I see Shenandoah Natinal Park has been closed since the Hurricane Sandy storm. Today the backcountry opened up (from park boundary trailheads) but Skyline drive is still closed. Apparently they have 8-12 inches of very heavy snow to move. I have a Shenandoah vacation planned next week, and I would appreciate any boots on the ground info about whether I should change plans.

I received this today:

"The entire park has been closed from Monday at noon, until today, Thursday, Nov 1, when the backcountry re-opened. You and visitors are free to hike into the park, but please use caution. NPS storm clean-up efforts are focused on Skyline Drive - rumors are that workers hope to open as much of the Drive as possible by this weekend. You may check on the status of the road by calling 540-999-3500 then option 8 - more information on that below. There is heavy, wet snow along much of Skyline Drive - it is too heavy for the plows so they are using front end loaders first and following up with the plows. There haven't been many fallen trees across the Drive, so perhaps the trails won't fare too badly as long as the snow doesn't melt quickly and cause erosion."

"Administrative use of Skyline Drive: Some sections of Skyline Drive are open to administrative use. PATC managers and overseers who wish use a section of road that is open to administrative access in order to access trails may contact the appropriate District Ranger and ask for permission."

I doubt I'll know more until after this weekend.

Stu,

Skyland Lodge is still open on Skyline Drive, so they will probably move as fast as possible to reopen the road.

However, there are many great hikes you can do from the trailheads outside the park and on its edge. Send me a PM if you need ideas.

And send me a PM if you want to try to get together for something. I'm a 90-minute drive away!

Bob Sihler wrote:Stu,

Skyland Lodge is still open on Skyline Drive, so they will probably move as fast as possible to reopen the road.

However, there are many great hikes you can do from the trailheads outside the park and on its edge. Send me a PM if you need ideas.

And send me a PM if you want to try to get together for something. I'm a 90-minute drive away!

I don't know how the concession contract works, but I'd bet that if people can't get to Skyland only Aramark loses money, not the park. It's still probably a priority, though.

I have heard that a lot of Skyline drive is open as of today (NPS Shenandoah site). I am mostly concerned about hiking/scrambling conditions. Part of me likes the idea (less people), but I do not want to deal with too much snow/ice on the trail or rock.

Stu Brandel wrote:I have heard that a lot of Skyline drive is open as of today (NPS Shenandoah site). I am mostly concerned about hiking/scrambling conditions. Part of me likes the idea (less people), but I do not want to deal with too much snow/ice on the trail or rock.

The north end starts off fairly low and should be clear. The rest of the north district and the central district are probably being cleared; I would expect the south district to be the lowest priority for clearing. I'll be checking on Robertson Mtn. Trail this weekend and will post what I find out.

Stu,

This link has a lot of info on hiking in the SNP. At the very bottom of the page, you'll se a resource list including "Address and Phone Number". If you haven't already done so, you may want to call the SNP and speak directly to the Rangers about your questions.

http://www.shenandoah.national-park.com/hike.htm

I drove out to the park today (didn't get up early enough to do any trail work though). It doesn't look like there is much snow left. I drove through Thornton Gap and didn't see any on the road. I could see snow up at Mary's Rock, but there was also a good bit of rock showing. There was a bit of evidence alongside the roads of trees and branches that had come down, but not very much - most of the weak stuff must have come down last spring. I'd say, go ahead with your plans.

I decided to come to the Shenandoahs on Sunday, and arrived this afternoon (11/5). Compton Peak, which I hiked up in the afternoon, had just accents of snow. On Skyline drive there was a lot more coverage (but just a few inches) above 3000 feet.

I am here for the week. We will see what Old Rag is like tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who helped me on this.