• Visitors bask in a golden sunset at Dickey Ridge Visitor Center in Shenandoah National Park

    Shenandoah

    National Park Virginia

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  • Vehicle Fuel Available at Big Meadows ONLY!

    Vehicle fuel is only available at Big Meadows (mile 52). Gas service has been discontinued at the Loft and Elkwallow areas.

Weather

Weather and Climate

The mountains in Shenandoah National Park are usually 10 degrees cooler than the valley below. Winters can be severe with snow and ice, and summer showers may be sudden. Always dress in layers. Learn more about weather in the park...

 

Seasons

Four distinct seasons make Shenandoah a new and exciting place to be each and every month. Although best known for its vibrant fall foliage, the park is no less spectacular (and a lot less crowded) in spring when the wildflowers and trees are in full bloom. Summer brings lush greens and welcome relief from the valley temperatures. The park's elevation encourages as much as a 10-degree difference. That same difference can bring dramatic changes in winter. When surrounding lowlands are experiencing rain, the park can be blanketed in snow and ice. But the clear skies and bare trees of winter make the park's vistas magnificent and wildlife tracking and viewing particularly rewarding.

  • Big Meadows Webcam Big Meadows Webcam

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Did You Know?

Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover sitting on the porch of the Brown House at Rapidan Camp in Shenandoah National Park.

In 1928, wanting to escape the heat and humidity of summers in Washington, D.C., Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover began looking for a "summer place" within a day's drive of the city. The Hoovers acquired land within the proposed Shenandoah National Park and built Rapidan Camp, their summer White House.