Stella’s First National Park! Shenandoah National Park.

Due to the Stella’s construction delays, we were unable to get to Congaree for our shakedown trip, which meant that Shenandoah was our first national park. We didn’t get to spend as much time in Shenandoah as we would have liked, but read on for our overall impressions and favorite things we did.

Highlights

Our Campsite
- One of the greatest treats though was our campsite. The campground was unbelievable and we were treated to many wildlife roaming through the mist-filled campground.
Endless Caverns Cave Tour
- We spent two hours exploring a cave formed in the plentiful limestone hills of Shenandoah.
Hike to Hawksbill Summit
- We were able to spend an afternoon hiking up to the summit of Hawksbill and catch the sunset.
Amish Market / Fresh Ice Cream
- The food at the market and eating freshly made ice-cream from local cows was such a treat.

Endless Caverns RV Park

Our campsite was secluded in the woods near a meandering creek.

For anyone traveling to the Shenandoah / Harrisonburg, VA area, we highly recommend Endless Caverns RV Resort. This is the resort with the giant “Hollywood” sign on the side of the mountain as you’re driving down I-81. They have a great pool with a shallow entrance for kids, a beautiful property with all amenities, and serviceable WiFi for those just casually online.

Endless Caverns has significant stonework all throughout the property. From buildings to walkways to each site being meticulously outlined in stone, it’s everywhere and creates a very unique look and feel.

We left a full review of the campground on Campendium and definitely give it 5 stars.

Cavern Tour

One of the nicest things about Endless Caverns is they have their own cave on site for tours. It’s roughly a 90min tour with some pretty large rooms and great stalactite and stalagmite formations.

We were fortunate to be there in the off season so it was only three of us on the tour which gave us an additional 30min.

Endless Caverns is definitely a smaller cavern, but allows you to get a little more close and personal than some of the larger and more commercialized ones. It was owned privately for a while and the owners used to host parties in some of the “rooms”, which is pretty unique. Overall, we definitely recommend it even if it doesn’t have some of the sites as nearby Luray Caverns.

**Tip: Book the 4PM tour as they tend to be less crowded.

Shenandoah National Park

Our actual time in the park was limited to one day since we had to work the other days but we made the most of it. The drive in is pretty special as you take the famed Skyline Drive along the ridge line and through a tunnel.

Skyline Drive is lined with overlooks and vistas that are each jaw-dropping.

You have endless options for hikes in Shenandoah from the more popular, and longer, Old Rag to the shorter Hawksbill Summit. We chose Hawksbill since we were pressed for time and took a well-traveled trail to the summit for the sunset. This is an easy hike that you can knock out in an hour round-trip and great for families…or a wild pupper.

Amazing Ice Cream

When looking at the surrounding area one recommendation kept popping up - Mt. Crawford Creamery. This dairy farm produces milk, butter, and of course, ICE CREAM, all from their own cows. We had a chance to stop by the dairy and see some of their operations, and Guinness got to meet some cows. Oddly enough, they took a unique interest in each other, even if G-man was a little skittish.