Dickey Ridge Visitor Center.
This should be your starting point, if you enter the park from the north, for it is just inside mile 4.6 (see pp. [10]-13 for mileposts). Wherever you enter, be sure to stop here sometime before you leave the park. Ranger-naturalists are on hand to orient you and help you get all the information you need on hiking or camping, or whatever you plan to do. A short sequence of color slides will give you a general introduction to the park. The program describes the variety of park attractions—trails, wildlife, wildflowers, geology, and history.
Visitor Activities Program.
During the summer, ranger-naturalists conduct a number of field trips daily to points of interest and give nightly campfire programs at Skyland, Big Meadows, or Lewis Mountain. The entire family can enjoy these park-sponsored activities. In spring and autumn, park naturalists present evening talks at concession lodges. For the “do-it-yourself” visitor, self-guiding nature trails are open throughout the year.
| SOME TRAILS OF SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Trip | ||||
| Name of Trail | Starts | Miles | Time | Remarks |
| Marys Rock | Mile 31.5 | 3.6 | 3 hrs. | Steady climb for 1.8 miles but easy return. Broad sweep of scenery in every direction. |
| Little Stony Man | Mile 39.1 | 1.5 | 1 hr. | Steep 385-foot climb for 0.6 mile of forest trail. Splendid view of Shenandoah Valley. |
| Stony Man | Mile 41.8 | 1.5 | 2 hrs. | Easy grade. Self-guiding nature trail through the woods; startlingly beautiful vista atop Stony Man profile. |
| Whiteoak Canyon | Mile 42.6 (Conducted walk from Mile 43) | 5 | ½ day | Cool walk through the woods; long pull returning. First of series of six waterfalls at end of trail. |
| Limberlost | Mile 42.6 | 1.5 | 2 hrs. | Easy walk through hemlock forest (first part of Whiteoak trail). |
| Upper Hawksbill | Mile 46.6 | 2 | 1½ hrs. | To summit of Hawksbill Mountain, highest in park. Shady but steady climb. |
| Dark Hollow Falls | Mile 50.5 | 1.5 | 1 hr. | Shady trail; fairly steep climb returning. Falls drop sheerly 50 feet. |
| Big Meadows Swamp | Mile 51.2 (Big Meadows Amphitheater) | 2 | 2 hrs. | No climbing; trail through swamp and woodland. Self-guiding. |
Whiteoak Canyon Falls.
A complete schedule of these free interpretive activities is found in the Visitor Activities Program, available at all park and concession installations in Shenandoah National Park, or by writing to the Park Superintendent, Luray, Va.
Hiking.
The park is a hiker’s paradise, with over 200 miles of foot trails, including a 94-mile link of the famous Appalachian Trail, which extends more than 2,000 miles from Maine to Georgia. The park maintains a series of open shelters along the trails, conveniently spaced a day’s hike apart. Each hiker should bring his own bedroll for use on one of the six spring-covered bunks furnished in most of the shelters. These bunks are occupied on a first-come, first-served basis.