This year is a landmark one for this treasured piece of mountain land in Virginia: the 100th anniversary of Congress authorizing its establishment and the 90th anniversary of its dedication. Plan your celebration visit with expert insights and top-notch recommendations from one of our longtime contributors who has a deep affinity for the park.
By Eric J. Wallace / Photo above: Hikers willing to take on a moderate climb are rewarded with incredible panoramas from the summit of Marys Rock.
A powerful cadre of politicians, sportsmen, and conservationists in the Appalachian South watched the establishment of the first U.S. national park in 1872 and the launch of the National Park Service (NPS) in 1916, and they read the writing on the wall. Led by Virginia and Tennessee congressmen, they lobbied for a large-scale eastern destination that would rival Yellowstone and showcase the natural beauty of the planet’s oldest mountain range.
Kismet aligned in 1924 when inaugural NPS director Stephen Mather partnered with the Coolidge administration to create a committee to do just that. The move coincided with an international marketing campaign spearheaded by Harrisonburg, Virginia, businessmen that showcased the scenery, history, culture, and ongoing industrial legacy of the Shenandoah Valley. The group rallied influential figures across the region and pushed for plans to form a park that would center around Skyland Resort and sprawl north and south atop the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains. They collectively spent more than $200,000 in today’s dollars—a staggering amount at that time—to sell their idea.
“We have already ridden several hundred miles over the area, have seven towers built upon high points, [and various] trails blazed across the whole length of the Blue Ridge,” the group wrote that year in a report to the secretary of the interior. While the Great Smoky Mountains were more sparsely developed, they argued that having 40 million visitors located within a day’s drive was more important.
Another asset, meanwhile, took center stage. “The greatest single feature is a possible Skyline Drive along the mountaintop, following a continuous ridge and looking down westerly on the Shenandoah Valley and commanding a view [to the east] of the Piedmont plain,” the report continued. “Few scenic drives in the world could surpass it.”
The argument ultimately won out, and Coolidge signed a bill that greenlighted the formation of Shenandoah National Park (SNP) in 1926. Production exploded after Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933, and the 200,000-acre park was formally designated in July 1936.
Upward of 1.7 million people now cruise the SNP’s iconic byway and explore its bounty of picturesque hiking trails, campgrounds, overlooks, and vistas each year. Here, I tip my hat to the park’s centennial with an insider’s guide that highlights some of my favorite nature spots and can’t-miss cultural opportunities.
BEST ROADSIDE OVERLOOK
The internationally famous Skyline Drive pursues the Blue Ridge Mountains’ crest for 105 miles from the nifty Appalachian Trail town of Front Royal to the small city of Waynesboro. The route concludes at the Blue Ridge Parkway’s northern terminus and boasts a whopping 75 roadside overlooks that let motorists soak up a smorgasbord of incredulous east- and west-facing views.
While it’s tough to pick just one, the Rockytop pull-in near milepost 78 never fails to steal my breath or impress a chosen partner-in-cruise. The 2,860-foot vista is positioned directly across the road from an imposing sheer rockface and opens onto a panorama of green, cascading peaks that sweep toward the valley and distant Alleghenies like a frozen tide. A wide stone wall lines the parking area and makes a perfect spot to watch the sunset paint the sky.
BEST WATERFALL
Its sextet of picturesque, cascading falls lands Whiteoak Canyon high on my SNP bucket list. The eponymous trailhead and parking lot sit just south of Skyland Resort at milepost 42.6—which makes it easy to celebrate your walk with drinks on the Mountain Taproom’s vista-rich deck.
While the full experience demands a 9.2-mile trek, I recommend the less intense out-and-back to the flagship upper falls. The hike is about half as long, features numerous footbridges, and pursues the bouldery and rushing Robinson River through dense, fairytale forests to an overlook with awe-inspiring views of the waterway’s 86-foot crash down a stone cliff. A series of rugged switchbacks leads to a small but sonorous swimming hole that’s perfect for summer dips.
BEST SHORT HIKE
The more-or-less breezy, 1.6-mile round-trip walk to the SNP’s second highest peak, Stony Man, kicks off near Skyland’s northern entrance and includes a short but rewarding jaunt on the Appalachian Trail. Climb through magical patches of ferns and woods anchored by big oak trees to a craggy, 4,011-foot outcrop that juts abruptly westward and towers over the surrounding countryside like the perch of some reverent juggernaut.
The 180-degree tableau tends to hit me with a force that’s like stepping into a beloved restaurant to find Matisse’s Dance parked straight ahead. The horizon explodes in a time-defiant expansiveness where the Shenandoah River forks through an agrestic checkerboard of Page Valley fields and forests framed by the long, blue-tinged spine of Massanutten Mountain.
BEST NEARBY TOWN TO STAY IN
The artsy and historic, 300-person town of Sperryville sits about 8 miles east of Thornton Gap at milepost 31.5 and is chock full of beautifully restored old homes and buildings, fine dineries, celebrated craft beverage makers, and more.
