Shenandoah National Park: History, Trails, and Wildflowers, Virginia

The Trip

Shenandoah National Park is a glittering jewel in the Appalachian Range; a 300-square-mile sanctuary of secluded canyons, roaring waterfalls, diverse flora and animal life, rich in cultural history. We will hike past pioneer farms and homesites from a bygone era where settlers scratched out lives in the craggy mountain highlands. The scenic Skyline Drive parallels the Appalachian Trail. Hikes ascend and descend the ridge, alongside rivers and into deep canyons. In the event of serious rain, or just because we want to, the group may visit the park headquarters at Big Meadows, or a local winery and apple orchard. At the end of each day we will enjoy the comfort of a bed in a warm lodge exclusively reserved for our group. The 16-room log structure has a full kitchen, meeting space, and a library. Participants may store their own favorite beverages in the lodge kitchen. A variety of provisions will be provided for trail lunches, which we will prepare each morning before heading out.

Our lodge is situated on a family-owned and operated farm and retreat center, nestled deep in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. During our stay, the patriarch of the property will eagerly provide a historical overview of the region and the development of the national park. 

The Project

One day of the outing will be devoted to service work on a lovely trail just outside the national park. We will meet at a cabin owned by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) where the trail system District Manager will have identified a section of the trail that needs work and will provide a broader context to our activity, instructing us on maintenance techniques and conservation measures. Participants should bring work gloves and gardening tools. After a day of hard work and a contemplative walk along our improved section of trail, we can head back to our lodge feeling abundantly good about our very real contribution to the trail system.

Day 1 (Sunday): The trip officially begins at a historic lodge outside Shenandoah National Park at 4:00 p.m. After checking into our rooms there will be an opportunity to hike around the area, exploring the old cabins and animal farm on the property. The trip orientation will be at 5:00 p.m. in our own lodge. Each night of the trip, dinner will be in the main lodge dining room, located about a half mile from our accommodation. The walk back to our own lodge under the stars will feel good after a big homestyle dinner and yummy dessert! Each evening’s discussion will focus on conservation. Participants will be asked to prepare a brief presentation to the group on a concern, activity, innovation in their home state.

Day 2 (Monday): Coffee and tea will be available every morning in our own kitchen. We will prepare sack lunches and snacks before enjoying a full hot breakfast at the main lodge dining room at 8:00 a.m. Participants will be expected to carry their own lunch and water for the day, as well as rain gear and extra clothing to accommodate changes in weather. After breakfast, we carpool to the Little Devils Stairs Loop Hike. The moderately strenuous hike is relatively short at 5.4 miles with an elevation gain of 1,400 feet. Trail and creek merge many times, requiring easy rock hopping at normal water levels. Unless it is absolutely pouring on any day, we will plan to hike in the rain, which can be quite lovely. (Please closely read the Trip Difficulty section to determine if these hikes are suitable for you.) Dinner is back at the main lodge dining room.

Day 3 (Tuesday): After preparing our lunches and breakfast we will carpool to the Cedar Run-White Oak Canyon Trailhead. Our second hike is 10 miles and is considered very strenuous. We will encounter several stream crossings and steep and rocky ground. The trail parallels a beautiful river with cascading waterfalls and spectacular vistas. The elevation gain is 2,200 feet. There will be time to relax back at the lodge before dinner. 

Day 4 (Wednesday): We carpool to Rosser Lamb Cabin, one of several wilderness cabins owned by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC). The drive to our service project takes about 45 minutes. There, we will meet up with the club District Manager, and a PATC Trail Maintainer, who will go over the day’s project, safety issues, and trail maintenance protocols. Participants should bring their own work gloves. The project will include work suited for everyone, from lopping vegetation to cutting roots and moving rocks. With good humor, and no fear of getting dirty, we are bound to have a most inspiring day, followed by a shower and dinner back at the lodge. 

Day 5 (Thursday): After breakfast we carpool to the Old Rag Mountain parking area. Participants will have the option of choosing one of two hikes. At 9.5 miles and a 2,000-foot gain in elevation, the full loop trail ascends to the ‘rock scramble’ at the summit of Old Rag. Blue trail markers guide us up, over, and around large boulders, offering plenty of challenge and fun. There are no ropes or ladders, but we can push each other up and over if we need to! Those who are not up for the rock scramble can hike to the summit from the other direction and meet the group at the top for a spectacular view and lunch. Dinner awaits back at the main lodge.

Day 6 (Friday): We will carpool to Swift Run Gap Entrance Station on the Skyline Drive to access our last hike to Rapidan Camp, where President Herbert Hoover established his summer White House on a lovely fishing stream. The hike is approximately four miles and is moderately difficult. At our destination a volunteer park resident will be available to provide rich historical information about the site, and (if re-opened to the public) a tour of the Brown House, where the President and his wife entertained visitors and conducted government business. We end our hike back on the Skyline Drive. If there is time, the group may stop at Big Meadows Park Headquarters and Lodge or stop at The Blue Quartz Winery on our way back.

