I planned a last minute trip to Shenandoah National Park for our anniversary weekend recently. And I don’t typically do last minute… I typically do 3 (plus) years ahead of time…

However, Jason really wanted to visit a Buc-ee’s gas station (bless his heart), and it turns out the nearest Buc-ee’s to us was a 7 hour drive to Virginia. And right near Shenandoah National Park.

And since I’ve suddenly gotten really into national park pin collecting… well that seemed a good enough reason to go!

So I looked for somewhere worth staying. I wanted somewhere cozy and magical and worth the 7 hour drive. But also somewhere not completely in the middle of nowhere, that was close to everywhere I wanted to go.

The results…? Well, I found plenty of amazing places that were booked up (or booked between when I found it and when I showed it to Jason).

I finally found somewhere available for us to stay (though honestly, it was not my favorite). But I figured, with all of the research I did, I came up with a pretty good list of where I would stay, given slightly more advance notice.

And since there are SO many options for where to stay for Shenandoah National Park, I wanted to share my list with you, to help you plan out your own trip.

Year visited: 2026

Time of Year: April

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Where to Stay for Shenandoah National Park

The first properties listed are actually in Shenandoah National Park (orange on the above map). And then I will go over the best places to stay near there (green). Depending on where you are coming from, you might prefer to stay to the north or south side of the park (see the map above for an idea of where everything is).

• Good to Know: It takes about an hour to drive from one end of the park to the other.

National Park Board Games (& swag!)

• Pro Tip: Be sure to pack board games to play in your cabin rental, like Trekking the World, or (even better!), Trekking the National Parks!
• Jason bought me this National Parks water bottle before our trip, so I can add stickers to it as we go!
  • (He also got the 50 States one, since he couldn’t pick just one, haha! But he got that one in blue, and we both love that color option better than the white.)

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Best Places to Stay in Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park is a 300+ square mile scenic area in Virginia. The famous “Skyline Drive” runs through the center of the park, with lots of hiking trailheads, wayside stations, lodges, and scenic viewpoints.

The really nice thing about Shenandoah is that you don’t have to hike anywhere. Every few feet, it seems, there is another viewpoint to pull over and enjoy. But there also are hikes! Easy hikes, long hikes, mountain overlooks, and waterfalls. So there really is something for everyone.

There are two lodges within the bounds of Shenandoah National Park where you can stay, or just visit for a delicious meal. There are also cabins and campsites in the park.

• Good to Know: The Shenandoah National Park lodges are not open all year round. Skyland opens in the early spring, and Big Meadows Lodge opens in late spring. Both close in November.

Skyland Lodge

We stopped at Skyland Lodge in mid-April for our anniversary dinner, and it was the highlight of our trip (like, for real, both Jason and I were so excited about all of the dishes we tried here)!

Skyland is located at the highest point in Shenandoah National Park. It is not far from the main visitor center, and some of the most popular hikes. They also have a coffee shop and taproom, in addition to their main dining room, as well as a nice gift shop.

We visited the Pollock Dining Room for lunch. It was a weekend in mid-April, and we got there shortly after one. We had about a 20 minute wait for a table. They do not accept reservations, so it is just first-come, first-served seating. I would suggest getting there early in the busy summer season.

This is a great place to try the famous Shenandoah blackberry ice cream! We tried the blackberry ice cream pie, and blackberry cobbler (with more blackberry ice cream on top!), and it was all so delicious.

• Skyland Lodge is open the end of March through the beginning of November.
• Pollock Dining Room hours:
  • Breakfast: 7:30-10 am
  • Lunch: 12-2:30 pm
  • Dinner: 5-9 pm

Big Meadows Lodge

The Big Meadows Lodge was not open when we visited, but it seems like it has similar vibes to Skyland.

Big Meadows Lodge is the closest to the main visitor center and the halfway point of Skyline Drive. And of course it is close to “Big Meadows,” the area of the park known for star gazing.

Like Skyland Lodge, they have a gift shop, tap room, and the Spottswood Dining Room, which you can visit even if you’re not staying here.

• Big Meadows Lodge is open the beginning of May through the end of November
• Spottswood Dining Room hours:
  • Breakfast: 7:30-10 am
  • Lunch: 12-2:30 pm
  • Dinner 5-9 pm

Lewis Mountain Cabins

One other place you can stay in Shenandoah National Park (if you don’t want to go full-on camping) is the Lewis Mountain Cabins. They are somewhat of a mix between camping and the lodges.

They have one and two bedroom cabins available to rent. The cabins do have private bathrooms, but do not have some modern amenities such as Wi-Fi, air conditioning or refridgeration, so that is something to keep in mind when booking here. They are located on the southern end of Skyline Drive, as opposed to the lodges, which are on the northern end.

There is a camp store (with Wi-Fi) where you can stock up on food, camping supplies and souvenirs. Or just stop for a snack while you’re exploring the southern half of Shenandoah.

• Lewis Mountain Cabins are available the beginning of April to the beginning of November.
• Lewis Mountain Camp Store is open the end of March to the beginning of November.
• The store hours are 9 am-6 pm

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The Best Places to Stay Near Shenandoah National Park

There are so many places to stay near Shenandoah National Park, it can be overwhelming to try to pick one! So I’ve narrowed down the list for you of the places I wanted to stay (and the place we did stay).

