Skyline Drive in the North District - Shenandoah National Park

Leaving the Central District of Shenandoah National Park, we continued north on Skyline Drive through the North District on our October 2021 trip to Cape Cod National Seashore. There aren't as many overlooks nor as many eye-catching views in the North District, but the overall atmosphere of the park is still one of the best in the park system.

Thornton Hollow Overlook

Jeremy's Run Overlook

Rattlesnake Point Overlook

Range View Overlook

Hogwallow Flats Overlook

Indian Run Overlook

View from Dickey Ridge Visitor Center

An entry fee of $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person is valid for seven consecutive days at Shenandoah National Park. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). Also available is a Shenandoah National Park Annual Park Pass for $55.

The Shenandoah National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm.

Skyline Drive in the Central District - Shenandoah National Park

On the next morning of our October 2021 trip, Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park drew us back to the ridgeline as it was above the fog enveloping the valleys to the west of the park. We drove north through the Central District of the park and stopped at nearly every overlook along the route from Swift Run Gap to Thornton Gap. The fog in the valleys west of the park was mesmerizing.

Hensley Hollow Overlook

South River Overlook

Bald Face Mountain Overlook

The Oaks Overlook

The Point Overlook

Hazeltop Ridge Overlook

Naked Creek Overlook

Tanners Ridge Overlook

Big Meadows

Fishers Gap Overlook

Franklin Cliffs Overlook

Spitler Knoll Overlook

Old Rag View Overlook

Timber Hollow Overlook

Thorofare Mountain Overlook

Hemlock Springs Overlook

Pinnacles Overlook

Buck Hollow Overlook

An entry fee of $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person is valid for seven consecutive days at Shenandoah National Park. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). Also available is a Shenandoah National Park Annual Park Pass for $55.

The Shenandoah National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm.

Sunset along Skyline Drive in the South District - Shenandoah National Park

When we planned an October 2021 trip to Cape Cod National Seashore, we deliberately set aside time on two different days to drive through Shenandoah National Park on Skyline Drive instead of staying on the Interstate. The first evening, we arrived a bit late to see the entire Southern District in daylight but saw a beautiful sunset from various lookouts near the southern end of the park.

McCormick Gap Overlook

Sawmill Ridge Overlook

Sawmill Run Overlook

Turk Mountain Overlook

An entry fee of $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person is valid for seven consecutive days at Shenandoah National Park. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). Also available is a Shenandoah National Park Annual Park Pass for $55.

The Shenandoah National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm.

McKittrick Canyon - Guadalupe Mountains National Park

McKittrick Canyon is located in the northeast corner of Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas. It is accessed via a 200-foot wide corridor of Guadalupe National Park property centered on a 4¼-mile paved road from US 62/180 to the visitor center parking lot. The paved parking lot has spaces for about four dozen automobiles, nine RVs or busses, and four handicap placarded vehicles. 

The visitor center is only staffed during peak seasons in the spring and fall. Our stop in September 2021 was a bit early for the fall colors. The visitor center has a ranger office/information desk and there are picnic tables nearby. The restrooms with flush toilets were open. There are several interpretive signs and a video interview of Wallace E. Pratt who in 1957 donated over 5,000 acres of land in McKittrick Canyon for the creation of the park. The park was authorized by Congress in 1966 but wasn't established until 1972 when most of the land and mineral rights had been purchased.

As this part of the park closed and the gates are locked at 4:30 PM, we didn't have time to hike during our short one afternoon visit to the park. However, this park of the park is unique and we wanted our daughter to have some idea of what was here for her next visit whenever that may be.

View from the 200-foot corridor (notice the fence posts) into New Mexico

McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center

View of McKittrick (7064') from the trail

View of McKittrick Canyon from the trail

Camp Wildernesss Ridge and McKittrick (7064')

Sun setting behind an unnamed peak

Lonesome Ridge in Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico

A last look at McKittrick Canyon

An entry fee of $10 per person is valid for seven consecutive days at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Fees may be paid with cash or card at the visitor center or they may be paid with cash at the trailhead by using the green envelopes provided. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). A pass holder can bring up to three additional adults (age 16 or older) with no additional fee. Also available is a Guadalupe Mountains National Park Annual Park Pass for $35.

The Guadalupe Mountains National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/gumo/index.htm.

Manzanita Spring Trail - Guadalupe Mountains National Park

On our first visit to Guadalupe Mountains National Park back in May 2015, I hiked the entire 2½-mile Smith Spring Loop Trail and posted about it here. On this trip, we didn't have time for more than the short ¾-mile roundtrip stroll on the sidewalk from the Frijole Ranch parking area to Manzanita Spring.

According to the park service, the historic Frijole Ranch house is "the most complete remnant of early farming and ranching enterprises in the Guadalupe Mountains." The front rooms were built by the Rader brothers in the 1870s or 1880s. The Smith family moved here in 1906 and stayed until 1940. They added the kitchen, two bedrooms, and the second floor.

With the asphalt path washed out in a couple of places, I would not recommend this hike for visitors in manual wheelchairs. We tried to pack as much as we could into our afternoon visit to give our daughter a good overview of the park. We visited in September 2021.

Trailhead information and fee drop

Concrete sidewalk leads from the parking area to Frijole Ranch

Approaching the ranch near Nipple Hill (5682')

One of the ranch outbuildings

Frijole Ranch house

Frijole Spring - 6 gallons per minute

The first washout behind the ranch

Another outbuilding at the ranch

Looking southwest at Guadalupe Peak (8749')

Guadalupe Mountains and Frijole (8243')

One of several dry streambeds in the area

El Capitan (8085')

The second washout

More of the Guadalupe Mountains

Trailside interpretive sign and bench

Trans Pecos West Texas

Manzanita Spring

One more view of the mountains

An entry fee of $10 per person is valid for seven consecutive days at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Fees may be paid with cash or card at the visitor center or they may be paid with cash at the trailhead by using the green envelopes provided. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). A pass holder can bring up to three additional adults (age 16 or older) with no additional fee. Also available is a Guadalupe Mountains National Park Annual Park Pass for $35.

The Guadalupe Mountains National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/gumo/index.htm.