I spent a memorable 3 days at Shenandoah National Park and I’m so happy I did. Originally it wasn’t even on my radar or on my impromptu itinerary, until I started heading north and did a little research. My expectations were set pretty low, solely due to my lack of area knowledge.

My camp spot was on the edge of Big Meadow campground near milepost 51, bordering the famous Appalachian trail. We had enough time to go for a short hike so we did a loop to nearby Lewis Falls. Within the first 10 minutes a fellow hiker mentioned the rumors of bears in the area and my excitement escalated. My head began to swivel on the look out, hoping to spot these rumored bears before they see us and of course I spent most of the time tripping over the tree roots, rocks and Franklin in the process.  It was a beautiful hike to the falls and back but unfortunately, no sighting of the bears. However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many fearless deer in my life and thankfully, Franklin now sees them as friends.

The next day, after an awesome night’s sleep, we headed out on another hike, Rose River Loop, about 5 miles with the addition of a couple miles getting to the trail and back. This trail was gorgeous with a cascading river running along side offering Franklin multiple opportunities to cool off.

Once again, fellow hikers mentioned bear sightings or the infamous story (I heard about 10 times) of a dog that had been mauled by a bear two weeks prior, so my swiveling head was back at work. Finally, 5 miles in, I spotted her about 100 yards away on the hill. She was casually watching the hikers in the distance then turned around and walked away up the hill as Franklin and I quietly watched. It was thrilling to finally see a black bear but just like that, the bear was gone and we continued our hike. We ended up seeing 4 more bears, 3 on the hill near our campsite and 1 more crossing the highway. It was pretty amazing!

We spent our last evening at Timber Hollow Overlook watching the sunset. As I sat there, I felt so relieved to have found my way here and had the opportunity to see this sunset surrounded by the tranquility of this beautiful place and all of it’s wildlife. It really was a memorable few days.

If Shenandoah wasn’t on your list before, I hope you add it!