Compare Choose Your Pace: Hiking in Shenandoah National Park by Road Scholar

Day 1
Check-in, Program Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Shenandoah National Park D Big Meadows Lodge
Activity note: Hotel check-in available by 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration 4:00-5:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table in the lodge lobby to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Big Meadows Lodge is a complex of buildings that center on the 1939 lodge. Participant rooms may be in the lodge or in another building.

Dinner: In the Spotswood Dining room, we'll order plated meals from a select menu with choices of entrée, side dishes, bread, and dessert plus beverage choices of Blackberry lemonade, coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase. This bright and cheery space has a high, wooden-beam ceiling, stone fireplace, glass doors, and windows along two sides.

Evening: Orientation will take place in the Massanutten Room on the lower level of the lodge. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. The program staff will include the Group Leader, a local expert who is a retired Park Ranger, and another local expert/van driver. This is a representative schedule. The specific activities for each program date may vary depending on Park schedule, instructors, weather, and other factors. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the full day ahead.

Day 2
Hike to Dark Hollow Falls, Fishers Gap, Life as a Ranger
Shenandoah National Park B,L,D Big Meadows Lodge
Activity note: Hiking approximately 5 miles, rated by the National Park Service as mostly moderate with a portion rated strenuous. In mountain areas like this, all hikes go up and down; for the morning hike, the elevation change is 800 feet overall. Afternoon walking approximately 2 miles roundtrip; rated by NPS as easy, meaning terrain without much elevation change.

Breakfast: In the Spottswood Dining Room, we'll order plated breakfasts from a select menu with a variety of choices, plus milk, juice, coffee, tea, water.

Morning: Led by the Group Leader and our expert, a retired park ranger, the walk this morning starts with one mile through the woods to the edge of the Big Meadows that give the lodge its name. We’ll cross Skyline Drive and descend three-quarters of a mile, in part quite steep and rated strenuous, to Dark Hollow Falls. This 70-foot waterfall is the most visited in the Park. At the Falls we’ll then divide into two groups. You may choose to continue hiking at the same pace or at a faster pace for the completion of today’s route. Each group will hike the same distance, just at different rates of speed. From the falls, we’ll descend a little farther down the hollow until we reach the Rose River Fire Road before climbing (more gradually than we came down) on the Fire Road back to Skyline Drive. Once we cross the road, we’ll pick up the Appalachian Trail back to the lodge. Total distance for the hike will be about 5.2 miles.

Lunch: In the Spotswood Dining room, we'll order plated meals from a select menu with choices of entrée, side dishes, bread, and dessert plus beverage choices of Blackberry lemonade, coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: Next, we’ll take a walking field trip with a local expert to the park’s Byrd Visitor Center. At the Center, our self-directed exploration will include opportunities to view the museum exhibition on the history of the park, a theater that shows films on demand, and a counter where rangers provide maps and answer questions. The museum display tells how Shenandoah National Park was authorized in 1926 and dedicated by President Roosevelt in 1936. Land was acquired through "eminent domain" and, as we'll learn, the history of the park's creation includes stories of families and communities that were "displaced." Displays show the people who pioneered and lived in that area, as well as examples of the ecology, natural history, and folklore of the Shenandoah. There is also a section covering a period in history when there were segregated facilities, a surprising fact about the National Park Service. Walking back to the Lodge, the remainder of the afternoon is free.

Dinner: Dining room plated meal.

Evening: We’ll gather in the lodge meeting room for a presentation by our retired National Park Ranger on his experiences along the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is live music each night in the New Market Taproom on the lower level of the main lodge.

Day 3
Skyline Drive, Hike to Residential Site, Ranger Talk
Shenandoah National Park B,L,D Big Meadows Lodge
Activity note: Getting in/out of a van; driving about 15 miles to/from trailhead. Hiking about 5 miles, approximately 4-5 hours including stops.

Breakfast: Dining room plated meal.

Morning: We’ll travel to our trailhead via van down Skyline Drive. Probably the best-known feature of the park, this highway with a top speed limit of 35 miles per hour was constructed in the 1930s to follow the crest of the Blue Ridge. Land acquisition conducted by the state of Virginia took place in the late 1920s and early 1930s. While on the hike, we’ll learn about residents of the area who were displaced from their homes for the park to be established and see sites associated with former residents.

