Shenandoah National Park with Kids
Explore the beautiful Shenandoah National Park with kids on your next family adventure.
From jaw-dropping views to plenty of easy hikes, this mountainous national park in Virginia will keep you busy for days.
Below, you’ll find our best suggestions on how to spend your time in the area, including our favorite picnic spots, the best times to visit, and day trips in the Shenandoah Valley.
Let’s plan your family-friendly Shenandoah National Park visit!
Jewell Hollow Overlook in Shenandoah National Park
Why Visit Shenandoah National Park with Kids?
At first glance, the park might not seem super accessible to families with kids.
After all, the only obvious element of the park is a 105-mile road that runs from north to south along the mountain ridges.
I’m here to tell you that there’s SO much to do here…and that road is not to be missed. (Seriously!)
Kids should visit the park because there are lots of cool hikes and there is a fun exhibit at the [Big Meadow] Visitors’ Center.
-Britton, age 9
Skyline Drive
The central road through Shenandoah National Park is key to your family’s visit.
PIN ME!
Whether you’re planning a day hike near mile 5 or checking into one of the lodges, you’re going to get there by Skyline Drive.
Built in 1935, this 2 lane road hugs the sides of the mountains in the park, reaching over 3600 feet above sea level at its highest point near Skyline Lodge.
I wasn’t sure how my kids would feel about getting back in the car after we’d just traveled 8 hours from South Carolina to Virginia.
However, they loved the incredible views from the car while on Skyline Drive.
We made the drive even better with lots of stops at the overlooks.
Even though the road is small, it’s paved and well maintained. Plus, the speed limit is 35, so you don’t have to worry about missing any of the views.
In addition to gorgeous roadside views, Skyline Drive also offers plenty of areas to pull off and get out of the car.
There are also trailheads located throughout the park with easy access to the drive.
We didn’t bring our camper into the park on my most recent visit as the campgrounds are closed in the winter, but you’ll see many smaller travel trailers on Skyline Drive during the spring, winter, and fall.
I wouldn’t advise bringing a large RV on the drive, but a smaller Class C, Class B, pop-up, or smaller travel trailer would be just fine.
Thinking of renting or purchasing a camper for your Shenandoah trip? Explore the pros and cons of a pop up camper vs. travel trailer.
Visitor Centers
From roughly March to October, you’ll be able to visit one of the 2 visitor centers.
If you’re traveling on Skyline Drive from north to south, you’ll find the Dickey Ridge visitors center on mile 5, making it super convenient to access from Front Royal.
Then, at mile 51, you can stop at Big Meadow Visitor Center (also known as the Byrd Visitors Center).
This center is the halfway point along Skyline Drive, and it’s a great destination for a day trip from either end of the park.
If you’re not sure how to organize all of these suggestions while visiting, check out my Shenandoah National Park itineraries for 1, 3, and 7 day visits.
What You Should Know Before Visiting Shenandoah National Park with Kids
Being silly at the North Entrance sign to the park near Front Royal
Shenandoah National Park with kids can be a wonderful experience, but don’t go into it expecting a walk in the park (ha).
Here’s what you’ll need to know for an easy, prepared trip.
Cell phone service is nearly non-existent.
In fact, for much of our time in and around Shenandoah National Park, we struggled to get even one bar of service.
While being disconnected from the world for a few days isn’t a terrible thing, it might give you pause if you or your kids suddenly get sick or hurt.
You can find lodging and campgrounds in the park.
However, book ahead, especially in the summer when the park is extra busy.
The lodging is also seasonal.
You won’t find any available lodging during the winter as the cabins and lodges aren’t open between the end of November and March-April (check the Shenandoah lodging page for more specifics each year).
All of the in-park campgrounds are also closed at this time of the year.
You’ll need to head outside of the park for lodging during the winter.
If you want to explore the park during the winter, there’s still plenty to see!
You’ll need to make lodging or camping arrangements outside of the park.
There are several hotels in Front Royal, on the northern end of the park, about a 10 minute drive to the North Entrance and Dickey Ridge Visitor Center.
Camping at Shenandoah River State Park is a great option if the campgrounds in the national park are full or closed.
If you’re camping while visiting the area, I highly recommend the Shenandoah River State Park also located near Front Royal.
This clean and quiet state park’s wooded lots and easy access to hiking trails makes this the best RV campground near Shenandoah National Park.
We stayed at the Shenandoah River State Park during our winter visit, and it was wonderful!
There are also cabins and yurts at the state park if you don’t have a camper.
If you choose to stay at one of the yurts, check out my complete yurt camping list!
The state park is located roughly halfway between Luray, Virginia, and Front Royal, Virginia, for quick access to both Shenandoah National Park and the famed Luray Caverns (another can’t-miss with kids!).
Ready to add more adventure to your family trips? Check out our guide to all of the East Coast national parks!
You don’t have many amenities inside the park.
Come prepared for a full day of fun before you enter the park.
From spring through fall, there are some quick service food stops open and guided tours available.
During the winter, you’ll need to bring your food and drinks into the park, and be prepared with your day’s game plan. No guided tours are offered in the winter.
Year round, you can find gas at the one gas station inside of the park, an Exxon located at the Big Meadows Visitors Center.
Keep in mind that this gas station is more than 50 miles from Front Royal and 15 miles from the Swift Run entrance station near Elkton.
Skyline Drive is one place you don’t want to run out of gas!
Because of the vastness of the park and the single road that runs throughout, you should also be prepared with basic first aid supplies and plenty of water for your family for the duration of your visit.
