Shenandoah National Park

I figured it would be fitting for my first post to be on the park closest to home -although I have just this weekend finally been to see it! Seems like a crime since I went to school so close by, but I’ll blame that on my heavy work load 🙂 I am convinced I will be spending many more weekends in this beautiful park!

Trip Date: 1/12/18 – 1/13/18

This past weekend marked my 26th birthday. I could not think of anything better to do on my birthday than visit a national park – especially because it was 60 degrees on Friday! It did rain, but that just made the waterfalls that much more spectacular.

I started my trip by entering the park at the entrance near Front Royal. I began my slow but beautiful climb up onto Skyline Drive -the road that helps hikers like me forgo the long summit hikes to enjoy the incredible views. No complaints here!

I had to stop a few times to clear the road – there were several fallen trees! Good thing the speed limit is 35 mph. Although with these views I must admit its hard to keep your eyes on the road! I love the picture with the fog over the river.

Couldn’t help stopping in the middle of the road to photograph some of the frozen waterfalls. The second day most of them had fallen so I was lucky to catch them while I did.

Once I reached the only visitor’s center open in the winter (Harry F. Byrd Sr.), I stopped in to get my magnet and Christmas ornament. It was pretty deserted… but given the rain and wind I don’t imagine too many people were lining up to come visit the park.

I decided to check out Dark Hollow Falls. I hiked about 2 miles round trip, with 500 ft of elevation gain (thanks fitbit!) Its pretty much all downhill going out, then all uphill coming back. Its tricky because you keep saying – oh just a bit further so I can get a better angle….then you have to hike all the way back up. But this one was well worth the climb back. Here are some of my favorites! I have been playing with the settings on my camera to get some of these shots. With slower shutter speed and lower ISO setting I was able to get the cool hazy effect on the falls. I am still figuring it out though – so I am open to suggestions!

Even with the rain I had a hard time tearing myself away from the falls. Once I was back up I decided to check out the rest of the Skyline Drive. Here are some random shots I liked.

I stayed in a cabin (Lydia Mountain) that night with the hopes of doing some more hiking the next day…but the cold winter weather came back with a vengeance! It was 16 degrees and very windy when I finally made it back up onto the mountain – so I opted for watching the sunrise from my car.

The roads were very icy! There was even some snow! The rapid change in temperature made me even happier I had explored so much Friday! I feel like I stole a spring day in the middle of winter.

I loved this park! There are 15+ hikes I have ear-marked for future visits. Since its only a 3 hour drive, I imagine there will be many more last minute trips to explore this park in the future.

Leave comments with your favorite hikes if you’ve been! I am making my list for the return trip. I imagine this park is breathtaking in the fall.