Today we are trying to get back into Shenandoah National Park after getting snowed out yesterday. To read about yesterday’s adventures, check out: Exploring Luray Caverns on a Snowy Day. We are in Virginia with our daughter, Becky’s parents, Poppa and Gigi, her Uncle Bob and Paul’s mom, Grandma. And the 7 of us are looking forward to an April snowy drive in Shenandoah National Park!
But our first stop is Monticello. If you want to jump to the start of our April Snowy drive, click here.
Planning our April Snowy Drive in Shenandoah
Today is still cold, but there’s no rain or snow in the forecast. And after the late April snow yesterday, all of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park closed completely. And this morning it is still closed, so Becky is working for a few hours. And since we don’t know when it will open, we decide to book a tour of Monticello, President Thomas Jefferson’s home in Charlottesville. Grandma wants to visit Monticello which is about an hour away from our resort. However, the earliest tour we can book is at 12:20 this afternoon. We will pass the Swift Run Gap entrance to the national park on the way, and hoping it will be open on our way back. You can read more about it here: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.
We eat before we leave and also pack some sandwiches hoping to get into the national park after our tour. There are many picnic areas right off Skyline Drive and after eating we will explore more. Since the weather is still cold today and Skyline Drive is at a higher elevation, we are hoping to see more snow. We enjoyed the snow yesterday and can only imagine how beautiful an April snowy drive in the park will be. You can learn more about Skyline Drive at: Driving Skyline Drive – Shenandoah National Park (nps.gov).
Monticello
Before we make it back to the park, we head to Monticello for the guided Highlights Tour. But we leave late and get to the ticket counter at the time our tour is starting. Even though we bought our tickets online already, the tour doesn’t start here. We have to take a shuttle from the visitor center to Jefferson’s house. Poppa decides to stay back and take a nap, but the rest of us jump on the shuttle. We arrive at the house and join our tour about 10 minutes late.
We join the tour in progress, but as soon as we join, we move to the next room. In each room the tour guide explains some aspects of the room. Though the history is interesting, our daughter is totally bored. She wants to touch everything but of course you can’t touch anything. But after going through a few rooms, the tour moves outside. We cross the West Lawn to learn about the Fish Pond. And soon enough our 45 minute tour is over. However, we are able to walk around and explore more on our own.
As we walk through the cellar area, Becky talks to an employee about the tour. And they agree to let us rejoin the tour for the part we missed. However, we lost Uncle Bob, so we go back into the house without him. But after finishing, we exit back into the cellar which leads out to a gift shop. We stop for a hot drink where we find Uncle Bob. He joins us as we walk past the gardens to Jefferson’s grave before taking the shuttle back to the beginning. And after some shopping, we are ready to head back.
Entering Swift Run Gap Entrance
After a few hours at Monticello, we check and the central section of Skyline Drive is back open. It is now open between the Swift Gap Run entrance and the Thornton Gap entrance. Which means only about 34 miles of the 105-mile Skyline Drive is open. However, Big Meadows and Skyland are 2 main areas of the park in this section to explore. So, we head toward the park and arrive about 10 minutes after 4:00PM. When entering we ask the park ranger where the closest picnic area is and she tells us there is one just 3 miles north. Hungry, we decide to go there first.
There’s not much snow near the entrance, but we turn left to head to the South River Picnic Area first. The road is very clear, but once in the mountains there is snow everywhere. And once we turn into the picnic area, we see it is covered with snow. We drive through it, past cabins and through the campsite and decide to head on. However, still hungry, we decide to stop at the next picnic area hoping it may be better.
Lewis Mountain Picnic Area
Lewis Mountain is at mile 58 on Skyline Drive, just 5 miles past South River. We turn right into the picnic area and it is completely covered with snow as well. We drive around the picnic loop road to a lot near some restrooms and park. Unfortunately, the picnic tables are not protected at all. So, we decide to bust open our cooler and eat our sandwiches from the car.
After we eat, our daughter is begging to get out and play in the snow. We see a sign that says “Please Use Walk”, but we can barely see it covered in snow. But we get out and walk carefully to the restrooms. Luckily the restrooms are still open and they have little heaters in them. But, outside there are icicles hanging from its roof.
Breaking off some icicles, we give some to our daughter to play with. But after trying to sword fight, they break so it’s back to throwing snowballs. There is more snow here than we saw yesterday. And it is currently 32 degrees Fahrenheit and the snow is not melting. After enjoying playing in the snow and having the picnic area to ourselves for over 30 minutes, we head back. We get in the car to explore more of this April snowy drive.
