Luray Hawksbill Greenway

The caverns are located in the town of Luray, which is in the Shenandoah Valley of northwest Virginia. They can only be explored by tour, and at first I was hesitant to pay the $26 entrance fee, but after an hour-long tour that blew my mind, I had absolutely no regrets. The tour includes about 30 people, with a guide describing the details of the cavern along the way. It's easy enough to stay i...

A few miles east of the town of Luray and just a couple miles outside of the Thorton Gap entrance to Shenandoah National Park sits Lake Arrowhead Recreation Park. This small lake and park features fishing, swimming, picnic areas, and other recreational park type of activities. Use of the facilities are available for rent according to their websites. The walk around the lake just to take in the ...

The parking lot for the trail is right before mile 40 on Skyline drive in Shenandoah National Park. The entire out and back is only .9 miles, so it's the perfect hike to take in a sunset after a long day, take a break from driving, or just pick a hike that is family and dog friendly as Stoney Man, a little further away, does not allow dogs and may be challenging for children. From the parking...

This short, easy hike will take you to some of the best views in Shenandoah National Park. As an added bonus, it’s perfect for catching the sunset without a long walk back to your car in the dark. If you’re looking to increase the level of difficulty, there is an alternate, moderate trail option that increases the mileage and the elevation gain, but won’t leave you breathless (until you reach t...

Between mile 42 and 43 of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park is the trailhead for WhiteOak Canyon. Begin at the trailhead from the parking lot and cross the Limberlost Trail in .3 miles. Continue on and you will cross your first footbridge shortly. After another mile you will cross the second footbridge and turn left to get to the lookout for the falls. This is well marked. In a few hu...

The round trip is a total of 6.7 miles (10.8 km) from the Skyline Drive parking lot to the Whiteoak Canyon Trailhead parking lot (mile 42.6) to the final waterfall of the lower three. The elevation is moderate with a 900-foot drop to the upper falls, but an additional 1,100 feet to the lower falls. A total of 2,000 feet in elevation change. Be prepared for a temperature change as well – at the ...