I was looking specifically for a cabin with a hot tub and mountain views (but especially a hot tub!). Not that these all have a hot tub and mountain views, but they all have something special to offer, and I think stand out from the other options of places to stay.

The Wander Stay A-Frame Cabin with Hot Tub

This would have been my absolute first choice of where to stay, if it had not been booked! It was exactly what I was looking for: a cute, cozy cabin, serene mountain views, a hot tub, fire pit, and twinkle lights.

Is it expensive? Yes (a bit). But not so much so that it is out of reach for a 2 night stay. For the experience, I absolutely would have booked it, had it not already been booked.

The Wander Stay has several different cabins available, based on how many people you need to accommodate. The one I was looking at is the 2 person A-Frame.

• Good to Know: Their cabins are all over the area, but it takes about 30 minutes from the 2 person A-frame to get to the Thornton Gap entrance, the northernmost entrance to the park.

Black Pearl Secluded Nature Retreat

I was 100% going to book this cabin rental on Airbnb, but by the time I had showed it to Jason and we decided that yes, we would go to Virginia (to visit the nearest Buc-ee’s!) 2 days after I got back from England… Well the cabin was booked. So I had to find another.

This cabin looked perfect. Secluded, with its own (outdoor!) hot tub (and you know I wanted a place with a hot tub!), fire pit, grill, and actually a nice looking cabin inside too (but the hot tub was really what I wanted!). Of course, as you know, it ended up getting booked before we could decide for sure on it, so we went with a different cabin rental.

• Good to Know: The cabin is located in New Market, Virginia, about a 30 minute drive from the Thornton Gap entrance.

Massanutten Resort

If you’re looking for something a little less rustic, check out the Massanutten Resort. There are a lot of different options available to book here. From single hotel rooms, to actual condos and cabins available on VRBO.

This resort has indoor pools, outdoor pools, a spa, basketball courts, arcades, skiing, ice skating, and pretty much any sort of activity you’re looking for. If you want to explore Shenandoah National Park while also staying in comfort with all of the amenities… this is definitely the place for you!

• Good to Know: Because of its location, it takes about an hour to get to a national park entrance from Massanutten Resort.

Love Ridge Mountain Cabins

I strongly considered renting one of these cozy little cabins in the southern end of Shenandoah National Park. The Blue Ridge Parkway Cabins (by Love Ridge Mountain Lodging) are all cozy and affordable, with lots of different cabin options.

These cabins looked perfect for a cozy romantic getaway, but ultimately I preferred an outdoor hot tub, and their hot tub is in the cabin itself (though that would be more private!).

• Good to Know: Love Ridge Mountain Cabins are located 30 minutes south of the Rockfish Gap entrance, the southernmost entrance to the park.
• These are some of the most affordable places to stay near Shenandoah.

White Lotus Eco Spa Retreat

One of the rentals at the White Lotus Eco Spa Retreat was actually the first place I found to book, when I thought, ooh, this could be worth the trip. It was a “Hobbit” themed rental set in the Virginia mountains, and I love everything Hobbit themed!!

The White Lotus Eco Spa has lots of different themed cabins as well as rooms (including a “Shire Suite”) in their gorgeous lodge. The resort features a shared hot tub, full service spa, unique entertainment, cooking classes, hiking trails and more! It would be such a special place to stay near Shenandoah National Park (except there’s so much to do here, you might never actually leave!).

• Good to Know: The White Lotus Eco Spa is located about 30 minutes from the Swift Run Gap entrance to Shenandoah National Park, in the southern half of the park.

Shenandoah River Outfitters Cabins (with hot tub)

We stayed at one of the Shenandoah River Outfitters’ cabins. I have to admit, it was not my favorite place to stay; I would have preferred one of the other places I looked at that was already booked. But it was a cute cozy cabin and it did have a hot tub!

They have several different cabin types all along the Shenandoah River. Where we stayed, there were three identical cabins in a row. I would have preferred a bit more privacy, but it was still quiet and peaceful. We had access to the river (where one of the other families went swimming), a deck with a hot tub, and a fire pit… that we could not use (because of the fire ban when we visited).

Inside the cabin, there was a living area with a kitchen, futon, and cable TV. Then there was a bedroom with a double bed and a twin bunk bed on top, and a little bathroom. There was no Wi-Fi, which was challenging for planning our trip into the park (remember I planned this last minute!!), but it ended up actually being really nice. Like… Jason and I actually talked to each other, and played all the board games we brought, enjoyed the hot tub, and watched countless re-runs of The Office on the TV.

• Good to Know: As with most cabins near Shenandoah, it is a long drive into what feels like the middle of nowhere to get there.
• This cabin was a 30 min. drive from the Thornton Gap entrance to Shenandoah National Park, half of which was down a no exit road (in other words, we were 15 minutes from any other road!). Most of it was paved, except for the last mile.
• The hot tub here was nice, but was heavily chlorinated… or something. It had a strong chemical smell, and actually bleached our swimsuits a little bit.

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Any more suggestions?

If you have any questions about visiting Shenandoah National Park, or more ideas of the best places to stay, please feel free to comment below or send me an email! I would love to hear about your own experiences.

Planning a trip to Shenandoah?

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