Lunch: At a scenic spot along the trail, we’ll have boxed lunches.

Afternoon: We’ll divide into two groups and continue our hike. You may choose to continue at the same pace or at a faster pace. Each group will hike along the same route back to the parking area where we will reboard the van and return to the lodge.

Dinner: Dining room plated meal.

Evening: We'll take a short walk from the main lodge to the Big Meadows amphitheater for a Park Ranger talk. Ranger talks are typically about the animals and birds of the Blue Ridge. The remainder of the evening is at leisure.

Day 4
Hiking in Whiteoak Canyon, Upper & Lower Falls
Shenandoah National Park B,L,D Big Meadows Lodge
Activity note: Two choices of hike. Choice 1: Hiking approximately 7.5 miles, rated mostly strenuous by the National Park Service; 1,100 foot change in elevation; uneven, sometimes steep terrain, climbing over rocks. Choice 2: Hiking approximately 4.5 miles, rated mostly moderate by the National Park Service; 800 foot change in elevation.

Breakfast: Plated meal in the dining room.

Morning: Setting out again on Skyline Drive, we’ll ride to the trailhead of Whiteoak Canyon for one of the park’s famous hikes. With six waterfalls, it has been counted “among the great day hikes in all the national parks of the United States.” We will divide into two groups based on your choice of the pace you prefer. There will be two routes to choose from. Choice 1, the longer of the two, is a 7.3 mile roundtrip route to the Lower Falls with a good portion of it rated by the National Park Service as strenuous. With an elevation change of 1,100 feet and necessary climbing over large rocks, it promises to be a fun yet challenging experience. The trip to the trailhead for Choice 2, the shorter route, will leave when the van returns from the first trailhead. The hike is 4.6 miles roundtrip with an 800 foot elevation change. It will reach the Upper Whiteoak Falls, the highest in the park, but not the lower falls.

Lunch: At a scenic spot along the trail, we’ll have boxed lunches.

Afternoon: Each hike will continue and return along the same trail. The return portion is mostly uphill to the parking area. Upon completion, we’ll return to the lodge.

Dinner: Dining room plated meal.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 5
Hike to Rapidan Camp, Ranger Program
Shenandoah National Park B,L,D Big Meadows Lodge
Activity note: Two choices of hike. Choice 1: Hiking approximately 4 miles roundtrip; 3 stream crossings, some steep sections; 700 foot change in elevation. Choice 2: Hiking approximately 8 miles roundtrip; across Big Meadow, 2 stream crossings, some steep sections; 1,100 foot change in elevation.

Breakfast: Dining room plated meal.

Morning: Our hiking destination of the day will be Rapidan Camp, built in 1929. The camp was President Herbert Hoover’s retreat that he used as a fishing camp where he and his wife would spend weekends during the warmer months. It is located where two mountain streams converge to form the Rapidan River. The Hoover cabin has been restored and another cabin has been made into a small museum. We’ll have a choice of two hikes for the day that will both converge here. Choice 1 will begin with a van ride to a trailhead at Milam Gap, then hit the trail for the rest of the way. There will be three stream crossings over rocks, down some steep sections, and on to the camp. Choice 2 will set out hiking straight from Big Meadows Lodge. This longer hike will cover approximately 8 miles roundtrip with 2 stream crossings, some steep sections, and a 1,100 foot change in elevation. It will wind up at the camp as well.

Lunch: At Rapidan Camp, we’ll have boxed lunches.

Afternoon: A young history intern stationed at Rapidan Camp will act as our host to unlock cabins and provide commentary. We will look around the camp and hear stories about events that took place in the area. Each hiking group will then return to the lodge via the same route it came in on.

Dinner: Dining room plated meal. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening: We’ll attend another Park Ranger talk at Big Meadows amphitheater. The remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Day 6
Program Concludes
Shenandoah National Park B
Activity note: The van will depart for Richmond at 9:30 a.m. Lodge check-out 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: Dining room plated meal. This concludes our program.

Morning: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!