The Blue Rock Inn brims with boutique, mountain-chic elegance and is a destination unto itself. You get exquisite craft cocktails in an elegant midcentury bar area; a celebrated on-site vineyard; elevated prix fixe restaurant experiences courtesy of Inn at Little Washington alumni Aaron Bachoon—all paired with abundant views of SNP peaks. The turn-of-the-century inn’s five suite-style guest rooms are all uniquely decorated and boast luxe bathrooms. Gourmet breakfasts are served in bed. bluerockva.com
Sample a flight of inventive, wild-fermented beers and ciders just up the street at Pen Druid Fermentation. The fruity, funky concoctions are crafted from regional ingredients using historic methods like wood-fired kettle brewing, open-air cooling, and bottle conditioning. Critically acclaimed sister restaurant Sumac is open during warm months. Chef Daniel Gleason dishes up an award-winning yet unpretentious menu of hyperlocal cuisine that changes weekly. pendruid.com
Indulge in Mediterranean-meets-Shenandoah Valley, multicourse fine dining in a casual but intimate, 20-seat setting at Three Blacksmiths on Main Street. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday, but with just one seating per evening, it’s best to book reservations well in advance.threeblacksmiths.com
BEST LONG HIKE
Yes, the 8.8-mile circuit to and from the 3,284-foot summit of Old Rag Mountain is a certified challenge—but the rewards are worth every ounce of energy and effort. The action begins at an eponymous ranger station about a dozen miles south of Sperryville on the park’s eastern border. A newly implemented day-use system means you’ll want to reserve tickets online in advance and probably visit on a weekday.
The ascent carries you through lovely hardwood forests in and around the 200,000-acre Shenandoah Wilderness to a high ridgeline with numerous eastward views of the pastoral Hughes River valley and small, knobby peaks that surround it. Steep rockfaces and granite outcroppings pepper the route and necessitate a variety of fun scrambles and ladder climbs. Perseverance yields 360-degree eye candy from a rugged, mountaintop boulder pile—including sweeping views of the Piedmont and the distant city of Culpeper.
BEST STOP FOR KIDS
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort is my go-to basecamp for SNP explorers with small kids or young teens. This destination sits on the outskirts of the historic town of Luray about 5 miles from milepost 31.5 and backs onto the park.
Here you get a fantastic blend of old-school, family-focused outdoor fun and cozy modern amenities spread across 73 mostly wooded acres. A boutique water park, three swimming pools, and a small lake provide ample opportunity for après-hike cool downs. Activities like laser tag, minigolf, ziplines, hayrides, and a gem mine offer plenty of kiddo engagement. An on-site diner serves brick oven pizzas, wraps, burgers, ice cream, and alcoholic beverages.
Overnight accommodations run the gamut from basic cabins to chic tiny homes and cottages with hardwood floors, wood-panel walls, loft bedrooms, and full kitchens. Primitive camping areas nestled into groves of trees and designated RV spots with water and electric hookups complete the package. campluray.com
BEST WINE & DINE
A scenic, 18-mile detour from milepost 65.5’s Swift Run Gap carries you to Early Mountain Vineyards and a tasting room that outlets like USA Today have crowned one of the most beautiful in the nation. The chateau-style winery’s regal, wood and stone interior is delightful, but I prefer to hunker down on a rear patio that opens onto vineyards that hill west toward the high, untrammeled peaks of Lewis and Baldface Mountain.
Everything vanguard winemaker Maya Hood White crafts is noteworthy—and coveted flagship vintages like Petit Manseng and Cabernet Franc routinely take gold medals at the Virginia Governor’s Cup. It’s best to pair your tasting with delectable small plates or a four-course, vino-accompanied prix fixe meal from former longtime Inn at Little Washington sous Tim Moore’s Virginia Kitchen. I’ve test driven the latter numerous times and it always leaves me awed. earlymountain.com
BEST HISTORICAL ATTRACTION
Dive into history at milepost 51’s newly renovated Harry F. Byrd Visitor Center. Named for an avid SNP supporter and famed Virginia governor and senator, the nearly 9,000-square-foot building sits at the entrance to Big Meadows Lodge and houses a museum that tells the story of the land the park now encompasses, its former inhabitants, construction, and more. Start with a pair of 15-minute documentaries in dedicated auditoriums, then walk through a corridor of photo-rich exhibits with optional audio.
BEST BREW & VIEW
The Civilian Conservation Corps built the original Big Meadows Lodge from native stone and wormy American chestnut beams, logs, and planks on a 3,500-foot ridgeline about a mile from its namesake grassy area in 1939. Admire the historic aesthetics of a cathedral-ceilinged main lobby that feels plucked from an Ernest Hemingway novel, then grab a table on the outdoor stone terrace of window-lined Spottswood Dining Room. Pair Southern-style eats with craft beer, wine, or cider while you bask in glorious views of the southern Page Valley and Massanutten Mountain range. goshenandoah.com/lodging/big-meadows-lodge
BEST CAMPGROUND
Loft Mountain Campground offers convenient yet scenically dazzling au naturel overnights at milepost 80. The 200-site complex sprawls across the 3,379-foot crest of Big Flat Mountain and boasts amenities like a camp store, restaurant, laundry room, hot-water bathhouses, and an amphitheater with ranger-led programming. Sites along wood-lined, central lanes are open to RVs and trailer campers, but I advise tent enthusiasts to look for a primitive spot on the campground’s eastern border. Trails dip into the forest from a paved road that encircles the grounds and bring sites that are carved into the slope, overlook the Appalachian Trail, and open onto stalwart views of the Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve to the east.
BEST MOUNTAINTOP INN
The magnificent and inviting Iris Inn is nestled atop the northern ridge of 1,600-foot Miller Knob about 4 miles from the SNP’s southern terminus. A parkitecture-meets-modern-farmhouse lodge equipped with a great room and viewing tower overlooks the city of Waynesboro and a fleet of treehouse-style luxury cabins that unfurl across the manicured slope. The latter make for memorable couples’ retreats with wood-planked cathedral ceilings, capacious waterfall showers, radiant floors, full kitchens, roofed decks, living rooms, and private outdoor jacuzzies. Better still, the inn’s status as a sister property of nearby (and delicious) Afton Mountain Vineyards lets guests enjoy special rates for wine tastings and horseback tours.irisinn.com
The story above first appeared in our May/June 2026 issue.
