Today we are exploring the North section of Shenandoah National Park down to the Skyland area and Stony Man. There are 7 of us here in Virginia, including our daughter, our parents and Uncle Bob. After just the 2 of us yesterday, all 7 of us are going back into the park today. We are looking forward to exploring our last part of Shenandoah National Park. But we are also returning to Skyland to finally get our dessert and hike to Stony Man!
Planning North Shenandoah
Today we are all back together to explore Shenandoah National Park on our last day in Virginia. We will enter at the Front Royal entrance station at mile 0.5 for the first time and drive south. We will stop at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center first to get some more information. Our plan is to pack our lunch and have a picnic as well as do an easy hike in the area. We will then continue to drive south exiting at the Swift Run Gap entrance.
Before we leave we will try to stop by Skyland one last time. We have been wanting to stop at the Pollock Dining Room at Skyland to try their dessert. But also in the area are some short trails. One trail that sounds interesting is the popular Stony Man Trail. For more information about this hike, see Stony Man (nps.gov).
Dickey Ridge Visitor Center and Picnic Area
We arrive at the Front Royal Entrance Station about 5 minutes before 11:30AM. There is a little bit of a line, but it only takes us about 5 minutes to get through. And once in it takes us another 10 minutes to get to the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center. Like the other visitor center we visited at Big Meadows, this one’s a good place to get some information. The entrance is in the back overlooking some green space and more nice views of the surrounding mountains.
After perusing their small store, we talk to the rangers. We ask about some easy hiking trails here. The Fox Hollow Trail is a 1.2 mile circuit hike that starts here and may be a good option. But since it’s now after noon, we are ready for lunch. So we ask about some picnic areas. The rangers tell us there is a picnic area here just on the other side of the parking lot. They also tell us they spotted some deer there recently and thought it was a nice area.
So, we grab our stuff and walk over to it. There are plenty of large picnic tables in the shade. We break out our cooler and eat. After eating, we look around but find no deer. However, we see some wildflowers and enjoy the area. By the time we finish lunch it is after 1:00PM and we have to make a decision. Do we do the Fox Hollow Trail or try to finally make it to Skyland to have their signature dessert? We pick dessert.
Pollock Dining Room at Skyland
Skyland is an hour and 5 minutes from Dickey Ridge, so we have no time to lose. On their website, their Pollock Dining Room serves lunch until 2:30PM. So once in the car, we hurry through the Northern section of the park, not stopping until Skyland. Though, we do pass through the only tunnel on Skyline Drive. And we get to Skyland with more than 12 minutes to spare so we head to the dining room. We pass the outdoor seating area that was covered in snow just a few days ago. And once at the hostess stand, a sign says lunch is until 3:00PM, so we take a breath knowing we have more time here.
The 7 of us sit down and inform the waiter we are here for dessert, so he brings us dessert menus. First is their Signature Blackberry Ice Cream Pie. Though this dessert is over $12, we both order our own. Gigi and Poppa get one to share, and Grandma and Uncle Bob choose different desserts. Our daughter just gets a scoop of ice cream. It’s the cheapest on the menu and perfect for her. We also order coffee to go with ours. For more info about dining here, check out: Skyland | Dining | Shenandoah National Park (goshenandoah.com).
First off, we are glad we each got the blackberry ice cream pie. Though the slices were very large, we had no problem devouring them ourselves. The ice cream made with local blackberries is good by itself. Top it with meringue over a graham cracker crust, then add some blackberry compote makes deliciousness. Compared to the other desserts, this was by far the winner. But after dessert, we decide we need to walk it off.
Stony Man or Limberlost Trail?
2 easy trails we’ve heard about are the Stony Man and Limberlost Trails. We want to do the 1.6 mile round trip Stony Man Trail, but there is some elevation gain. However, the 1.3 mile Limberlost Trail is touted as a fully accessible trail perfect for our parents. So, we decide to split up. However Grandma and our daughter don’t want to hike. So, we leave them at Skyland to check out the store there. Then we take Gigi, Poppa and Uncle Bob a mile down the road to the Limberlost Trail parking lot. After dropping them off, we head back to the Stony Man parking area near the northern exit from Skyland.
Now the 2 of us are ready to hike the Stony Man Trail. Even though this trail is a little longer, we plan to finish before our parents, then go pick them up. So, we blaze down the trail to the first marker. This trail is similar to Blackrock Summit, it will loop around a summit before returning the same way. And this time we will read the markers to ensure we are heading the right way.
Stony Man Trail
This trail starts from the parking area and goes uphill to the Stony Man Summit in less than a mile. The hike up is gradual though it is rocky in many places. We pass some blue blazes on some trees indicating we are on the right trail. We also pass many bare trees that were covered with snow a few days ago.
We make it to a junction. It looks like this is the start of the loop around the summit, so we continue up. And soon we start to see an opening. We hike out of the woods to a clearing of rocks, the Stony Man Summit. From here we have a breathtaking view of the Shenandoah Valley and Massanutten Mountain.
We take some time to enjoy the views while keeping our distance from the edge. From here we can also see all of Skyland below us. Another couple offers to take some pictures of us together. They also tell us this trail is called Stony Man because it looked like a man’s face if looking up at the summit. But they say the nose fell off at some point, so we think it’s time to go back. We loop around the summit back to the junction. And we decide to take the yellow-blazed horse trail back to the parking area. We figure it may be less crowded and quicker. And we make it back to the parking area in just under 1 hour.
Meeting back at Skyland
Once back to the parking lot, we try to call Grandma but have no cell service. So, we drive right to the main Skyland parking lot first. Here we split up with Becky getting out to look for Grandma and our daughter. While, Paul goes to pick up the rest at the Limberlost Trail. We are afraid they are waiting, but when arriving they are still on the trail. Though, after walking from the end, they are shortly found at one of the many benches on this trail. After picking them up, we head back to Skyland to find the others. And once back in the car, we drive on Skyline Drive to the Swift Gap entrance. There is barely any evidence of the snow that closed this road earlier this week. And we make it to the exit about 5:30PM spending about 6 hours in the park today.
Summary of Stony Man and North Shenandoah
Today, we drove to the northern entrance of Shenandoah National Park through the Front Royal Entrance Station. Our 1st stop was the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center and picnic area. After lunch, we wanted the signature dessert in the park and rushed through the northern section to Skyland. There we had their Signature Blackberry Ice Cream Pie at the Pollock Dining Room. Afterwards, we split up hiking the Stony Man Trail while some did the Limberlost Trail. After completing the trails, we met back up and enjoyed our drive back on our last day here.
Our highlight for us was the hike to the Stony Man Summit. This relatively short trail provided outstanding views of the Shenandoah Valley and more. We are glad we chose this hike, but also glad Gigi, Poppa and Uncle Bob did the Limberlost Trail. This fully accessible trail is a leisurely walk through the woods with plenty of benches along the way. This trail is perfect for all ages. Not to mention the signature dessert was worth it!
Other Adventures This Week
Check out our trip to the newest national park at: New River Gorge National Park in a Day