I have been to Shenandoah so many times I can’t count but each time I am here it brings me some peace. The park is the first one that I went to with my father back when I was a child. My dad loved to camp and be in the outdoors so we would camp with him. Mathews Arm campground was the place we would stay and each time I go back I look at the campsite we would get and enjoy the fond memories. One that I talk abut all the time was when we watched the 1976 Olympics on a 9 inch black and white battery operated TV. We say the perfect 10 on this set but the picture was anything but a perfect 10 with the TV in the van and us outside in chairs.
The Appalachian Trail, AT, goes through the park for about 100 mile and crosses Skyline drive a few times as well. Walking the trail is a giant feet and I learned the first person who did the trail was after WWII and he did it to “loose” the war from his mind. PTSD was not a thing back then but I would say he wanted to get grounded and take care of the PTSD. The first female was a grandmother from Ohio who at 62 decided to do the hike and he was an over achiever who walked the hike 3 times. When she was done she went home and then became a guide for the AT. These two people are a lesson to all of us that it never too late to do something for yourself. Keep that in mind when you think you are old and can’t do things just put your mind to doing it and you will be surprised at what you can accomplish.
Upper Hawksbill Trail – is a 2.1 mile trail up to a viewing area and a day use cabin. The cabin has a picnic table and will allow you to get out of the elements if you wish. The journey starts are the car park and when at the car park the trailhead is to the left when your back is to the road. The trail has a tail board showing you the map of the hike so be ready and take a photo if you want of the trail but the path is easy to follow. The trail is gravel and crushed stone enabling even Mr. Magoo to follow the trail. The total distance of 2.1 miles also has bout 500 feet of elevation gain so it is a trail that can be done by virtually anyone. I have done the hike perviously and the views at the top of the hike were spectacular. I have to say this time however the view was not so good as there was only about 100 feet of visibility due to fog in the area. Going up I was able to see a fawn and a doe eating just off the trail, hard to maintain 25 feet when the deer are on the trail but I stopped for a few photos and allowed them to continue to eat. A bit further up the trail I came across a couple who had stopped and were taking photos, and you guessed it another deer just off the tail. A few more photos were taken and off to the top I went. With the limited view and a particularly irritating know it all at the top I decided my best bet was to hike back down. The Hawksbill trail has an upper and lower parking lot and these two trails meet at the virtually the summit. A couple who were hiking mentioned that you could make the hike longer but taking the lower hawksbill trail back to its parking area then cross Skyline drive and go about 100 yards to you see a horse trail and take that as it runs parallel to the road. You then exit the trail at the Upper parking area. I went that way once before so back the way I came up. I did not see any wildlife on the way back down as there was many people who were making a ton of noise and scaring any animal away. It is a great hike and the views normally are wonderful.
Traces Trail – The traces trail is a 1.7 mile loop trail around the Mathews Arm campground. The trail head is in the parking area near the entrance to the campground. The trail starts and finished at this parking area but not using the same trail head. If you park in the parking area and put your back to the ranger station to check into the campground the trail is on your right just past the amphitheater entrance. The trail starts in conjunction with the another trail and for about 1 mile the trail is the same but at the 1 mile marker the two trails split. The first major intersection will allow you to hike to the AT but I chose to stay on the Traces trail. The trail got its name from when the land was purchased/taken from the settlers here to form the National Park the settlers had to leave behind their houses etc. There are traces of these old settlers on the trail and hence the name. The trail has little elevation gain and it is mainly the first part of this trail. Once you are at the first junction point the trail has a bit of up and down but nothing like the first part. The split from the falls and traces trails will allow you to cut short your hike and head to the group campsite for the campground or you can continue onward to the car park area. If you are camping in Mathews Arm Campground I would recommend this hike as it is a quick hike and you can get some exercise in with just about anyone of any age.
Mathews Arm Campground – the campground is the first one that I ever stayed in and is still my favorite of the three campgrounds I have stayed at in the park. The campground is at the bottom of a hill and that prevents cell service for the most part, and there are three loops for camping and a group area. The campground has no services (water and electric) at your site but you can get water at the restroom area at a water faucet. There are flush toilets with hand dryers at the campground which are clean. Campsites mainly have flat parking areas and have a tent pad so if you are tenting or have a vehicle it will be good for you. There is plenty of green space at the campground and the sites are not on top of each other but they are a bit close at times. The campground does offer a few first come first served sites but most of the sites are needed to be reserved. The loops are A, B and C with A being the loop around the entire campground. From the ranger station you do go uphill to the campsites. The campgrounds amphitheater just got new seats in 2023 as the others were in place since the 70’s. Check out the Ranger programs when in any park and enjoy learning about the park. The Rangers in the campground are wonderful, they even come back many times as I recognized Clint and he me in 2023.
Observation – the campground was peaceful when I got here Monday and on Friday it became not so peaceful. People when they come camping like to drive fast on the road, speed limit of 10, they are all about chopping wood, playing loud music and oh the dogs barking! I am sounding like a grumpy old guy and maybe I am a bit but if you are coming into nature enjoy the sounds of nature not the sounds of home.
