News Release

Shenandoah National Park Announces Temporary Closure of Whiteoak Canyon Parking Area on Route 600 in Madison County

You are viewing ARCHIVED content

This content was published online before January 20, 2025. Please note that this content is NOT UPDATED, and links may not work. For current information, visit https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/index.htm.

Flooding has weakened the existing bridge.

News Release Date: September 2, 2019
Contact: Claire Comer, 540-999-3500 ext. 3183

Luray, Virginia:  Shenandoah National Park will temporarily close the Whiteoak Canyon parking area on Route 600 in Madison County beginning September 16, 2019. The closure will remain in effect for approximately four weeks while a new bridge is being constructed. During this temporary closure there will be NO ACCESS to the Whiteoak Canyon and Cedar Run trails from the park boundary. There will also be no emergency phone available at the trailhead. The only access will be from parking areas on Skyline Drive: the Whiteoak Canyon Trail parking area at mile 42.6 or the Hawksbill Gap parking area at mile 45.5.

The bridge across Cedar Run was severely damaged during heavy rains in 2018. The new bridge is being constructed as a collaborative effort between the Piedmont Environmental Council, Trout Unlimited and the landowner, Jimmy Graves of Graves Mountain Lodge. The new bridge will have the capability for fish to pass underneath which will improve the stream habitat and provide excellent visitor access to the Whiteoak Canyon and Cedar Run trails.

During this time of limited access to the Whiteoak and Cedar Run trails, we invite visitors to explore other waterfall options. More information about Shenandoah’s waterfalls can be found at https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/waterfalls.htm

www.nps.gov


About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook

RSS Feed | What is RSS?