Fun Family Adventure: Camping at Shenandoah National Park with Kids in 2021

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How To Make The Most Of Camping At Shenandoah National Park With Kids

When thinking about National Parks, it’s typically all the more grand national parks from the western United States to the Pacific Ocean that come to most people’s minds. But if you’re anywhere on the East Coast, Shenandoah National Park is the one to visit. It’s an amazing place to vacation with children, especially if you’re camping at Shenandoah National Park, but the trip needs to be planned accordingly to make it the most enjoyable experience for everyone in the family.

Where is Shenandoah National Park?

Located smack-dab in the Mid-Atlantic and naturally shaped long and narrow, this natural beauty stretches 105 miles down the western part of the state of Virginia, encompassing part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Just 75 miles from our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., Shenandoah National Park is purely 200,000 acres of beautiful and protected land. It’s within an hour and a half drive (depending on traffic, of course) of famous landmarks, such as the United States Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and the White House just to name a few.

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What is it Known for?

Brimming with a myriad of Instagram-worthy views, spectacular scenery, cascading waterfalls, fields of wildflowers, and quiet wooded hollows, there are visual wonders to behold when camping at Shenandoah National Park. For those with wanderlust, a vast network of more than 500 hiking trails covers the park, including 101 miles of the well-known Appalachian Trail, providing both short and long hikes, and everything in between. But it’s best known for Skyline Drive, a famous 105-mile (169 km) road that runs the length of the park along the ridge of the mountains.

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It’s also a home and sanctuary to an array of mammals, such as White-tailed deer, bobcats, Black Bear, and Big Brown Bats, and various other animals to try and spot. There are 190 species of resident and transient birds, 26 species of reptiles, and 34 species of amphibians, including the Shenandoah Salamander, the only federally endangered animal species found in the park.

There’s so much to explore that it’s impossible to do it all in one trip, but it’s certainly worth the try. Just breathing in the fresh, mountain air is reason enough to take a trip.

Best Ways to Get There

Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, traveling and camping at Shenandoah National Park is just a relatively easy trip from various eastern neighbor states, such as Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. If coming from the northeast, it’s important to account for D.C. traffic, which can throw quite a wrench into car travel time.

Traveling by personal vehicle or rental is likely the best way to enter and enjoy the park, especially if you’re camping at Shenandoah National Park, as typically plenty of gear is required – from sleeping bags and a tent, to flashlights and a cooler. Having a vehicle is both practical and necessary for exploring various locations all over the park, as well as taking a tour of the famous Skyline Drive.

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However, being so close to large cities such as Baltimore and Washington D.C., it’s also very accessible by plane from more distant locations. Fly into a variety of airports with less than a two-hour drive to the mountains, each from Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and the closest at almost just an hour, from Washington Dulles International Airport. Just make sure to have a rental car booked, too. Not too many Ubers are making the trip out to Shenandoah Valley.

Once in the Shenandoah Valley, the National Park is accessible via four entrances – Front Royal (Mile 0, the northern most entrance), Thornton Gap (Mile 32), Swift Run Gap (Mile 66), and Rockfish Gap (Mile 105, the southernmost entrance). Everyone is required to pay an entrance fee to gain access into the park, however, there are many different passes depending on the vehicle, quantity of people, whether a visitor is a senior or military, or even if the visitor wants to buy an annual or lifetime pass. However, a standard vehicle pass, good for a full 7 days, is $30. Though busy, there is also a list of free days to enter the park too. For 2021, those would be:

  • Monday, January 18 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Saturday, April 17 – First Day of National Park Week
  • Saturday, June 19 — Neighbor Appreciation Day
  • Wednesday, August 4 – One-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
  • Wednesday, August 25 – National Park Service Birthday
  • Saturday, September 25 – National Public Lands Day
  • Thursday, November 11 – Veterans Day

Kid-Friendly Locations for Camping at Shenandoah National Park

If you’re bringing an RV or travel trailer, or have packed up a couple of of tents, you’re ready to stay overnight camping at Shenandoah National Park. Within the park alone, there are five campgrounds:

  • Mathews Arm Campground
  • Big Meadows Campground
  • Lewis Mountain Campground
  • Loft Mountain Campground
  • Dundo Group Campground

Each campground has its own unique features, from various campsite sizes, hookups (water and/or electric), public bathrooms and coin laundry, on-site firewood and ice, etc., so it’s important to find and reserve one that has features and amenities that work best for each family’s needs. All of the campgrounds are seasonal and don’t open until spring, so plan accordingly.

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Campsites are generally more child-friendly, due to the ease of accessibility to luxuries like bathrooms and showers, picnic tables for meals, as well as quicker first aid or emergency support, should there ever be a reason for it. That said, backcountry camping is also an option for camping at Shenandoah National Park. Backcountry camping is camping in an undeveloped area away from any amenities. However, for backcountry camping at Shenandoah National Park, specific permits are required, there are a number of rules to follow when camping off-grid, and open fires are strictly prohibited. However, personal camp stoves are permitted.

