As the audio guides play commentary based on your gps location, you can create your own itinerary along the tour route to match your interests and schedule. Or you can use our trip planners for our suggestions on half, full or multi day itineraries. Some of the many highlights are listed below;
It may be stating the obvious, but driving the beautiful Skyline Drive is the primary reason for many people's visit. There are many excellent vistas and overlooks to enjoy along the way, with most requiring no more than stepping out of your vehicle to capture that fantastic photo. Because there are so many great overlooks, we won't talk about all of them on the tour - we'd never get to the end of the drive, but we will be sure to let you know which ones are the best and ones that offer a unique perspective. But above all, enjoy the simple scenic pleasure of this gorgeous drive. Take your time and soak it all in!
Looking for a challenging hike? This is one of the Northern District’s most unique features - and full of history. The stairs are a series of natural formations found throughout a narrow, seemingly hand-carved gorge. While they may look almost man-made, no one, not even the Native Americans who were here long before any European settlers, lay claim to shaping them. It’s one of the park’s more popular attractions, so expect a crowded parking lot.
Do you believe in ghosts? The most haunted place in Shenandoah sits just off the road, a place where you can hear footsteps outside when no one else is around and possibly glimpse a white figure in the woods who is said to vanish if approached. This is Corbin Cabin and even if you don’t believe, it’s a unique site with a story behind it that dates back to before the creation of the park.
When you think of Shenandoah, a vacation resort probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. And yet, there is one here still operating, hidden in the middle of the woods at the highest point along Skyline Drive. Built in 1906, Skyland Resort has played host to numerous elaborate balls, musicals, tournaments and pageants over the years and the cabins, dining halls and recreation halls are all still active. Today, twelve historic Skyland structures remain and you can experience what life was like at the turn of the 20th century. You can stay here, or simply walk through the resort and soak in its history.
This is the most popular attraction in the park, with unquestionably some of the best hikes - though the Circuit is a favorite and requires a 6 hour commitment for most. Here you can hike across rock scrambles, take in 360-degree views of Shenandoah, and see endangered plants and animals. So why’s it called Old Rag? Well, early European explorers thought the exposed granite at and around the summit looked like an old rag and there you have it - the name stuck. Old Rag Mountain Day-Use Ticket: From March - November all visitors to Old Rag Mountain require a day-use ticket, including hikers on the Saddle, Ridge and Ridge Access trails. This is a pilot project that will be reviewed.
Right across the road from Big Meadows is another place worth stopping. The Byrd Visitor Center is equal parts museum, travel guide, hotel and restaurant. You can find exhibits inside on everything from the park’s history to the animal residents, plot out what trails you’d like to explore, or even stay the night on the Skyline Drive in comfort at the hotel. Kids especially will enjoy some of the exhibits, with artifacts from both humans and animals on display.
This is the park’s halfway point and this high-elevation meadow is a chance to see a wide variety of animals. Big Meadows is a feeding ground for everything from black bears to bobcats, with deer and the occasional elk wandering by. As with any wildlife spotting - a little luck is needed, but you can increase your chances by being in places like the meadows in the early morning, or towards dusk. Binoculars are a good idea for spotting wildlife from a safe distance. Burned by multiple wildfires over the last six years, the meadows gives a unique visual, as you can literally see the land rebuilding itself.
Dark Hollow Falls Trail is our favorite waterfall hike in the park, requiring just a 1.4 mile return trek to view the 70 foot dancing water show. The trail is a little steep in places, but not overly strenuous. White tailed deer are often spotted along the way. An early start is recommended if it's likely to be a busy day. Expect to spend 60-90 minutes to complete, with time viewing the falls.
You’ve probably heard about Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. But before that country retreat was built in 1942, President Herbert Hoover built Rapidan Camp in what would eventually become Shenandoah National Park. Today, the camp and surviving cabins are a museum, both of Hoover’s presidency and of Shenandoah itself. The camp is accessible on a 4 mile round-trip hike, and there is the option of joining a ranger-guided tour from the Byrd Visitor Center.
The narrator was wonderful. Everyone enjoyed the information and the little extras that gave it personality! I love that it's good for life so if we ever go back we've got the tour already. I'll be checking out other tours for future trips.
