Explorations of the northern section of Shenandoah National Park.
I found myself with 16 days free, but with a smaller budget than usual. Sixteen days is too short for a trip to Europe, and I wasn’t ready to commit to a European bound flight yet. Sixteen days is long enough for Mexico. However, it’s still the hurricane season. How about a 16-day camping trip along the Blue Ridge Mountains, maybe? Yes, please!
Shenandoah National Park was my first of many stops. I had three and a half days of hiking and exploring. I had a blast and can’t wait until I can go back again.
Shenandoah is centered on the aptly named Skyline Drive, a 105-mile-long road that follows the ridgeline of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Most trails start from there. I drove the entire 105-mile length of Skyline Drive, which then joins up with the Blue Ridge Parkway. I’ve divided my stay into three parts, the North Side, Big Meadows area, and the South Side. I barely scratched the surface of these areas. I spent a day and a half exploring the north side, visiting overlooks and hiking some trails. Here is some of what I found on the northern section of Skyline Drive.
The first trails that I hiked can be found at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center at mile post 4. It was still a bit rainy when I arrived so I picked the first easy trail I could find. I combined the Snead Farm, Dickey Ridge and Fox Hollow Trails into a makeshift loop. It wasn’t all that exciting, but it was perfect for the damp conditions.
A picturesque old farm road leads to the Snead Farm.
The only complete building that survives from the old Snead Farm is this barn. The rest are rubble or foundations.
You can find the Fox Family Cemetery on the Fox Hollow Trail.
Farmers would pile rocks found while clearing their fields. Stone piles and boundary walls can be found all over the Appalachians.
The super gross Snow Fungus. Apparently, it’s flavorless but has an interesting texture being rubbery and crunchy at the same time. How do I know that? Well people eat this, often. Ewwww.
The Fox Hollow Trail goes through a wonderful meadow. This was my favorite part of this hike.
Meadow and mountains. I’m in love.
There are about 70 or so roadside overlooks on Skyline Drive. The eastern views overlook the Piedmont, a zone of low-rolling hills, parallel to the Appalachians.
Next up was taking the Appalachian Trail to the top of Compton Peak. I hike several sections of the AT on this trip, and this was one of the prettiest.
Such a pretty trail.
I really enjoyed this trail obviously.
The view was just gorgeous.
So much pretty.
Back on the Skyline Drive with more dramatic views.
Mountains and shadows.
Sunbeams and rain clouds.
I think the view gets better when it’s cloudy.
I’m not sure what mountain that is but it sure is dramatic.
Day two of Shenandoah starts super early because I apparently don’t sleep anymore.
Early morning mountain views.
The first hike of the day was the Millers Head Trail, a nice little trail that leads to some great views.
Rocky but pretty, but still easy.
Very picturesque.
The trail ends at a wonderful view overlooking the western side of the park.
And the Shenandoah Valley, for which the park is named.
Almost directly across the Skyline Drive from Millers Head is the Stony Man Trail, another trail that ends in lovely views.
The Stony Man Trail is a fairly wide, fairly easy trail.
This view will do.
The Blue Ridge Mountains are stunning. You can see why I love this park.
The last trail I am going to cover in this post is the Lower Hawksbill Trail to the Hawksbill Summit and then looping back to the parking lot using the Salamander Trail and the Appalachian Trail. The Lower Hawksbill Trail is brutal if you have asthma. People must have thought I was dying. The trail guide told me to take the loop the other way around, but I figured why not get the hardest part over with first. I don’t always make the best decisions. I don’t have many pictures from the ascent. I was too busy trying to breath. The flat Eastern Shore of Maryland has ruined me because I have done way worse than this.
This view was worth it.
So worth it.
I meandered my way down from the summit.
I saw Russala pulchra all over the Appalachians. They look like they are from Super Mario Brothers.
The trail was a lovely meandering.
I have no idea what kind of mushroom this is.
The trail crosses a talus zone. A few trails of Shenandoah cross rockslides.
Talus zone views.
I only visited a handful of trails north of Big Meadows. Shenandoah has a ton of trails in this area, some of which also visit waterfalls. I enjoyed all the trails I hiked, even the section of the Hawksbill Trail where I thought I was going to die.
