Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Fall Travel Diary

Over the weekend, Papa and our dog Rosie and I embarked on our annual Fall tradition to see the foliage at Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. We rarely get out and hike or walk on any of the trails at Shenandoah National Park, but rather stick to leaf peeping and taking in ALL of the scenic views view the scenic Skyline Drive. We have made visiting Skyline Drive an annual tradition ever since I graduated from college in May 2021 (see more here!) and it has become a special way to celebrate the Fall season alongside the upcoming holiday season, too. Rosie has LOVED getting to take in ALL of the sights and smells at Shenandoah National park, too! And, 2024 was the first year that I had my camera with me to snap some lovely shots of the mountains in their beauty and glory this Fall season!

Please note that this content is apart of my exploring the Washington, DC area series. For more information on planning your own trip to Washington DC (here), Northern Virginia (here), the Virginia Wine Country (here), Maryland (here), and beyond (here), please use the corresponding links for some recommendations and inspiration.

Our Experience:

One of the things that we’ve noticed this year, despite arriving at Shenandoah National Park before 9am, was the lack of visitors this year (even as we left). Papa and I believe that the recent damage and unfortunate and devastating events from Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton are a big reason for this decrease in visitors. Shenandoah National Park amongst some of Western North Carolina’s and Virginia’s towns are reopening post-hurricane and are welcome to visitors. Even though these destinations may have received damage from recent hurricanes, they are still open to and eager to welcome visitors, including at Skyline Drive at Shenandoah National Park. These towns that are reopening need our business now more than ever before. While they may not be every town or place, the ones that are opening again and ready for visitors need us now to support and stimulate their economies, especially after receiving damage. That all being said, I am SOOO grateful that Papa and Rosie and I visited Skyline Drive via our annual Fall tradition especially this year.

Now, I am going to keep this post more focused on the photos I took as they encompass some of the many special memories made on our Shenandoah adventure this Fall 2024!