Exploring the Northeast US: Oh, Shenandoah

I think my favorite days of our Northeast Road Trip were the ones we spent at Shenandoah National Park. We drove in from Charles Town, West Virginia, through the northern entrance on Skyline Drive. We spent two nights at Skyland Resort in a premium 2Q lodge room with a back deck that overlooked the Shenandoah Valley with a somewhat obstructed view. We ate two meals at the Pollock Dining Room at Skyland Resort, dinner the first night that was delicious, and lunch the second day (don’t ask me about blackeye pea chili). We took two official trails (Fox Hollow by the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center) and Limberlost Trail (less than a mile from Skyland Resort). We drove the whole length of the Skyline Drive, stopping at many of the 70+ overlooks. The weather ranged from overcast to so foggy you couldn’t see in front of you, to clear and cold (45 degrees). DH had to buy a hoodie because his thin jacket wasn’t enough. It was colder at Shenandoah than it had gotten at Acadia in Maine. We enjoyed the rest and relaxation, sitting on the deck and just watching and listening to nature around us, at least until it was too cold that we had to go inside. Our room had a picture window so we were able to continue enjoying the view from inside where we had the heat on. We walked around the Skyland area and visited the Massanutten Lodge that was located within Skyland. We saw deer and squirrels and chipmunks. We listened to the wind and found two small waterfalls simply because we were still and listening.

In preparation for our visit, I researched the various trails and picked out two of the easiest ones. The first one we did was the Fox Hollow Trail that leaves from the Visitor Center near the north entrance to the park. We talked with the ranger about the trail before heading out to make sure we knew where the trailhead was and to be sure that it was truly a circular loop. It had an over 300-ft elevation change, and it had been raining on the days prior to us being there, so they advised that it would be muddy but the trail was in good condition. The ranger we spoke to suggested we take the loop going clockwise because that might be easier with the uphills and downhills. I commented to DH while we were on the trail that the ranger took one look at me and decided which way I should go. We were about halfway through the trail when another ranger came from the other direction and I told DH that I figured the first ranger sent the second ranger out to make sure that lady was ok, haha! It was a good trail, would’ve been better in dryer conditions, but we did it! I do have confirmation that I am not a hiker, don’t want to be a hiker, and am definitely a flatlander! But I was so proud of myself for doing it and for being careful and not having any mishaps or missed steps. I did have quite a bit of mud on my shoes when we got done.

The second trail I picked was definitely more my speed. It’s the Limberlost Trail, and it’s got about 130 ft elevation change. It’s wide and has crushed stone for much of the path on the 1.3 mile loop. It’s designed for an easy walk in the woods which was exactly what we wanted to do! I was drawn to this trail because when I was maybe 10 years old, my grandmother had checked out a book from her local library when I was coming to visit that she wanted me to read. It was A Girl of the Limberlost. This book has stuck with me for fifty years, so of course I had to have my own Limberlost-adventure. This was my favorite outdoor activity we did on this trip.