VA State Park Shenandoah River State Park

After having changed my reservations 3 times due to poor weather, I finally got a break in the weather and just got back from a 2 night trip to Shenandoah River State Park which is about 5 miles or so south of Front Royal, Virginia. It sits along the banks of the south branch of the Shenandoah River in a beautiful setting.

It's one of the few camp grounds within easy striking distance of Baltimore that it is open year round. I'm sure in the summer and fall it's tough to reserve a spot but one nice thing about winter camping is how few folks get out and how easy it is to pick a desirable spot. I picked spot 19 which is close to the bathroom facilities but has a good bit of privacy due to a large retaining wall that surrounds 3 sides of the site. We were kind of amazed at how much work and money most have gone into site - there are a couple of others that abut the hillside with similar walls. I doubt they'll ever recoup the expense with the camping fees.

Anyhow, the site had water and electric which sure made it more comfy at night. I use a West Marine ceramic heater along with a small USB fan aimed at the ceiling to circulate the heat and this combo works really well when I have hook-ups. Not having my wife along also allows me space for my big golden retriever who is taking a liking to sleeping in the teardrop (she is relegated to the back seat of the TV at night when my wife is along). For some reason though the GFI tripped over night and my heat went out - not sure what that was about and hope it doesn't keep happening!

About the park, there are nice trails along the river and running up into the hills a couple of hundred feet above the river level. It affords great views of the river and surrounding valley. In warmer months it would be a great base also for canoeing or kayaking the river. At this time of year, it's a great base to head up into the Shenandoah National Park. My buddy Dave and I did just this with our dogs along for the ride. When he joins me for camping he has a nice Chevy Astro that he's converted into a camping unit.

We headed south to Luray and then caught the Skyline Drive from highway 211. We headed north along the drive and stopped a half dozen times at the overlooks along the way. We also did a really short hike on the AT and joked about being "Segment Hikers" having traversed about a half mile of it. Anyhow, we got our exercise in the state park and the dogs were tired enough. We kept on and made our way to Front Royal which is a really old town that has maintained a vibrant downtown with shops and restaurants. We stopped for a local brew and eats on Main street and were very happy with the meal.

It's been a tough season for camping as it continues to be extremely wet throughout the region. Anything not paved seems mushy or muddy and this weekend was no exception. Hopefully we'll get back to more normal precipitation and be able to do some better hiking before too long.

All in all, I'd recommend this park pretty much any time they have availability and the weather isn't too bad. I'm trying to avoid towing when the roads are all salted to cut down corrosion of the trailer. That weekend was fine but since we had the polar vortex and everything is a nasty salty mess. Hoping to get back out in a week and a half if the weather gods smile on me again.