Day 7 (Saturday): After breakfast, we must pack up and check-out by 11 a.m. You can expect to be tired but happy, among new friends with lots of shared memories of a glorious week in Shenandoah National Park. On your way home, you might want to plan on a visit to Thomas Jefferson’s estate at Monticello, or James Madison’s home in Montpelier.

Getting There

The closest airport is Charlottesville, but it is easy and relatively inexpensive to fly into Richmond, where car rental is conveniently at the airport. The drive from Charlottesville to the lodge is under an hour; from Richmond Airport the drive takes about two hours. Those flying may want to share the expense of a car rental. Contact information for one another will be provided well in advance of the trip so that participants can make these arrangements with other members of the group. Directions to the lodge will be provided. Do not make nonrefundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the leader.

Accommodations and Food

For this outing we will have the exclusive use of a 16-room log lodge with wrap-around porches on two levels, located about a ½ mile from the main lodge dining room. Every participant will have his/her own room and private bathroom (toilet, sink and shower) so there is NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT! Couples can use one room for sleeping and the other for their luggage. Each room has a queen or two twin beds that are put together to make a king bed. The lodge has a full kitchen (refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, hot plate, and coffee maker). There is a large meeting room and a library full of books, games, and puzzles. Free wireless broadband is available. 

Most meals are provided. Breakfasts and dinners are served at long tables family style in the main dining hall. There is plenty of food, and the desserts are wonderful. On request, the cook will prepare a vegetarian main course for each dinner.

Trip Difficulty

This outing will be most enjoyed by those in excellent physical condition. Hikes are moderately difficult to very strenuous, with tricky river crossings; uneven, slick, and rocky terrain; steep elevation gains and descents; and bouldering. The longest hike is about 10 miles. We will plan to hike even in the rain unless it is absolutely pouring. The service day will be hard work, moving dirt, rock, and vegetation. We may split into two groups to ascend Old Rag Mountain, which will enable some participants to summit without having to climb the 'rock scramble.' On any trail in Shenandoah NP, hikes go either up to the ridgeline or down to the “holler.” Trails are rarely flat or well-groomed. Participants will be expected to carry their own lunch, water, and rain gear in their backpack.

Equipment and Clothing

A day pack, good hiking shoes, and proper foot care are essential, as the trails are rocky, uneven, and full of roots. Although May and October are lovely in the Appalachians, participants should be prepared for rain and chilly temperatures. Rain pants, and a rain jacket, are essential, and hiking poles for the downhills are recommended. You will need a reusable bottle for water. A list of recommended clothing and other gear will be sent after trip registration. Special equipment will be provided for the service day, but participants should bring work gloves.

References

• Molly, Johnny, Top Trails: Shenandoah National Park. Wilderness Press, 2012
• Hiking Shenandoah National Park, A Falcon Guide. Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
• https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presidents/hoover_camp_rapidan.html
• Kearse, Bettye, The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President’s Black Family. 2020.
• Leave No Trace guidelines: https://www.Int.org

Conservation

Shenandoah National Park is a sanctuary for plants, animals, and historic objects. Visitors should not harm or collect what they find. Wildflowers must set seed for the next year; artifacts must stay in place to have meaning and be rediscovered by the next hiker. Fawn and other wild animals are at home in their natural habitat and should be enjoyed from a distance. Feeding wildlife is illegal and unsafe. Although some animals appear tame, all are wild and unpredictable. They can bite, kick, and spread disease. Deer and other animals fed by humans become easy targets for illegal hunters. Bears habituated to human food can become more dangerous and may have to be killed. Hunting is prohibited in Shenandoah NP. Fishing requires a valid Virginia fishing license.

The Shenandoah Valley was home to the Iroquois and Shawnee Nations, as well as the Catawba and Cherokee Nations of the South and the Delaware and Susquehannock Nations of the North for more than a hundred centuries before European settlers arrived in the early 1700s. These later settlers were also displaced by the establishment of the park in the 1930s. According to the official park website: “Recent archaeological research has contributed to overturning the negative history of the region and helped to return it to the control of the displaced and their descendants. The challenge now is to continually strive for accuracy in our understanding and presentation of the park's complex historic past while remaining ever aware of the impact of the past upon the present.”

The Appalachian Trail (AT), a national treasure that spans over two thousand miles from Georgia to Maine, was conceived by Benton Mackay in 1921 as “a grand trail that would connect a series of farms and wilderness work/study camps for city dwellers.” Five hundred miles of the AT run through the state of Virginia. A portion of the trail parallels the beautiful Skyline Drive on the ridgeline of Shenandoah National Park. Throughout our trip we will adopt a Leave No Trace practice on the trail; what this really entails can be challenging on many levels. We will review published guidelines and share stories and tips on how to make our exploration of the wilderness more sustainable and comfortable. Everyone on the trip should come prepared to share advice and skills.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.