public Safety and Sobriety Campaign through November ↗2026-05-29
To ensure the safety of millions of annual visitors, Shenandoah National Park will conduct a sustained high-visibility traffic safety campaign and periodic checkpoints beginning June 1, 2026, and continuing through Nov.
- Shenandoah National Park Celebrates 40th Annual Wildflower Weekend May 2 & 3 ↗2026-04-22
Shenandoah National Park will celebrate spring wildflowers during its 40th annual Wildflower Weekend on May 2-3, 2026.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Graves Chapel and CemeteryBuilding · Stanley · 5.9 mi
- Koontz-Cave HouseBuilding · Stanley · 5.9 mi
- Strickley–Louderback HouseBuilding · Shenandoah · 6.7 mi
- Graves MillBuilding · Wolftown · 7.2 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Shenandoah. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for Shenandoah National Park
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
- Appalachian Trail Guide To Shenandoah National Park With Side TrailsJohn Hedrick, 2024Find at Bookshop.org
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBarred Owl 3× · Bald Eagle 2× · Bobcat 1× · Coyote 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 196 birds, 57 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech-Owl · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Long-eared Owl · Merlin · Northern Harrier · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Rough-legged Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Short-eared Owl · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Bittern · American Black Duck · Black-crowned Night-heron · Blue-winged Teal · Canada Goose · Cattle Egret · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Blue Heron · Great Egret · Green Heron · Green-winged Teal · Pied-billed Grebe · Tundra Swan · Virginia Rail · Wood Duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Woodcock · Caspian Tern · Common Snipe · Herring Gull · Killdeer · Ring-billed gull · Solitary Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper · Upland Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Ring-necked Pheasant · Rock Dove · Ruffed Grouse · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Red-headed Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian Flycatcher · Alder Flycatcher · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Baltimore Oriole · Bank Swallow · Barn Swallow · Bay-breasted Warbler · Belted Kingfisher · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Black-capped Chickadee · Black-throated Blue Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Blue-winged Warbler · Bobolink · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Canada Warbler · Cape May Warbler · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwing · Cerulean Warbler · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Chipping Sparrow · Cliff Swallow · Common Grackle · Common Nighthawk · Common Raven · Common Redpoll · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · Dark-eyed Junco · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eastern Wood-pewee · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Field Sparrow · Fish Crow · Fox Sparrow · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Golden-winged Warbler · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Gray-cheeked Thrush · Great Crested Flycatcher · Henslow's Sparrow · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Warbler · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Kentucky Warbler · Lapland Longspur · Least Flycatcher · Lincoln's Sparrow · Louisiana Waterthrush · Magnolia Warbler · Mallard · Mourning Warbler · Nashville Warbler · Northern Cardinal · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Parula · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shrike · Northern Waterthrush · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orange-crowned Warbler · Orchard Oriole · Ovenbird · Palm Warbler · Philadelphia Vireo · Pine Grosbeak · Pine Siskin · Pine Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Martin · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rusty Blackbird · Savannah Sparrow · Scarlet Tanager · Snow Bunting · Solitary Vireo · Song Sparrow · Summer Tanager · Swainson's Thrush · Swamp Sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Warbling Vireo · Water Pipit · Whip-poor-will · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · White-winged Crossbill · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Worm-eating Warbler · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-bellied Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-rumped Warbler · Yellow-throated Vireo · Yellow-throated Warbler
Small mammalsAllegheny woodrat · Appalachian Cottontail · Beaver · Black Rat · Deer Mouse · Eastern Chipmunk · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Mole · Fox Squirrel · Hairy-tailed Mole · Harvest Mouse · House Mouse · Least Shrew · Masked Shrew · Meadow Jumping Mouse · Meadow Vole · Muskrat · Northern Short-tailed Shrew · Northern gray squirrel · Norway Rat · Pygmy Shrew · Red Squirrel · Smoky Shrew · Southeastern Shrew · Southern Flying Squirrel · Southern Red-backed Vole · Star-nosed Mole · Water Shrew · White-footed Mouse · Woodland Jumping Mouse · Woodland Vole · long-tailed shrew
PredatorsAmerican Mink · Black Bear · Bobcat · Coyote · Fisher · Gray Fox · Least Weasel · Long-tailed Weasel · Raccoon · Red Fox · River Otter · Spotted Skunk · Striped Skunk
Hoofed mammalsWhite-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Hoary Bat · Indiana Bat · Little Brown Bat · Northern Long-eared Bat · Red Bat · Silver-haired Bat · Small-footed Myotis · Tri-colored bat
Also on the checklistVirginia Opossum · Woodchuck
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks · Rock climbing in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
Shenandoah National Park has four very distinct seasons. Spring typically brings mild temperatures, rain, and wildflowers. Summer brings lush green forests, but can be hot and very humid. Fall follows with cooler temperatures and spectacular fall foliage. Winter can bring snow and ice. The park spans roughly 100 miles, which means that weather can vary greatly depending on your location. The mountain is usually 10°F cooler than the valley below. Always check the forecast, dress in layers, and be prepared.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Shenandoah?
Entrance is $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, and $15 per person on foot or bike. Unlimited entry for one vehicle and all passengers for seven consecutive days, beginning on the day of purchase.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Shenandoah?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Shenandoah-only annual pass is $55.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Shenandoah takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Shenandoah free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Shenandoah?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Shenandoah. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
Is Shenandoah open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Shenandoah?
Yes. The Park Service lists 4 campgrounds in Shenandoah: Mathews Arm, Big Meadows, Lewis Mountain, and Loft Mountain. 3 take reservations through Recreation.gov; 1 is first-come, first-served.
Which Shenandoah campgrounds have showers, hookups, or a dump station?
Showers: Big Meadows, Lewis Mountain, and Loft Mountain. Dump station: Mathews Arm, Big Meadows, and Loft Mountain.
Source: Campgrounds
Do camping fees at Shenandoah include the entrance fee?
No. Camping is charged per night on top of the entrance fee or a pass; Mathews Arm is $30 a night.
Source: Campgrounds
When do Shenandoah campgrounds close for the season?
Big Meadows is closed Dec 1 to Mar 25 and Lewis Mountain is closed Dec 1 to Mar 25.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Shenandoah right now?
8 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Power Outages; Emergency Phone Line Unavailable; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Shenandoah?
1,682,152 recreation visits in 2025, number 52 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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