Shenandoah Trip Recommendations

That is a long time for that park. It will be a very circuitous route unless you are sticking to the AT. I would consider pairing with something further west in GW NF or one of the wilderness areas in Monongahela. Splittling the time would probably be more satisfying.

I recommend getting thd TI map of the park to look at how the trail network is oriented. You'll notice the main ridge along which Skyline drive and the AT travel for the 100 mile lenght of the park. Everything else mostly branches off that and heads downhill down valleys or ridges perpendicular to the main ridge. Many form loops incorporating fire roads.

IMO Most of the best hiking can be seen as day hikes of less than 15 miles, stringing these together may require stretches of road walking and many up and downs and circuitous, contrived routes. My favourite section of the park and the less crowded section is the southern end.

Popular trails like White Oak Canyon and Old Rag are worth seeing especially mid-week. Two other of my favs are Big and Little Devil Staircases.

One option would be to hike along the AT between two cars and incorporate many side trails over the whole period. You would probably be able to see most of the best of the park that way, but you may also be looking for something different after a few days.

For fishing the Rapidan is said to be good.

Awesome; I know a few people who went to monongahela, specifically dolly sods and loved it. Right now we're still trying to decide if we want to stay in Shenandoah the whole time or split it up. Any other recommendations would be appreciated!

Thanks again!

MG's advice with regards to SNP is spot on. Some fantastic hiking, but with 6 or 7 nights I would definitely consider spending some time in GW or Monongahela. I also agree with the Little Devil's Staircase recommendation. It's a great hike that sees little traffic compared to Old Rag or White Oak Canyon.

Although you won't avoid crowds, there are some good fishing oriented loops in the Big Meadows area. With a little planning you could do a couple nights that string together the Rose and Rapidan rivers, give you some miles on the AT, and allow you to see Herbert Hoover's fly fishing retreat the Rapidan Camp.

For fishing in SNP in general, the first week in Oct is normally a great time. The brookies are getting ready to spawn but aren't on their redds yet, so they go crazy for just about anything you can throw at them. The most popular streams in the park are probably the Rapidan, the Rose, and the Hughes, although brookies can be found in just about any blue line on the map. One of my personal favorites is Big Run since the hike in is a bit longer and more strenuous (well for the casual fly fisherman anyway) so it sees a bit less pressure than some of the easier to access streams like Jeremy's Run or the Hughes. You can find quite a bit of information about fishing the park online at http://www.switchfisher.com or in Harry Murray's book about fishing SNP, and if you decide to head into GW, I would be glad to point you towards some streams there.

Great time of year to be out in SNP, maybe I'll see you out on the trail.

Thanks guys! Sounds like splitting it up is the way to go and it sounds like we're in for some great hiking and fishing. Hope to see some of you on the trail!