Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA

Getting there and getting around

We visited Shenandoah national park in Virginia at the start of September 2022. Our visit coincided with Labor Day weekend which is a national holiday in the USA.

We hired a car from Avis in Georgetown (cost £85 per day) and drove from Georgetown to Front Royal via the town of Harpers Ferry, where we stopped for lunch and a look around.

The whole drive took about two and half hours, plus the time we spent in Harpers Ferry.

Accommodation

We stayed at the Mountain Home B&B just outside the town of Front Royal. We had a family room for 3 nights with a double bed and two single beds.

The B&B is run by Scott and Lisa, a lovely couple who also happen to be experienced thru-hikers; they provide lodgings and food for hikers walking the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail which runs right past their doorstep. Many hikers stop here to pick up their care packages mailed to them by friends and family.

The B&B was homely and welcoming. It was well set-up for families with board games and beautiful gardens. Lisa and Scott were very considerate and kind and we really felt like we were being looked after. Our kids made friends and played with with other kids their age who were also staying there which was fantastic.

Our star rating: 5

Our cost rating: 5

Harpers Ferry

We visited this National Historical Park with its 19th century buildings and civil war history on the way to Shenandoah. We parked at the visitor centre (£15) and took the free shuttle bus into the town.

The town is located in the state of West Virginia where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet. It is also near the mid-point of the Appalachian Trail and the home of the Trail headquarters.

In 1859 the abolitionist John Brown and a small group of followers raided the town’s armoury, hoping to arm slaves and start a revolt against slavery in the South. The group failed and John Brown was tried for treason, murder and inciting a slave insurrection.

During the civil war Harpers Ferry was the northernmost territory controlled by the Confederate army. The town changed hands eight times during the civil war. Most of the town was destroyed by the war and then flooding, but because of its historical influence it quickly became a tourist destination (particularly for black visitors) and is now the top most visited sight in West Virginia.

Shendanoah river rafting

Located about 45 minutes drive from Mountain Home, Shendanoah River Outfitters in Luray offer various water based activities including rafting, tubing, kayaking and canoeing. The drive there and back was beautiful. We stopped off a few times to admire the scenery.

We have always wanted to try rafting. Reassured by the Outfitters that the river was navigable by beginners, and trying our best not to summon up images of Kevin Bacon in The River Wild, we hired a raft for the 2-3 hour trip down the river. We brought swimsuits, sun cream, water and snacks and hired a cool-box from the Outfitters.

Rafting on the Shenandoah river was a brilliant experience. We were pretty rubbish at powering and steering the raft, and we went round in circles quite a bit, and bumped into other people occasionally, and got stuck on a few rocks. But we had so much fun!!

The boys both swam in the river, and helped paddle, and shouted directions as we navigated through (gentle) rapids. It was a wonderful day spent outside in this beautiful national park.

Skyline drive and the Appalachian trail

Shenandoah national park in Virginia is one of two national parks in the Blue Ridge part of the Appalachian mountain range. (The other is the Great Smokey Mountains - the most visited national park in the USA).

Skyline Drive is the section of the Blue Ridge Parkway road that runs through Virginia. It is a 105 mile road along the ridge of the mountains with 75 overlooks providing vistas of the Shenandoah valley below.

On the day we visited it was a bit rainy and many of the views were clouded over. We did still get some good views though, and the drive through the trees was very pretty.

Having read Wild which charts Cheryl Strayed’s endeavours to complete the Pacific Crest Trail, and Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods about his attempts to hike parts of the Appalachian Trail, we have serious respect and admiration for thru-hikers.

We thought it would be fun to hike part of the Appalachian Trail (AT) ourselves. We parked at the car park just south of the Hogback Overlook and walked for about 20 minutes on the Appalachian Trail. The walk took in the Overlook and rewarded us with a lovely view.

We then crossed back over Skyline Drive and continued on the AT for another 45 minutes or so. We then turned back to rejoin the road and walked back to the car park along the road. It was an easy walk even with the humidity.

Final Thoughts

After a busy few weeks exploring the big cities of the eastern seaboard we were ready for a break in the countryside and were keen to see some more of rural America.

We were unsettled by the Trump flags and ‘take America back’ posters we saw on our drive from Washington south to Front Royal in Virginia. We were unsure what our B&B (or the owners would be like). On arriving at Mountain Home it was clear we needn’t have worried. Lisa and Scott were warm and welcoming and we immediately felt at home.

We only had 3 days in Virginia and we could have easily spent longer here enjoying all the outdoor activities and magnificent scenery. We absolutely loved the rafting, and driving Skyline and hiking (a bit of) the AT was fun.