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Backcountry camping might be something to try with older children, especially a resident Boy or Girl Scout who can carry their own packs and rough it over night. Backcountry camping at Shenandoah National Park will undoubtedly be an experience they’ll never forget.

For those who think any type of camping at Shenandoah National Park is a bit rustic – whether backcountry or even in a cushy RV, or if the weather turns bad mid-trip – there are also plenty of hotels, motels, inns, and cabins throughout and nearby the park, too.

Kid-Friendly Places to Eat

Camping at Shenandoah National Park doesn’t necessarily mean eating grilled hot dogs over an open fire. (Though we’re sure most kids wouldn’t complain…) Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of ways to fill a hungry stomach after a long day on the trails hiking, and sightseeing waterfalls. Within the park, there are food locations every 25 miles or so – everything from handy snacks and carry-out meals, to groceries and full-service dining.

Elkwallow Wayside (mile 24.1) – Offering a variety of carry-out breakfast selections and sandwiches, grilled lunch items, groceries, and camping supplies, this location also includes a charming gift shop for souvenirs. Seating is available outside on the patio or at picnic tables.

Skyland’s Pollock Dining Room (mile 41.7) – This place offers full-service dining, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the Mountain Taproom (mile 42.5) features an elevated pub menu that also includes local wines and nightly family-friendly entertainment. For those who don’t have time to sit, the Grab ‘n Go offers sandwiches, salads, pastries, snacks, and drinks for meals to go.

Big Meadows Wayside (mile 51.2) – Carry out or sit down and dine over regional favorites from this restaurant. Grab ‘n Go and groceries are located here as well.

Spottswood Dining Room (mile 51.2) – Eat breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner here for a rustic setting. New Market Taproom features pub fare as well, with specialty drinks, beer, and local wines to go along with nightly family-friendly entertainment. Even Fido is accepted on the pet-friendly outdoor terrace.

Loft Mountain Wayside (mile 79.5) offers a variety of breakfast selections, sandwiches, and grilled items.

At almost all locations, the kids menu or Junior Rancher menu, is available and offers everything from grilled cheese to a turkey dinner.

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Kid-Friendly Adventures

Camping at Shenandoah National Park is just the beginning. Children ages 7-12 can become Junior Rangers with the park system. From spring to fall, the park rangers offer the program, which enables children to participate in hands-on activities and learn about all the park resources for which they’re responsible. A free Junior Ranger booklet with fun activities is available at the Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51), Dickey Ridge Visitor Center (mile 4.6), Park Headquarters (Route 211 east of Luray), or can be downloaded here.

Also, the National Park Service celebrates young ones who want to help protect the park with National Junior Ranger Day each April.

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Besides driving Skyline Drive or passing through, many people travel to the area for hiking and camping at Shenandoah National Park. Hiking is a great activity for the entire family, especially kids. Without any special equipment (except maybe a pair of old sneakers), being outside and exploring nature fuels a child’s sense of adventure and builds their imagination. No trail is the same, and with so many creatures and natural formations to be found, and not a digital device in sight, there’s bound to be some fun to be had.

Some children need a little more entertainment, especially those children who may not be at one with nature yet, so a scavenger hunt or two is a great way to keep them entertained while on the trail. Make a written list of outdoor objects (or pictures for non-readers), or find a pre-made one online, and have a child find each item and check them off as he or she comes along it. Some of our favorites are easily available but many more unique, like mushrooms, a butterfly, a white flower, a spider web, pinecones, and animal tracks.

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When the entire family’s tired, and enjoying the sun setting at the campsite, there’s still plenty of fun to be had. S’mores anyone? What child doesn’t like roasting sugar over a flame? Add chocolate and a cookie and it’s perfect! Just make sure to bring or find some extra-long roasting sticks for those little hands.

Singing camp songs and telling scary stories also top the list of traditional campsite activities. But being together as a family without Wi-Fi (though some locations have it) offers up the perfect opportunity to teach simple card games like Go-Fish, learn life skills like building a fire, and enjoy each other’s company.

Luray Caverns isn’t actually in the Shenandoah National Park, but it’s worth the trip. The largest caverns in the Eastern United States, Luray Caverns is a marvel to be seen. Find various columns, mudflows, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and mirrored pools throughout the cave system. The caverns are perhaps best known for the Great Stalacpipe Organ that produces tones off the formations. The 141-year-old attraction draws visitors both near and far, and with children under six free to enter, families in the area for a vacation would be amiss not to make time for it before heading home.

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If looking for a trip or mini-vacation, or heck, a week’s long vacation, that’s affordable, fun, and new to everyone in the party, camping at Shenandoah National Park with the family is going to be a trip filled with memories that’ll last a lifetime. There’s something for everyone – the photographer, the adventurer, the foodie, the nature lover – what more could one want?

WANT TO READ MORE?

Before you go camping at Shenandoah National Park, check out “A Beginner’s Guide to Grand Canyon Camping” to help you with that!

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