Today is Day 1 of our guys trip to the Shenandoah region of Virginia. I visited Shenandoah with Becky and our daughter 2 years ago for the 1st time. And this time I am back with our son Matt, brother-in-law Kelly and our uncle Mike. This is their 1st time here and we’re looking for adventure, including some Shenandoah rock scrambling and more!
Background
Originally I was planning this trip with our 2 sons Matt and Drew, and our Uncle Mike. But Drew couldn’t get away from work, and we’re glad Kelly is able to join us. Not only is he family and an avid outdoorsmen, but it’s his 50th birthday. Though we miss Drew, we’re excited to make Kelly’s 50th birthday week one to remember. And spending time with family is what makes our travels special.
When I started this blog a few years ago, the main goal was to document our family’s travels. And we’ve been lucky to travel and share these experiences with so many different family members. But it’s also been great to share our plans and experiences with others reading our stories. Because sometimes you can do a lot of research, and still not know what to expect. And Shenandoah rock scrambling is a perfect example!
Planning Shenandoah Rock Scrambling and more
After driving most of the day yesterday, we are planning a late start. We are staying at the Massanutten Resort which is a great home base for the week. This resort is less than 20 minutes from the Swift Run Gap Entrance Station to Shenandoah National Park. And we are looking forward to skiing at the resort later this week. So, hiking and skiing are our 2 main goals for our trip. And today we are planning to visit the central section of the national park to do some hikes. Though in the winter, knowing the conditions in the park, what’s open and being prepared is key.
Plan ahead for winter activities:
- Check Park alerts – Subscribe to Shenandoah’s alert system by texting SHENALERTS to 888777 to receive updates as they occur. After recent snowfall, we were alerted a portion of Skyline Drive is closed. But the central section where we plan to go today is open.
- Prepare to hike in winter conditions – The Park is typically 10 degrees colder than the valley below, so we have on extra layers. But we also have trekking poles and micro spikes, which attach to our hiking boots, for extra traction in snow. We found some cheap options at the Wal-Mart in nearby Harrisonburg.
- Bring own food and water – Though there are lodges and waysides all along Skyline Drive, they are all closed in the winter. Check for updates at: Skyline Drive Restaurants | Shenandoah National Park (goshenandoah.com). So, we packed sandwiches, snacks and water.
- Check Visitor Center hours – Since planning to stop at a visitor center today, we checked their hours at: Visitor Centers – Shenandoah National Park (nps.gov). Only 1 visitor center is open in the winter with modified hours and it’s closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Since the visitor center at Big Meadows is open, we plan to stop there. I have some hikes in mind, but I always find it best to talk to the park rangers about the trail conditions. So once we enter the park through the Swift Run Gap Entrance Station, we’ll turn toward Big Meadows. However, on the way is a short hike I want to try called Bearfence Trail – Rock Scramble. I am not sure what Shenandoah rock scrambling is like, but it’s only expected to take an hour. Afterwards we’ll head to the visitor center to discuss longer hikes to do this afternoon and tomorrow. So, that’s our plan.
Swift Run Gap Entrance to Bearfence Parking Lot
When we get to the Swift Run Gap Entrance Station we’re surprised there are cars backed up to get in. Though it only takes about 5 minutes to get to the station where I show my annual pass. There is no daily pass. So without the pass, it would cost $30 per private vehicle for the week. I also ask the ranger at the station for a map of the Bearfence area trails. And once through we see a sign confirming Skyline Drive is open. Today it’s open from the Thornton Gap entrance north of Big Meadows to the Rockfish entrance at the Southern entrance. This means the areas we want to visit are accessible, so we turn left toward Big Meadows.
We are finally on Skyline Drive by 11:30AM and excited to see snow. We are even more excited that the roads are clear and the Sun is out. Though it is in the 30’s, it’s perfect conditions to explore the park in winter. From the entrance station to the Bearfence parking lot is about 9 miles and it takes us about 20 minutes. Once parked, we layer up, grab our trekking poles and put on our micro spikes. Though Matt decides to build a little snowman in the parking lot first.
Start of Bearfence Trail and Shenandoah Rock Scrambling
Just after noon, we are all ready and head to the trailhead sign. The sign and our map show the same thing. There are 2 options to hike here. The 1st is the 1 mile moderate 1 hour rock scramble hike. The 2nd option is a 1.1 mile easy 45 minute walk to a viewpoint. We choose the rock scramble.
The trail starts off across Skyline Drive up some snow-covered steps into the woods. There are blue blazes on trees that mark the trail, which will become more important as we continue.
Even going slowly uphill in the snow, we make it to the crossing for the Appalachian Trail in 5 minutes. There is marker here which indicates we can go North or South on the AT. If we wanted to take the easy route to a viewpoint, we would head right here. But we stay on the trail and continue up the hill past the marker.
Shortly up the hill we see some rocks where the path leads around them. The trail has changed from level snow to a little rocky. And once around the rocks, we lose the trail. We look around and eventually spot the next blue blaze. The trail continues directly to some more rocks. This is the start of our Shenandoah rock scrambling adventure!
