Quick and short itinerary.
We started from North Side of the Skyline Drive (Thornton Gap Entrance).
We woke up 3 am to catch the sunrise at an overlook closer to the north entrance. Drove for an hour to the overlook since we stayed in Front Royal.
- Sunrise @Buck Hollow Overlook (Very beautiful and great start of the day)
- * No hiking
- * If you don’t find a spot to park there, you can go to the next overlook as long as you are looking over the valley
Here is the view we saw! https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyZ0sUxOBlN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
2. Stoney Man Trail
- It is 1.5 mil round trip trail. Not as steep but its a good start to hike in the morning. Technically it is a loop closer to the top of the summit but you will take the same route to go up and down.
- *Very intutive trail nothing crazy to get lost. A lot of parkings!
Here are some links for more info. https://www.funinfairfaxva.com/stony-man-trail-shenandoah-virginia/
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/stony-man-via-appalachian-trail
3. Hawksbill Trail
- It is another 1.6 mil round trip trail. Okay. This is up hill hike but so worth it to do it. You will love it. I had to stop like 5 times hiking up but that’s okay and I made it to the top lol. It was fantastic.
- *Very intutive trail. A lot of parkings around there as well. Grab your water coz you will need. Grab some snacks to snack when you make it to the top.
We grabbed lunch and a drink at a loge/visitor centers close to Hawksbill. They got decent food and a nice seating area.
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/hawksbill-summit
4. Waterfalls!!! (Dark Hollow Falls Trail)
- It is also another 1.6 mil round trip trail. Not too far from Hawksbill. It will give you different side of Shenandoah coz this is downhill hike lol. We went there in October and no rain. So water at the waterfalls wasn’t that much. I bet it is more beautiful when there is more water.
- Again this is downhill so you will be climbing back up to come back to the parking. Get ready :p hey this isn’t as steep as Hawksbill so you will be just fine.
- * Good amounts of parking spots!
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/dark-hollow-falls-trail
This wraps up 1 day itinerary. We stayed at a town close to Elkton. Next day, we wanted to go to Blackrock Summit but we didn’t make it since we had to head back. So if you have another extra morning, go do check out Blackrock Summit. I’ve heard it is slightly slippery with the rocks so be careful!
Pro-Tips!
- If you don’t know yet, if you go to National Park that requires entrance fee, and if you go there before the official opening time (7 am I believe), it is technically Free!
- Fill up gas before getting to Skyline Drive coz it will be a little bit pricy.
- Stop by a lot of overlooks but some are totally worth it; some aint!
- Sunset is west and Sunrise is east so if you want to see either or both, be mindful the side of the road you are on for the overlooks.
- Even though we went there in 1st/2nd week of October, the fall color hadn’t peaked. We saw some yellow and green color. I bet it was prettier during the fall foliage peak. We though went to Blue Ridge a lot of times so I will make another post relating to Blue Ridge Fall Hike!
Here is our silly video on our budget trip https://www.instagram.com/p/CyZz-XHumWb/
Enjoy the park and enjoy the hike!