Traveled with two teens and all of us appreciated the Tour. There were lots of interesting tidbits. The sound quality was well done. I did have to disable Bluetooth because my music app would automatically connect in the middle of the Guide talking at points, even when I made sure the music app was closed. I then plugged in Carplay and everything from that point was smooth sailing. I would definitely recommend and will look for more of their tours when taking other road trips.
I have gotten other self guided tours that were packed with historical facts. This one was a little light. But, it was well performed and still enhanced the drive.
We started in the north, from Front Royal, and drove the entire length ! The audio tour played over our car stereo, and interrupted our music playing, whenever it had an interesting fact or hiking trail to mention. The humor, historical, wildlife, and geological facts were awesome. The drive wouldn’t have been as nice without the guide. We’ll use the Blue Ridge Parkway guide on that drive as well. Well done, and worth $20.
Good experience all around - really enhanced our visit to Shenandoah NP without being overwhelming. We just left the app open and it seamlessly automatically popped in every couple minutes with nearby sites, history of the park, wildlife, lore, etc. (Tip: Make sure you download AND open the tour once before you leave home so you can sign off on the terms of service, etc - that initial setup needs an internet connection which is hard to come by in the park.)
So Glad I chose to listen was informative and entertaining . I enjoyed things I would have otherwise missed
This is an outstanding option to help you navigate the Skyline Drive. The narrator provided insight into the park, suggested pull-offs for viewing, and details about the different hiking trails (long & short) that were available. Strong recommendation on purchasing this guided tour.
Love this app! It helps so much letting us know history and all the best hikes. It also helps us to know exactly where we are on skyline drive. Can’t imagine doing this trip without it!
Works as advertised. Interesting stories in combination with GPS. Nice that you can download and keep for life. The family enjoyed it.
We had no audio output. We could read the story. I could hear only through my hearing aid. So most of the family couldn’t hear.
This was a fabulous audio tour - a good mix of history/fact/stories and general commentary. Was perfectly synced to our location. As they recommend, be sure to download it before your drive, we didn't do that and it took us 20 minutes or so to get everything in place during the drive due to lack of cell service at different parts of the route. Will definitely check out more programs like this in the future.
What a wonderful audio tour. I learned lots about the history of the park and the geography too. Learned about the different stops and which ones were particularly fine and why. The narrator was funny and very likable. I’m very glad I rented this?!!
The narration was light-hearted, timely, and informative. Narrator gave plenty of advance notice of upcoming viewpoints and other points of interest.
It is not useful at all. The ranger at the park entrance told me I got a scam! I have not used it at all!
The property was exactly as described and the hosts, Jess & Casey, were wonderful to work with. They anticipated our every need and answered every question. The home was clean and full of everything a visitor would need. We completely enjoyed our stay. The only regret was that we didn’t stay longer. Such a beautiful home and location.
Excellent company for driving Skyline Drive North to South. Informative and spot specific along the entire route. Highly recommend
Really loved driving through the park! The views are amazing and purchasing the audio tour really enhanced the experience ten times over. Would highly recommend! There’s so much history and it makes you feel even more connected to the sights. We loved it!
We really enjoyed the guided tour, from the man's excellent voice to his sense of humor - a few times he read my mind! Very informative and made the trip so much better. We drove 105 miles along the Skyline and had a wonderful time. This guided tour is worth every cent of $15.
A nightmare. Could not connect for hours. When i finally connected, my ‘code’ was rejected as having been used to often.
If you are a family that enjoys a guided tour, you will love this audio tour. It made driving Skyline Drive even more enjoyable and got my teen really engaged in what she was seeing. The guide points out interesting trails and overlooks as well giving historical background about the park and previous inhabitants of the area. It is not continuous. The guide pipes up from time to time with a story or fact.
It was a very nice day weather was beautiful. Sights were amazing and the narrator on the app was very informational great day!
Unfortunately, we forgot to turn it on. When we remembered the next day, of course it considered it complete and asked me to review…there was no way to retrieve it to hear it the next despite we still being in the area.
Clear explanations of places we were stopping to see. Great background information given by narrator. Pleasant voice. We were able to hear in the privacy of our car. No extraneous noise from outside groups or traffic.
The only part that worked was the initial intro. After that neither audio or GPS worked & couldn't fix
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