Bearfence Trail – Shenandoah Rock Scrambling
We were expecting to climb over some rocks, and climbing over these 1st rocks are not difficult. However with the snow and ice, we go one at a time to the other side.
After we all make it through, we see our 1st viewpoint. Past the rocks and trees we can see the surrounding mountains in the distance. It’s not a bad viewpoint, but we have more to go. Where in the blue blazes are we?
We see another blue blaze on a rock and see we have to climb back down. But that’s just the beginning. Once down, we have to pick up the trail again, and it leads back up.
With the snow, we are taking it easy. At one point we let a family with 3 young girls pass us, though we catch up to them later. Even with the snow slowing us down, we aren’t having any problems. But there are some difficult areas.
We really had no idea what Shenandoah rock scrambling would be like. It’s both more difficult and exciting at the same time. Pictures don’t do it justice though. To see more check out our Instagram reel. And if you like it, make sure to follow us!
Bearfence Rock Scrambling Summit
There was only 1 spot where the trail was near a drop-off. But we were able to navigate around it safely. And though the trail is only supposed to take an hour, it’s about an hour when we reach the summit.
When we reach the summit, there are already people up here. Surprisingly there is a lot of room up here to spread out. And there is plenty of space to take in the 360 views all around us.
From here we can see mountains and valleys all around us. Up-close we see the bare trees and snow covering the mountainside. And in the distance we see Skyline Drive cutting through the park and more of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Even if there weren’t great views, this area would be a good place to take a break. Though the wind is blowing pretty hard up here, so after a quick rest we are ready for the descent.
We find another blue blaze on a rock pointing down. So, again we start our journey. And after another 15 minutes we make it to more level ground where we see another trail crossing.
Bearfence Viewpoint
At the trail crossing we see another marker which confirms the rock scramble is behind us. But where do we go now? We decide to go to the viewpoint just 115 yards away.
The marker also points the same way to the Bearfence Loop Trail, so maybe this is the way we’re supposed to go anyway? The trail continues up through some snow, and just over the ridge we can see the viewpoint. We took the long way to get here.
This is the viewpoint we would have hiked to if we would have bypassed the rock scramble. These 180 degree views provide better visibility of Skyline Drive below. However in summertime when the trees are full, we probably wouldn’t even see Skyline Drive from here. It’s a nice viewpoint, but it doesn’t beat the 360 degree views from the rock scramble summit.
Return on the Appalachian Trail
Even though we could continue on the Bearfence Trail loop from here, it looks a little rocky ahead. And we forgot our trail map in the car, so we decide to head back down to the previous trail crossing. From here we hike down 0.2 miles to the Appalachian Trail.
Once we make it to the AT, we can head North or South. But the marker also tells us Skyline Drive and the parking area is 0.4 miles to the right. So, we head back toward the parking lot.
This part of the hike is super easy and just what we needed. It feels like a treat getting to hike on part of the AT through the snowy woods. Especially as we bypass the rock scramble trail up the hill on our right. And it’s only 15 minutes before we find the crossing for the Bearfence Rock Scramble where we started our climb.
From here, we head back down on the Bearfence Trail to Skyline Drive and the parking lot. The Bearfence Rock Scramble Trail was more than we expected and took us just over 2 hours to complete. But we are happy to have experienced our 1st Shenandoah rock scrambling adventure!
Byrd Visitor Center at Big Meadows
After returning to our car, we drive 10 minutes to the Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Visitor Center at Big Meadows. There is no food at the visitor center, and the wayside next door is closed for the winter. But we packed some sandwiches and eat in our warm car. After finishing our food, we head into the building. Inside is the park store to the left and museum exhibits on the right. And as soon as you walk in is their passport stamp area. We head into the store to browse around.
After getting a few things in the store, we meet up near some big windows. Here there are some rocking chairs overlooking Big Meadows. We take a seat and enjoy the views of the rolling meadow in the center of the park. After the break, we go talk to a park ranger about some hikes.
There are a few longer trails we are interested in. One is the 4 mile Rapidan Camp hike over 3 stream crossings. Another is the 4 mile Rose River Loop Hike that passes 2 waterfalls. But it’s almost 3:00PM and both seem too long to finish before it gets dark. The other hike we are interested in is the 3.3 mile Lewis Falls Trail. But the road to the Big Meadows Lodge is closed for the winter, which is where the trail starts. However, the ranger tells us about an alternate and shorter route that sounds perfect.
Lewis Falls Trail via the service road
As we leave the visitor center, we turn right and right again into a small parking lot. From here we can look back at Skyline Drive to see the Big Meadows sign just down the road. Officially we are in the Tanner’s Ridge Overlook parking lot, though the overlook has a pull-off just down the road. And there’s about enough space for 4 cars here, but we’re the only ones here today. Our trail starts here down a service road that connects to the Lewis Falls Trail.
Our route is 1/2 as long as the normal Lewis Falls trail, but we still have to hike the steepest parts. And Matt heads down the gravel road first and he is gone. So we follow down the snow-covered road until we get to a marker that points left to Lewis Falls. From here it’s just like leaving the road to walk through the woods. We pass a couple that says they passed Matt, so we continue walking down the snowy trail. And it’s about 15 minutes from the marker when we hit the switchbacks.
