The Unique Relationship of Shenandoah National Park and the Appalachian Trail 

Right now I’m over halfway through the AT. I have seen 1000+ miles of trail and all the towns, parks, and forests those miles cover. And while every section has its own unique taste, the strangest section I’ve come across is Shenandoah National Park. It’s equal parts wilderness and development. Equal parts boring and fun. All with the strange ability to vortex you just a few feet from the trail. I’ll try to capture everything I’m trying to say later, but first a brief history lesson that may be the reason why the Shenies are so strange.

History of the Shenies:

During the formative days of the AT, the Shenandoahs were the subject of heated debate between the AT’s two biggest founders, Benton MacKaye and Myron Avery. MacKaye was the original idea guy of the AT, and wanted a wilderness trail. Avery, on the other hand, was the go-getter and builder of the trail. He wanted a really long connected trail. At this point, the trail had been completed in Shenandoah, but the federal government wanted to build a road through the park right where the trail was. MacKaye was adamantly against such a change, but Avery did not want to piss off the feds. He also saw an opportunity to build a positive relationship with the federal government if he allowed the road to be built. In the end, the ATC sided with Avery and the trail was moved so the government could build Skyline Drive. That was the end of MacKaye and Avery’s relationship. But not the end of the Appalachian Trail and Skyline Drive.

The Shenandoahs Now:

Today, the AT zigzags across Skyline Drive all the way through the National Park. The road has better views, and it’s really a buzzkill to listen to cars pass constantly as you hike in the woods. The trail is pretty cruisy, but it’s a flat green tunnel. Many hikers opt to “retro blaze” on Skyline Drive to get the views. After all, it used to be the AT so it’s not really a blue blaze, is it?

I never walked the road, but I did blue blaze once in the park. It was the scramble up Bearfence Mountain. After walking through the flat green tunnel, I had to switch it up. And tbh, it’s about the same distance as the actual AT and much more difficult terrain, so I think this blue blaze gets a purist pass.

A Connected Trail:

Because of Skyline Drive and the park, the connectedness of the trail to society is pretty clear. Every 20 miles or so are the Wayside restaurants. It’s kind of a mix between a convenience store and a fast-food restaurant. There are plenty of options but the smash burgers are the most popular item. Along with the famous blackberry milkshakes. Town food was available constantly. I used almost none of my actual food during my time in the park and instead just hopped from wayside to wayside. It was great but by the end, I was sick of burgers and wanted something a little healthier. It spoiled me and made it hard to eat trail food again.

The Wayside Vortex:

Wayside also has a dangerous side to it. They serve beer and wine at them, and for cheap too. You can get tallboys for $3 and small box wine for $2. That’s unheard of anywhere! So when the bubble I was hiking in hit the Big Meadows wayside, we vortexed HARD. I know some people were there from noon until 6 pm. We had probably 20 hikers there at some point. The Wayside looked more like a frat house, with drinking games and stinky hikers. I’m sure the weekend hikers loved it. It was awesome that we took it over. We moved to the lodge after that for a few more rounds and then around 10 pm I decided to head for the shelter with a hefty buzz (honestly more than that, sorry mom!). The night hike was a blast, even if my twisted tea fell and cracked and I had to chug it.

By the time I was leaving Shenandoahs, I was burnt out. I was hungover, which probably didn’t help my mood, but it was the first time I started to dread hiking because I was bored. The Virginia blues were in full swing. Luckily I had some good friends tell me I wasn’t alone and that they were feeling the same way. And now that I’m currently out of VA and in MD, I feel much better.

In Summary:

The Shenandoahs are a weird place. The hiking is boring but fast. Views are slim but when you get them, they are really spectacular. You can eat town food all the way through the park with no problem. And the availability of cheap drinks will make it a fun time one day and then a miserable hangover the next. It’s a 100+ mile stretch of unique nonsense that switches up the trail from the regular goings-on. Did I have a good time? Sure. But I wouldn’t call it my favorite spot on the trail. In the end, you just have to experience the Shenandoahs for yourself, and make your own memories. All this to say, there is no place on the trail that remotely comes close to this experience.