There aren’t many exits on and off of Skyline Drive.
Skyline Drive was designed to show visitors the beauty of the park—it’s not a way to easily get around the Shenandoah Valley area.
Keep that in mind as you plan your day, and realize that you’ll have to backtrack on the Drive a good bit to get off of the drive.
For example, one of the days on our recent visit, we entered through Front Royal with the plan to turn around at mile 51, where the Big Meadows Visitors Center is.
When we were ready to head back to our camper that day, we had to drive back up Skyline Drive just past Marys Tunnel to get out of the park at the Thorton Gap Entrance Station around mile 30.
“My best part was the hike we went on the Appalachian Trail ‘cause I got to go downhill and it was super fun.”
5 Things to Do in Shenandoah with Kids
Views from the Dickey Ridge Visitors Center
1) Shenandoah National Park Junior Ranger Program
We love a good junior ranger program!
My 2 favorite junior ranger at the Big Meadows Visitors Center
These programs are often free—or very low cost—and are a great way to direct your child’s learning and immersion while in the park.
The one at Shenandoah National Park is free, and your child will get a large printed booklet to complete while you’re visiting.
Once your kids have filled out their required pages and attended a ranger talk or two, they can talk to the rangers at the visitors’ centers to take the Junior Ranger pledge and get a free badge.
(If you don’t complete it while on property, that’s okay! You can mail it back it in to receive your badge.)
For homeschooling families, these packets are easy ways to extend a unit study about the Appalachian mountains, the local flora, and fauna, or the park’s history.
For anyone else, it’s still a wonderful way to get a comprehensive overview of what makes Shenandoah National Park a special place.
2) Hiking
The Camping Kiddos filling out their TRACK trail booklets on the Fox Hollow Trail
If you like hiking, there’s a nearly endless amount of options for you!
The park is large at 311 square miles (or nearly 200,000 acres), and there are hikes located all along Skyline Drive.
For even more options, you can do one of the backcountry hikes, which allow you to get further away from the crowds.
Several trails also have TRACK guides at the trailhead for an extra way to get kids excited about what they’ll see along the way.
Whichever you choose, you’ll find that there is plenty of parking along Skyline Drive for all of the trails.
The trailheads aren’t always marked in a way that you can see from the road, so you’ll need to have a general idea of what hikes are located in each section of the park.
Check out my list of short, kid friendly hikes in Shenandoah National Park.
NOTE: There is very, very little cell coverage in the park, so plan ahead and research what hikes are best for your family.
Bring the entire family! Here are my best tips on hiking with a toddler.
3) Marys Rock Tunnel
Marys Tunnel covered in ice during the winter
This covered tunnel was one of the highlights for my kids!
When they saw the sign for a tunnel through the side of one of the mountains, they both shared their enthusiasm (loudly).
It’s a shorter mountain tunnel, so if your kids have traveled through some of the more intimidating mountain tunnels out west—I’m looking at you, I-70 through Colorado—they might not be as impressed.
Still, a mountain tunnel is a mountain tunnel, and my kids can’t get enough of them.
The tunnel is located south on Skyline Drive just after the Thorton Gap Entrance Station around mile 32.
If you’d like to get a picture of the tunnel, there’s a pull off on the southern side of the tunnel right after you pass through.
Keep in mind that the tunnel only has a 12’8” clearance if your family is taking your camper or RV into the park!
4) Picnicking
My family loves a good picnic.
We have not one, but two, picnic baskets, and a cooler backpack to help us transport our food.
If you’re like us and love to dine al fresco, you’ll have plenty of options inside Shenandoah National Park.
You’ll see picnic areas signposted throughout the park, so it’s easy to pull over whenever your bunch gets hungry.
We found that the picnic areas near the visitor centers were equally well kept as the ones near some of the trail heads, so take your pick.
I’d particularly recommend the picnic area next door to the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center as there is an easy walking path between the two.
You’ll be treated to beautiful views of the Shenandoah Valley while you eat!
You can access rangers (during the warmer months), clean restrooms, and the trailhead to the Fox Hollow Trail from the same parking lot.
There’s a large sign on Skyline Drive indicating where the picnic area is, as well as ample parking and a big trash bin.
Another great choice is the picnic area near Elkwallow.
This group of picnic tables is nestled under a large canopy of pine trees and has easy access to 2 bathrooms (one plumbed, one vault).
The Elkwallow picnic area also has free fire pits to use, which would be wonderful for a lunch break in the cooler months.
If you’d like to do some hiking after lunch here, you can jump on the Appalachian trail section that runs through the national park or explore the backcountry on the Jeremys Run Trail.
5) Overlooks
Looking for birds at the Shenandoah Valley Overlook
Don’t go into the Skyline Drive thinking that you’ll blast through to your destination.
Instead, think of it more as a journey than a means to a particular end.
There are frequent overlooks throughout the park—usually every mile or so—and I strongly encourage you to pull over at any that your family finds interesting.
You’ll be treated to breathtaking views of the valley below, but you might also see things you’d miss from the car.
Your family might see a deer quietly eating just off the road, or a small waterfall trickling through the woods.
You could discover a trailhead, a big rock for climbing, or an interpretive sign explaining a part of the park’s history.
Take the journey slowly, and prepare to be awed!
NOTE: Most of the overlooks have small walls for visitor protection, but keep smaller kids close as there are some steep drop offs.
I hope you have the best time in Shenandoah National Park with your kids!