From here the trail zig-zags down to the falls. And at one point I can see Mike below me on the trail ahead. This continues for about 10 minutes until we see a sign for waterfall safety. Here we also get our 1st glimpse of the falls from the brink. And we catch up to Matt.
At the brink, the falls are just small cascades down a stream to below. And if you stop here, you really don’t see much of the falls. But Matt found the trail continues to an overlook on the other side.
Lewis Falls
You can cross the stream easily over some rocks where the trail leads to a metal handrail that takes you to the overlook. The stone overlook shaped like a half-circle is covered in snow.
The overlook is still near the top of the falls but it’s on the other side giving you a much clearer view. The 81 foot Lewis Falls feels hidden in this little nook, especially in the shade. And we can only see a part of it from here.
It’s worth walking to the overlook to get this better view. And you can even get nice views of Lewis Falls just walking to it. And up-close we can see ice that has frozen on the sides of this secret waterfall. We can only imagine how the trees could obstruct this view in the summertime.
Hiking down to the overlook only took us 40 minutes, which is perfect. The Sun is starting to set, and we want to get back before it gets too dark. But we’ll have to hike uphill to return.
Back on the other side we have better views of the valley below and mountains in the distance. It’s a beautiful spot, but we need to head back. Interestingly we see a trail marker here that just says this water is contaminated and not to drink it. So glad we didn’t try to drink any of it.
Hiking back from Lewis Falls
As you can imagine, hiking back from the waterfall through the switchbacks is more difficult uphill. It takes us 35 minutes to get up the switchbacks and back to the service road. And suddenly Kelly tells us to look at something.
We walked right past this hidden door twice, and would not have seen it if not for Kelly. I have since learned this is a locked door to a pump house. And the service road we’re hiking on is actually called Lewis Springs Pumphouse Road. They pump water from Lewis Springs up to the Big Meadows area. Though this isn’t the only surprise we see on the way back.
The Sun is getting lower behind the trees. And as we reach the end of the service road, we see multiple deer. Though they come out at dusk, we weren’t expecting them at the end of our hike.
I’m ahead of everyone checking out 5 does ahead of us. And when I turn around I see a young buck crossing the road behind Mike and Matt. He continues to the other side of the service road to the other deer near me. Kelly’s behind all of us, and sees the whole thing. I don’t think any of us have been so close to deer in the wild before.
We keep our distance as we make it back to our car. It takes us 1 hour and 40 minutes to complete this hike including time at the falls and watching deer. And we get back just in time to see the Sun starting to set.
Sunrise Drive
As we start to leave I see a deer in the woods in front of the car. We also see another one cross Skyline Drive toward Big Meadows. We’ll have to be vigilant for deer on our drive back. But we want to stop at some overlooks on the way.
There are some great overlooks to stop at for sunset views. And we stop at a few including the Naked Creek and Hazeltop Ridge Overlooks.
The Oaks Overlook is a nice stop because we can see the Shenandoah Valley and Massanutten Mountain. The top of Massanutten Mountain is lit up because that’s where the ski resort is. We think it’s pretty neat since we’ll be skiing there later this week.
Not only are the overlooks beautiful, but so is the drive. And we just keeping driving slowly, spotting many more deer along the way. We’re careful as 2 large bucks dart across the road in front of us. Skyline Drive has come alive in the red, orange and pink glows that reflect off our dashboard. We finally make it to Swift Run Gap to exit around 6:15PM, and we’re now hungry.
Old 33 Beer and Burger Grill
On the way back to our resort, we decide to stop for gas and dinner in Elkton. We find a place called Old 33 Beer and Burger Grill which sounds perfect. For more information, check out: Old 33 Beer & Burger Grill, Inc. – Bar in Elkton.
Mike, Kelly and I order a Devil’s Backbone Vienna Lager. It’s a local Virginia craft brew that hits the spot after a long day of hiking. We also order a basket of sweet potato waffle fries with maple dipping sauce to share. It’s perfect; crunchy, savory and sweet. We also each order burgers with onion rings. Matt orders their Brisket Burger and the rest of us order Rodeo Burgers with cheese, bacon and BBQ sauce. Their burgers are delicious and we highly recommend this reasonably-priced restaurant after a day in the park.
Summary of Shenandoah Rock Scrambling and more
After a late start, we spent about 6 hours and 45 minutes in Shenandoah National Park today. We first hiked the Bearfence Trail and had our 1st Shenandoah rock scrambling experience. It was more than we expected, but was exhilarating at the same time. Though we’re not ready for Old Rag yet. Afterwards we stopped at the visitor center and ate our lunch before heading inside to talk the park rangers. With some info, we decided to hike down to Lewis Falls via a service road. The hike to the hidden waterfall and back was the perfect amount of time and we saw many deer at the end. Leaving the park at sunset was a beautiful drive, and finishing with a beer and burger at Old 33 was perfect. Shenandoah rock scrambling was a blast, and we’ll back for more hikes tomorrow!
Check out more of our Shenandoah adventures at Shenandoah Archives – Working Family Travels!
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