April Snowy Drive to Big Meadows
We leave the Lewis Mountain Picnic Area and turn onto Skyline Drive about 5:15PM. Yesterday we wanted to make it to Skyland, but couldn’t. So we plan to drive there before returning back. But first we have to drive through Big Meadows at mile 51. So, we turn right onto Skyline Drive toward Big Meadows.
But before we get there we see deer grazing next to the road. This is the same area we saw deer the other day, but seems earlier than they normally feed. And this time they are much closer to the road. So, we drive slowly until we reach Big Meadows.
We turn left into the Big Meadows and park in front of the Byrd Visitor Center. The visitor center closed at 5:00PM, but some of us did not venture to the restrooms at the picnic grounds. So, we take a break here. We walk carefully though as the sidewalks are covered with snow and ice.
We were just here a few days ago and there was no snow. But not only is there snow here at the visitor center, but across the street, Big Meadows is covered too. Walking in the snow at one point, Becky sinks past her boots. It’s a little more than a few inches, but we’re amazed at how much snow is here. After about a 10 minute break, we are ready to continue our April snowy drive.
Skyline Drive to Skyland
Once back on Skyline Drive, we see more deer close to the road. We realize that after the roads have been cleared, what’s left is just a little bit of exposed vegetation for the deer to eat. So, they get right next to the road to feed. Which gives us a great opportunity to see the deer up close.
From Big Meadows, it takes us about 20 minutes to get to Skyland at mile 42. It’s pretty busy, but we find a parking spot fairly close and get out to check it out. We see a sign for “Skyland Office” and decide to walk in. We realize this is where you check in for the resort. And past the check-in counter, we see some rocking chairs in front of some large windows and sit. After taking in the views for a few minutes, we head toward the Skyline Dining Room.
On the way into the building we see their outdoor seating area covered in snow. And we check out the views before heading inside. Once inside the building, we find a coffee bar already closed and a gift shop to the right. We also see where you check in for their Pollock Dining Room. This is where we wanted to eat lunch yesterday, but the entrances to the park were closed. But, we’ll try to get back here another day this week.
Once back in the car, we head for the Skyland exit. Right past it, we see a sign noting the highest point on Skyline Drive at 3,680 feet. After a quick stop, we turn back on Skyline Drive to continue our April snowy drive to where we started.
Drive Back on Skyline Drive
After leaving Skyland after 6:00PM, we are ready to head back to our resort. But we still have almost 24 miles on Skyline Drive until we exit at the Swift Run Gap entrance. So, we take our time stopping at some overlooks along the way.
We stop at Crescent Rock Overlook which offers great views of Hawksbill Peak, the highest in the park. There’s a sign here about the establishment of the park and the resettlement of former residents to the valley below.
Our next stop is the Old Rag View Overlook which gives a glimpse of Old Rag about 3 miles away. The climb to the summit of Old Rag is one of the most popular hikes in the park. This strenuous hike is over 9 miles long and has an elevation of 2,415 feet. This overlook gives a great view, but also has some snow on the road. So, we have to be careful where we park.
Back on the road, we see more deer including in the middle of the road. We have to stop to allow a couple to cross the road in front of us. They then walk along the edge right past our car. The best views of wildlife are really here on Skyline Drive. We even spot a wild turkey in the snow near the road just a little further. After a few more overlooks and more deer we make it back to the entrance to exit the park after 7:00PM.
Summary of our April Snowy Drive in Shenandoah
After being snowed out yesterday, we book the Highlights Tour at Monticello. And after our tour, the central part of Shenandoah National Park is back open. On the way back, we enter the Swift Run Gap entrance to get on Skyline Drive. After a picnic in the Lewis Mountain area, we head to Big Meadows for a stop. And after our stop, we continue to Skyland for another stop before returning back on Skyline Drive.
Being from Florida, our highlight was just seeing the snow. And Skyline Drive offered the best vantage point to see it. The central section between Big Meadows and Skyland seems to also be the best place to see wildlife. We really enjoyed the 3 hours on this April snowy drive and our various stops along the way. But we hope to get back when the snow clears to do some hikes and explore the park further.
Other Adventures This Week
Check out our trip to the newest national park at: New River Gorge National Park in a Day