Wayside Stores & Restaurants

[Jeff]

Am planning to do a section hike thru SNP in April. Does anyone know when the stores and restaurants open for the season? Assuming they are open, how much food should I pack in from Waynesboro?

[Peaks]

Starting this past spring, Panorama no longer sells food. What a bummer.

[jlb2012]

IFF SNP follows LAST YEAR's schedule (2002 opening schedule: http://www.patc.net/hiking/destinations/snpopen.html ) then you probably will have Skyland and Big Meadows open in April.

[EarlyRiser]

Yes unfortunatly the Panorama restaurant is gone, and i believe that the entire wayside is shuting down, for renevations or for good im not sure. but you can still buy candy and that sort of thing, including their fudge (yum) and well you can always buy overpriced memorobilia.

[Minerva]

I just walked through SNP in early October. Yes, Panorma restaurant is closed this year, however you can get sodas and snacks at the store. Check out this site for info on opening and closing dates:

http://www.visitshenandoah.com/fservice.htm

Big Meadow Lodge opens 4/15
Skyland 3/28
Loft Wayside 5/17 (.9mile off trail)
Big Meadows Wayside 3/28
Panorama 4/19 (if they open next year)
Elkwallow Wayside 3/38

I ate lunch at Big Meadows, breakfast at Skyland, and breakfast at Elkwallow. They accept Visa.

If open, you can resupply at Loft Campstore, about 30 miles in and again at Lewis Campground. Take a shower at both places and if you need to use the washer and dryer for your stanky socks.
Cin

[jlb2012]

Please note wrt Minerva's link as well as the one I posted - these are the opening and closing dates for THIS YEAR - next year could easily be different and typically will be.

[Kozmic Zian]

Yea.......'The Great Shenandoah Restaurant Tour'. When I'm up The Shenandoahs I carry very little food, few snack bars, maybe light soups, emergency hunger stuff. The rest of the time you can stop in the Waysides and Restaurants and dig in. That is if you don't mind that kind of diet. It really makes for light pack weight and great hiking. Enjoy....KZ@

[tribes]

Am planning to do a section hike thru SNP in April. Does anyone know when the stores and restaurants open for the season? Assuming they are open, how much food should I pack in from Waynesboro?

I agree with Kozmic Zian. When I hiked SNP, I ended up taking entirely too much food. There are way too many waysides, campstores, & restaurants along the way to justify carrying "all of your food". How much food should you pack out of Waynesboro? That depends on how many days you plan to spend in the park. It took me 5 nights and 6 days to get from VA 601 to I64. I regretted hauling 7 days of food through the damn park. Look at the links below to see where the services are located on the trail and what their days of operation might be. You can pretty much plan accordingly. The camp stores seemed to have a decent supply of food, snacks, and beer/wine for backpacking when I was there in early November. I would guess that you will hit camp stores before the mad rush of nobos come through in May and June so the same should hold true. The restaurants were a bit pricey but after all, cheeseburgers taste better on the trail (self rationalizing a 5$ burger ).

Good luck on your hike

[shades of blue]

I just walked through SNP in early October. Yes, Panorma restaurant is closed this year, however you can get sodas and snacks at the store. Check out this site for info on opening and closing dates:

http://www.visitshenandoah.com/fservice.htm

Big Meadow Lodge opens 4/15
Skyland 3/28
Loft Wayside 5/17 (.9mile off trail)
Big Meadows Wayside 3/28
Panorama 4/19 (if they open next year)
Elkwallow Wayside 3/38

I ate lunch at Big Meadows, breakfast at Skyland, and breakfast at Elkwallow. They accept Visa.


If open, you can resupply at Loft Campstore, about 30 miles in and again at Lewis Campground. Take a shower at both places and if you need to use the washer and dryer for your stanky socks.
Cin

Minerva...you said they accept Visa, do you think they accept visa check/debit cards also? Would that apply to the short order stands and the campstores?
Thanks!

[walkon]

i used a debit card exclusively on my hike, inc. in 'doah. and dont forget to go for the 3 meal challenge- breakfast at bigmeadows>lunch at skyland>dinner at elkwallow!

[Minerva]

Shades of Blue68,
If your check/debit card has a Visa logo on it...it should be accepted at these places.
Cin

[Furlough]

I stopped in at the Panorama yesterday on the way back from hiking the Wild Oak National Recreational Trail. The Panorama will indeed close as a wayside sometime this year. The NPS is taking over the facility with designs on turning it into a museum dedicated to the Civil Conservation Corps. The ladies at the Panorama were not certain when the museum will open, also they were not sure if the public restrooms, water access and soda machines would be available once the facility is turned over to the NPS.

Furlough

[jlb2012]

also they were not sure if the public restrooms, water access and soda machines would be available once the facility is turned over to the NPS.

Furlough

Note that a public restroom with water and trash cans would still be available in the little building near Panorama that the Rangers use for backcountry camping permits. This is a small building near where the busses can park - sort of out in the middle of the parking lots.

[stephanie]

I agree with Kozmic Zian. When I hiked SNP, I ended up taking entirely too much food. There are way too many waysides, campstores, & restaurants along the way to justify carrying "all of your food". How much food should you pack out of Waynesboro? That depends on how many days you plan to spend in the park. It took me 5 nights and 6 days to get from VA 601 to I64. I regretted hauling 7 days of food through the damn park. Look at the links below to see where the services are located on the trail and what their days of operation might be. You can pretty much plan accordingly. The camp stores seemed to have a decent supply of food, snacks, and beer/wine for backpacking when I was there in early November. I would guess that you will hit camp stores before the mad rush of nobos come through in May and June so the same should hold true. The restaurants were a bit pricey but after all, cheeseburgers taste better on the trail (self rationalizing a 5$ burger ).

Good luck on your hike

I found your post very helpful but didn't see the link that you mentioned

[tribes]

Sorry about that Stephanie

www.aldha.org and use the online companion for VA. It will list all of the resources that you will need for SNP such as waysides, restaurants, front country campsites, and the campstores that normally accompany the campgrounds. If you like the new companion think about buying a hard copy from the ALDHA. They are cheap enough and normally good for years. They do alot for the trail community with this guide.

TRI BES

[middle to middle]

all of those restaurants are wonderful. Buckwheat pancakes stand out in my memory. Also early morning delivery of fresh donuts stacked outside the stores in back, right in sight and smell of the trail. Ought to be a law. Of course if a fellow mossies over and eats one and gets caught the jury would be lenient I think. Plan on restaurant food for several days there they are very close to trail.

[Inn Keeper]

all of those restaurants are wonderful. Buckwheat pancakes stand out in my memory. Also early morning delivery of fresh donuts stacked outside the stores in back, right in sight and smell of the trail. Ought to be a law. Of course if a fellow mossies over and eats one and gets caught the jury would be lenient I think. Plan on restaurant food for several days there they are very close to trail.

lots of things are open other places in the south in April

[minnesotasmith]

In general, how many of these places are open then?

[Lone Wolf]

Wrong park. There are no stores in the Smokys. They're referring to SNP.

[minnesotasmith]

Thanks for the clarification, LW. That makes sense, given what I've heard about the need for a large maildrop at Fontana.