Appalachian Trail Trek in Shenandoah National Park

$1950 per person

Lodge-to-Lodge Appalachian Trail Trek in Shenandoah National Park

One of the most beloved and popular National Parks in the United States is Shenandoah in Virginia, featuring the famed blue ridge mountains. A 100-mile well-marked section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) goes through the park on the crest of the mountain range. (The entire Appalachian Trail is 2,000 miles and runs from Maine to Georgia.)

We’ll be hiking a 32-mile “best of” section of the AT over 4-days featuring spectacular vistas and well situated rustic full-service cabins and lodges. We will have our luggage transferred for us each day too so we only need light daypacks for our hiking

6 days

must be at least 18 years old+ Age

Custom Tours

Destination

North America
Departure
Dress Code

Comfortable and Casual for Trekking Outdoors
Included

Accommondation

Breakfast

Dinner

Lunch

Tours (see tour details)
Not Included

International and internal flights

Tips

Travel insurance

From Our Gallery

Breathtaking scenery

Day 1: Transfer from IAD airport to Luray, orientation

Group transfer via ground transportation, 90 min. drive to our accommodations on the outskirts of Shenandoah National Park. We will assemble for a welcome dinner and learn about the legends and natural history of the park from a local expert. (D)

Day 2: Hike from South River Falls Picnic Area to Lewis Cabins

After a hearty breakfast we pack up and take our private ground transportation to the Swift Run Gap Entrance of the park and get dropped-off at the South River Falls picnic area to start our hike on the Appalachian Trail. The hike today is a nice section with overhead canopy. It is on the easier side and fairly level with some ups and downs to be engaging, it makes a nice way to commence our trekking adventure. We’ll hike to The Lewis Mountain Cabins, which are historic and rustic and have rooms with beds and private bathrooms. (B,L,D) Mileage today: 5.5 miles

Day 3: Hike Lewis Cabins to Big Meadow

Our destination today is Big Meadows, the largest open area of the park. We start with a gentle ascent of Bearfence Mountain. We can up our adventure by taking the Bearfence Mountain Scramble Loop (weather permitting) which is an amazing hands and feet scramble up basalt rocks to a spectacular 360-degree view. But not to worry, if you’re not in a scramble mood; alternatively, there is a very pleasant side trail available that many people choose to take. Next is Hazeltop Mountain (about a 600-foot elevation gain) and a mile walking along the ridge, the "green tunnel" that the AT is known for. We descend to Milam Gap to continue on the AT and hike directly to our accommodations at the full-service Big Meadow Lodge. (B, L, D) Mileage today: 8.5 miles

Day 4: Hike Big Meadows to Skyland Lodge

After eating a nice breakfast with amazing vistas from the Lodge’s restaurant , we will head over to the Visitor's Center at Big Meadows where we can tour the exhibits, watch the park movie, and purchase souvenirs. We will then get back on the Appalachian Trail to Skyland Lodge. Along the way, we will take a couple of the blue-blazed trails that detour to panoramic overlooks. One is called the Salamander Trail which leads to the top of Hawksbill Mountain, the highest peak and widely considered to have the best views in the park. We then descend to the Hawksbill area and continue via the AT to our lodging. Tonight's dinner will be in the dining room at Skyland which has a great panoramic view overlooking the valley below. (B, L, D) Mileage today: 8.5 miles

Day 5: Hike from Skyland lodge to Thornton Gap and transfer to Luray for final evening.

This is our final day of hiking and it’s going to be chock-full of views. We will start with a detour off the AT on a blue-blazed trail, the Stony Man Nature Trail. This gentle trail leads to the top of Stony Man with a view over the valley to the Massanutten Mountains beyond. We get back on the AT again, hiking to our last viewpoint of the week - Mary's Rock. After taking it all in, we’ll descend down the trail to the Panorama Parking at Thornton Gap where our private ground transportation will pick us up and take us to our luxury accommodations in Luray. This evening we have our farewell dinner in celebration of our 4-day and roughly 32 mile trek on the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park! (B, L, D) Mileage today: 10 miles

Day 6: Visit Luray Caverns, on to IAD Airport

This morning we get what feels almost like an unearthly experience by visiting the Luray Caverns. The cavern system is generously adorned with speleothems such as columns, mud flows, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and mirrored pools. After lunch, we’ll be transferred via our private ground transportation back to Dulles airport for our flights back home this evening. (B)