Camping in Shenandoah Valley

The other weekend I went camping in Shenandoah Valley with my best friends and hiked Old Rag, a 9 mile hiking loop inside the National Park. And it was…a blast! Well, as much of a blast as it can be given that we were trekking 9 miles, half of which was uphill…but, however long, hiking is always better with friends. Misery does love company after all! Plus it’s a fantastic way to stay active. For additional ideas on staying active, check out this post. Today, I’m recapping the trip and breaking down the details of where we went and what we did. If any of you are considering visiting Shenandoah valley, I highly recommend it! As you will see in the pictures below, the place is absolutely STUNNING!

Campground

We stayed in Big Meadows Campground and it was such a lovely place. There were big, open meadows by the main entrance road and they were really something else. I’ve never seen meadows on top of a mountain like it! Our campsite had a cute patch of yellow flowers next to it which made for some pretty great photo backdrops (pictured below). I highly recommend staying in this campground because it has clean restrooms and nearby amenities. The only slight downside to this site is the proximity to your neighbors – you’re so close you can hear almost every noise they make. Luckily our neighbors were pretty good!

Old Rag Hike

One of the most popular hikes within the park is Old Rag. The mountain is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and it’s about a 9 mile (which includes a .8 mile trek to the trailhead), 3,300 foot climb. You can betcha I was huffing and puffing when we finally reached the top! It’s definitely worth the trek because the views are something else. I’ve seen plenty of views from mountain tops, but this one just blew me away. I can only imagine what it would look like in the fall! The best part of the trail is the rock scramble near the peak – it’s a bit challenging but also fun! If you do this hike, make sure you have buddy with ya in case you need a boost!

Sight Seeing

There’s a small (and I mean really small) town just outside of the park called Sperryville and its filled with cute little shops and stands. And when you drive into the park, you pass by tons of overlooks and they’re perfect places to watch sunrises and sunsets! There’s also lots of wineries in the area. We stopped by one on our way back from hiking and it had a pretty sweet view!

This is the bandana I wore (as you can see I got lots of use out of it!) and here’s a link to the Outdoor Voices crop top I’m wearing in the pictures. It’s a great piece, I can’t recommend it enough. And that’s all I’ve got! I hope this was informative for anyone who is interested in visiting Shenandoah Valley. The pictures I took simply don’t do this place justice; you must see it with your own eyes!

Thanks for reading!