Fall in Shenandoah

Fall 2020 Tips

• You can now buy your entrance passes online before coming to the Park. To help with wait times, special lanes will be available at entrance stations for those with pre-purchased passes.
• Campgrounds and lodges are already fully booked for all weekends in September/October in 2020. There are some first-come, first-served sites at campgrounds, but those fill quickly — usually by Thursday evening.

 

 

Learn and Explore

Fall weekends bring two things: gorgeous fall foliage and large crowds. As the weather begins to cool and the trees exchange their leaves of green for reds, oranges, and yellows, visitors come from all over to experience all that Shenandoah National Park has to offer. If you're planning on visiting during this busy time, however, there are few things that you need to plan for in order to get the most out of your fall trip:

• 10 Things You Need to Know
• Current Weather & Forecast
• VDOF Fall Foliage Report

 

Avoid the Crowds

At the trailhead: fall is typically our busiest time of year. For the best chance of avoiding crowded trails and full parking lots, try to visit Shenandoah during the week. If a parking area is full, it's time to move on to another trail. Use this busy time of year to look for the hidden gems that are less traveled!

At entrance stations: the two most northern entrances, Front Royal and Thornton Gap, are the busiest and have the longest waits. Try a nice circuit trip south through the lowlands on Route 29 to the east or on Route 340 to the west to Swift Run (Route 33) or Rockfish (Route 64) entrance stations, and then return via the Skyline Drive.

At campgrounds: all of our campgrounds book quickly on fall weekends, although there are some first-come, first-served sites available. You cannot reserve a first-come, first-served site by calling the Park directly; you must be at the campground in person. These sites fill quickly — usually by Thursday evening.

Fall Color

Wondering what's up with the color in Shenandoah? We've devised several ways to keep you posted, but remember: the Park is over 100 miles long and spans a wide elevation range. Fall color conditions can vary dramatically from area to area, and weather affects the color from hour-to-hour. Because of this, it's impossible to predict a peak time for fall color. There are ways that you can stay up-to-date on current leaf conditions in the Park, however:

1. Every Thursday: a photo will be posted on social media (Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) from three different photo points throughout the Park. We'll ask other visitors to post their photos so that you can see what others are seeing as well. You can also view photos from various points in the Park in our photo album below.
2. Every Thursday (2 PM EST): we'll premiere a video update on our website, as well as on Facebook and YouTube.
3. Every day: check out our fall color webcam to see what one mountain peak in Shenandoah looks like in real time.

You may also want to check out the Smoky Mountains fall color prediction map, or see fall photos from past years in Shenandoah.

 

 

Fall Color Comparison

Naked Creek Overlook | 09.27.2020 Lara Ellis

Naked Creek Overlook | 11.08.2020 Lara Ellis

Click and drag the slider to see how Naked Creek Overlook has changed over the past several weeks!

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