Timing of Skyline Drive and the best hike in the park

I see that the entire drive can be made in three hours. Would you say that six hours is enough time to do the drive, visit a handful of overlooks and take one hike? We want to experience some of what the park has to offer, but we have to budget our time wisely as this drive is just the beginning of our trip.

If you had to pick the best hiking trail in the park - what would it be? We are a pretty fit family, with kids ages seven and eight. I wouldn%26#39;t want to do a hike where I%26#39;d be nervous about them falling off the mountain or anything like that.

Am I missing anything else that is a ';must do';??

Thanks! ;-)

Timing of Skyline Drive and the best hike in the park

Skyline Dr is beautiful and you%26#39;ll be glad you spent time there and Shenandoah NP. You should have enough time for the drive and a short hike. Many hikes take more time than you have, but there are lots of great hikes that will work for you. Here are my suggestions (but I recommend you stop by the visitors center, tell the ranger your time limitations, hiking abilities and interests and get their advice):

Little Stony Man Cliffs milepost 39, about 1 hr, easy, about 1 mi, great views, 300 ft elevation gain; Dark Hollow Falls milepost 50.7, hike to falls 1.5 mi. 1.5 hr, 440 ft elevation gain, moderate. If you think you have 2 hrs, Hawksbill is a wonderful and popular hike, bit more demanding but still moderate w/ 520 ft elev gain, milepost 46.7, 2.1 mi, rocky trail to highest peak @ 4049%26#39;.

Something else to consider and the kids might really enjoy is Luray Caverns, just off Skyline Dr at Rt 211 about milepost 30 (more info www.luraycaverns.com). Shenandoah NP info at www.nps.gov/shen

You probably already know this, but the mileposts begin at Front Royal entrance ';0'; and go to ';105'; at Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro.

Hope this helps. Happy trails.

Timing of Skyline Drive and the best hike in the park

Thanks, goneagain2! Everything you wrote if very helpful and we%26#39;ll definitely stop in at the visitors center and talk with the ranger. SP sounds so wonderful! It%26#39;s so hard to drive through and not do everything there is to offer!

Thannks again for your help. ;-)

What time of the year will you be on Skyline Drive?The suggestions above are all very good; I would add the nature hike up to Stony Man Mountain to that list. You can see the face of ';Stony Man'; as you approach it from the north (at one of the pull outs). It is just a tad lower in elevation than Hawksbill and not strenuous. You can get the nature trail booklet at the start of the trail and it tells you various bits of information as you hike. The view at the top is great and over looks the Shenandoah Valley (as does Hawksbill where you get a 360 degree view). Our granddaughters (6 and 8) did the hike with us last August. There are two places you might want to consider for lunch, Skyland Resort (close to where you would start the Stony Man Nature Trail) and Big Meadows Lodge (located a short drive or walk from the Byrd Visitor Center/Wayside Cafe/Big Meadow-yes there is a meadow there where you can also take hikes and see whitetail deer-and very close to the parking lot of the Dark Hollow Falls trail). You may also want to consider taking food and stopping for a picnic (there are picnic grounds near Big Meadows Lodge and campground). A very short hike (several hundred yards in length) that gives you a view similar to Stony Man is Black Rock Overlook; the trail is found at the end of the parking lot for Big Meadows Lodge. Another hike (to a series of waterfalls) to consider is White Oak Canyon. It is longer than Dark Hollow but the decline (and subsequent walk back up) is less severe. My wife and I made that hike last year and had a picnic lunch at the first waterfall.

Depending on the time of year, you may get lucky and see a black bear(s). We saw several in July of last year around Big Meadows Lodge and on the hike up Stony Man and one walked in to our campsite in August. In years past we have seen some on the side of Skline Drive and on the hike up Hawksbill.

Enjoy the drive and the views!

I saw from your earlier post that you will be driving the Drive in mid-April. The trees will be mostly barren which will afford you interesting views of the mountains. Last April 6th, while we were staying in a cabin at Big Meadows, we received about 4 inches of snow, which I think was an anomaly; it should be nice and cool for any hikes you might take plus the insects will not be in full force.

Thanks, Yellowstone1! I like your suggestions, too.

I like looking at other peoples profiles to see where they%26#39;ve been and I see that almost the entire map of your USA is covered! I%26#39;ll have to check back with your reviews of the west when we head out there summer of 2009!

Great! This May we are heading (back) to the national parks in Utah (Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Zion and Bryce) and Mesa Verde NP in Colorado. Last year we did Great Basin in NV, Lassen Volcanic and Redwoods in CA and Crater Lake in OR. The year before that we did the NPs in Washington (Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades). Had a great time each trip; we try to stay inside the NPs where possible as we enjoy the old lodges and being already inside the park.

That sounds wonderful Yellowstone1! You%26#39;re living my dream life.....that%26#39;ll be me when I retire! Have fun!