Skyline Drive Must-Take Road Trip Missed This Spring

Celebrating Spring has not been the same here in Front Royal this year. Locals and tourists alike anticipated meandering through the glorious Shenandoah National Park, taking in the spectacular scenery and enduring rugged outdoor adventures. As a popular destination for weekenders in Warren County and nearby regions, drivers can ostensibly travel the 105-mile road in about three hours. But those three hours do not account for the enticement to stop, look, picnic, play or simply explore so much of what is Skyline Drive.
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But all was changed on April 4, the day it was closed to motorists due to the coronavirus.

We missed the sounds of rumbling motorcycles coming in from I-66 transporting cruise riders, the Harley riders, and young-at-heart senior riders (good for them!). We missed the cars parked on the side while waiting for an order from Spelunker’s. We missed viewing the magnificent landscape dotted with flowering dogwood, redbud, and wild plum trees. We missed the trails artfully displaying colorful azaleas, pink-and-white mountain laurel, and hundreds of wildflowers carpeting the forest’s floor.
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After many weeks and confusing federal and state guidelines, Shenandoah National Park will begin Phase Two of its phased reopening plan.

Phase Two: What You Need to Know

Beginning at 7:00 a.m. on June 11, 2020, Shenandoah National Park will reopen access to:
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• The entire park will be open 24 hours a day.
• The backcountry, including shelters and huts, will be open for overnight camping. Backcountry campers should be self-reliant and review camping regulations online or at kiosks to self-register their backcountry permits. Kiosks are located at: Entrance Stations, Loft Mountain Wayside, North and South entry points of the Appalachian Trail, and the Old Rag Trailhead parking area. Backcountry cabins will be available for weekend rental by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club at patc.net. More information on backcountry camping can be found on the park's website.
• Campgrounds will open at 12:00 p.m. noon at a limited capacity to meet the Forward Virginia guidelines of a 20-foot separation between campsites to encourage distancing. There will be limited first come-first served sites at this time. No new reservations can be made but we will honor reservations previously made.
• Old Rag and Whiteoak Canyon/Cedar Run circuit trails will reopen from both Skyline Drive and the boundary. Entrance fees will be collected at the boundary trailheads, unless you have a current pass, and parking will be limited to available parking spots in designated parking areas only. Vehicles parked along the roadside will be ticketed and towed.
• All boundary trailheads will reopen. Vehicles parked illegally may be ticketed and towed.
• Picnic Grounds will reopen at 12:00 p.m. noon. Dickey Ridge Picnic Grounds (mile 4.7) is currently closed and will reopen when construction activities are completed.

Concession-operated services will open as follows:

• June 11, 2020: Elkwallow Wayside (mile 24), Skyland Lodge (mile 41.7 or 42.5), Big Meadows Showers and Woodyard (mile 51), Lewis Mountain Cabins and Campstore (mile 57.2), Loft Mountain Campstore (mile 79.5). Masks are required for entry into facilities.
• June 25, 2020: Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)
• June 26, 2020: Loft Mountain Wayside (mile 79.5)

Beginning June 12, 2020, the Park will reopen access to:

• The Park Store at Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51) will open. It will operate 5 days a week (Thursday through Monday) from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. A limited number of patrons will be allowed at one time and masks will be required.

With public health in mind, the following facilities remain closed at this time:

• The picnic pavilion within Pinnacles Picnic Grounds (mile 36.6)
• Dickey Ridge Visitor Center (mile 4.6) and the information desk and exhibit in Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51)
• Massanutten Lodge, and Rapidan Camp historic structures

Planning ahead is important.
Keep yourself and others safe by planning before coming to Shenandoah.

• Please plan to pay your entrance fee with a debit or credit card to minimize use of cash.
• Plan your activities so that you can maintain social distancing and look for less popular hikes and overlooks.
• Since facilities are closed, bring everything that you'll need with you: water, snacks, hand sanitizer, and a face mask.
• We cannot give out park maps or hiking maps so be sure to download them and bring them with you!!
  • Park map here
  • Suggested hikes and trail maps here
  • Purchase a topographic map
• Download the park app, as well as the offline content, before arriving in the park to help you find your way around.

 
A few simple things can help ensure a safe visit.

• Most importantly if you feel sick...stay home!
• Once in the park, practice social distancing by maintaining at least six feet between yourself and others and wear a face mask when social distancing cannot be maintained.
• Practice good hygiene: wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (use hand sanitizer out on the trail), cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough, and avoid touching your face.

Hike responsibly.

• Do not attempt to access areas that are closed. They are closed for your safety.
• Use this opportunity to explore less popular areas that you've never been to! If the parking area is full, don't park in the grass or along the road...move on to another area.
• Finally, make sure to choose hikes that you are physically capable of doing, and don't take chances.

The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners continues to be paramount. At Shenandoah National Park, our operational approach will be to examine each facility function and service provided to ensure those operations comply with current public health guidance and will be regularly monitored. We continue to work closely with the NPS Office of Public Health using CDC guidance to ensure public and workspaces are safe and clean for visitors, employees, partners, and volunteers.

While these areas are accessible for visitors to enjoy, a return to full operations will continue to be phased and services may be limited. When recreating, the public should follow local area health orders https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/prevention-tips/, practice Leave No Trace principles, avoid crowding and avoid high-risk outdoor activities.

Details and updates on park operations will continue to be posted on our website www.nps.gov/shen and social media channels: https://www.facebook.com/shenandoahnps/, https://twitter.com/ShenandoahNPS, and https://www.instagram.com/shenandoahnps/. Updates about NPS operations will be posted on www.nps.gov/coronavirus. Please visit www.goshenandoah.com for updates about park concessioner, Delaware North’s operations.
 
​As the weather gets warmer and the dangers of the coronavirus are lessened, grab that picnic basket filled with your favorite foods. Do not forget the blanket, insect repellant, and a few rain ponchos. Your day to cruise Skyline Drive awaits. 

And as the summer passes by so swiftly, the annuals in your garden will start to fade, the fireflies will take their final bow and the leaf peepers will back up traffic at the corner of South Royal Avenue and South Street. 

It may have been a silent spring, but the roar of leather-clad motorcyclists and carloads of nature lovers won’t miss the must-take road trip this Fall.

Shenandoah River