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View Full Version : Shenandoah National Park - Camping and parking



hildebrand1944
01-13-2017, 17:30
I am planning a section hike through Shenandoah National Park. I know I can park at the Rockfish Gap Visitor Center at the south end. But wondered about parking at the North end. Saw on a website there is parking at 10.4 Sky line Drive. Does anyone know if there is a restriction to the number of days you can park there? I think my other option is 4-H Center. Any other suggestions?

I have the PATC maps and guide book for the park. They explain about Pre-existing Campsites. My interpretation is... If I want to stop before I get to a hut or a campground it is allowed as long as someone has camped in the spot. Am I correct in my interprtation? Is there a list of approximately where these campsite are or how to find them?

Appreciate any help I can get,http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/icons/icon5.png
Hildy

devoidapop
01-13-2017, 17:42
When you enter the park you'll give them a hiking itinerary, so they'll know about how long yuppie car will be parked. My experience in SNP is that preexisting sites are plentiful and restricted areas are clearly marked. You'll also get a little pamphlet with all the dos and don'ts from the park service.

MuddyWaters
01-13-2017, 18:06
Park at the 4-H Center .Stay at the Huts nothing could be easier.
There's not many good legal places to camp other than at the Huts the Huts have lots of good camping spots and bear boxes. Most have a network of tent pads up in the woods by the huts, with bear poles near the pads.

Slo-go'en
01-13-2017, 21:16
If preexisting sites (not at huts) are plentiful, I sure didn't spot any from the trail as I went through there. I believe your are required to be 200 feet from the trail and a 1/4 mile from the road and that really narrows down the possible sites. If there is one, it will be at the top of a climb, because at the bottom is the road and in between it's too steep. Non-designated sites are not listed nor posted and finding one takes some experience of what to look for.

The established sites are frequent enough it shouldn't be an issue, but given your age, it might be.

devoidapop
01-13-2017, 22:32
20 yards from the trail, 50 yards from a stream, 100 yards from a hut, 1/4 mile from a paved road. You can camp at any preexisting site that meets those guidelines. And there are lots of huts.

johnnybgood
01-13-2017, 22:51
Shenandoah National Park- Camping and Parking

In response to your question about parking the Nova4h Center is just outside the parks northern boundary. The blueblaze trail to the AT is opposite the pond downhill from the office where you fill out a waiver form that includes your hiking plans. Any questions can be found here ; www.nova4h.com (http://www.nova4h.com)

The other issue - the one on pre-existing campsites is really not that a big deal either, just remember to camp away from the trail or unpaved road 60 ft. (20 yds) .
Camp one quarter mile from park structures, campgrounds, paved roads , facilities. --These campsites have been exposed by repeated use and generally are within plan sight of the trail.

What's known as Dispersed Camping might be your only option between huts. Find a camping spot that is out of sight of any trail, and set up for the night minimizing the impact.
I prefer to camp unnoticed if I find a spot level enough to set up. If Hammocking, then the forest really does open up the opportunities for finding nightly spots to bed down.
* If DRY CAMPING then make sure you have enough water .

rmitchell
01-14-2017, 10:43
On the north end Front Royal is 3.2 miles away but the Duncan Ridge trail goes close to town. Are there campsites on the Duncan Ridge trail? And where does the north end of Duncan Ridge terminate? Would that be an option?
I ask because my last section ended at Thorton Gap and I'm considering a loop incorporating Duncan Ridge.

I don't mean to hijack the thread but maybe this helps with logistics.

chknfngrs
01-15-2017, 00:09
Do you mean Dickey Ridge?

Odd Man Out
01-15-2017, 17:27
I hiked the northern (almost) half of the park this summer (Compton Gap to Big Meadows). I would stop at shelters for lunch, breaks, thunderstorm cover, but they never seemed to be located at the end of the day's hike, so I would just keep walking until it was an hour or two before dusk. Then I would start looking for camping spots. If I saw something I thought would work but wasn't ideal, I would make a mental note of its location in case I had to come back to it, but kept going to look for something better. The later it got, the less picky I became about the quality of a potential site. One night, it was getting pretty late and I had seen no good camping options for quite a while. I realized why this is why some people say dispersed camping in SNP is not good - you can go for some time with no real camping options at all. Eventually I came across one spot that I deemed "possible" for camping (but the rocky slope made it more of a last resort option). I checked my map and watch and saw there was a small climb ahead to a ridge line with an intersecting trail. I though that looked promising so I planned on checking out that spot but then coming back to the non-ideal site if necessary. It was too late to explore too many more options. It turns out the ridge was flat and open with lots of good camping spots (yeah). On my first night I came to an ideal spot a little earlier than I had planned, but because I was pretty tired (first day out) and the site was so perfect (flat, open, near a spring), I went ahead and stopped early. That's how I did it.

Rmcpeak
01-16-2017, 17:21
I've hiked the whole park in the last two years. I hike from Chester Gap (Rt. 522) to Swift Run (Rt 33), and Swift Run to Rockfish (Rt. 64). Per the recommendation of Nina of Sharon's Shuttles I parked right on Rt. 522 in the tiny lot at the trail. On another hike (down from HF) I parked at Mountain House B&B where I stayed a night in their "cabbin." That worked pretty well too. It's 500 yds from NOBO trailhead.

On the other end, I parked at the Kettle Corn stand at AT/Rt. 250 (I-64 is right there). DuBoise Eggleston shuttled us up to Swift Run and we hiked back.

There are not campsites along the trail in SNP. You'll want to camp at shelters or use the shelters (huts, whatever). In mid-Oct leaf peak we got very lucky to get a tent site at Loft Mountain Campground (gorgeous up there). In any kind of high-traffic season, don't count on finding a campsite at the big campgrounds.

It's a great place to hike. There are some nice amenities (waysides, etc) along the way, lots of water spigots, privies, toilets, etc.

For what they are worth, here are my notes: http://hikingbob.blogspot.com/search/label/SNP

rmitchell
01-17-2017, 20:32
Do you mean Dickey Ridge?


Oops. Yes, my bad. Dickey Ridge.