We’ll assemble in Charlottesville early morning of Day 1 and drive directly to the park’s south entrance at Rockfish Gap. We’ll spend much of this day bagging several of the reasonably accessible summits, including Black Rock, Hightop and even Calvary Rocks. Later that afternoon, we’ll head to Waynesboro for our first of two overnights in town.
The magnificent waterfalls of the Doyles River and Jones run will be our focus on Day 2. After descending to the falls, we’ll climb back to Skyline Drive, and join the Appalachian Trail to complete an 8-mile loop.
We’ll begin our journey northward through the park on Day 3 and hike to the base of South River Falls, whose 83-foot plunge is third highest in the park. After this short hike, we continue north to The Corbin Cabin hike, which provides a wonderful look at of some of the most diverse areas in the park. This puts us close to the Skyland Lodge, where we’ll spend our final three nights.
There is a special treat on Day 4 as our hike includes a Ranger led tour of Rapiden Camp, the rustic getaway of President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. Today, this restful spot features exhibits on the First Couple and their perspectives. But first, we have a lovely hike along another section of the Appalachian Trail to the smile rise of Hazeltop, before descending on the Laurel Prong trail, following the Prong down to the camp. After the tour, there is a 2 mile gentle uphill trail back to the parking area.
We’ll explore beautiful White Oak Canyon on Day 5 along a trail that offers Shenandoah’s largest collection of waterfalls set in one of the park’s deepest canyons (6 miles). Following the hike, we’ll return to Skyland for our final evening.
Day 6, we’re headed for 2 more summits, starting with a warm up on Stony Man for some of the best vistas in the Shenandoah National Park. For our finale, we’ll climb the 4,056-foot summit of Hawksbill Mountain, Shenandoah’s highest peak, and its breathtaking 360-degree view of the surrounding Blue Ridge. We’ll join another section of the AT to complete this 3-mile loop and ultimately return to Charlottesville, where our program concludes.
