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Shenandoah National ParkA Black Bear lingers in a forest opening.
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Shenandoah National Park
Bicycling
 

Bicycling is permitted along Skyline Drive and on paved areas in the park. Bicycling (road and mountain bikes) is not permitted on trails, unpaved roads or in grassy areas.* Because Skyline Drive is a two-lane road with steep hills and numerous blind curves, bicyclers are urged to use extreme caution.

Visitors should be prepared to operate their bicycles during periods of low visibility, or while traveling through a tunnel, or between sunset and sunrise, by exhibiting on the operator or bicycle a white light or reflector that is visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front and with a red light or reflector visible from at least 200 feet to the rear.  During periods of fog, reflectors will not provide necessary safety for bicyclists.  Lights on both the front and rear of the bicycle are required.   Mountain areas can experience dramatically different weather than what is being experienced in the lowlands, so be prepared!

*Bicycling is permitted on Rapidan Fire Road for approximately one mile. At the end of this mile, there is a sign indicating no bicycles are permitted beyond that point.

Several commercial businesses are permitted to offer guided bicycle trips in Shenandoah National Park.

 

A tree tunnel over Skyline Drive
Click here for the current status of Skyline Drive

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Sunrise over the mountains of Shenandoah wilderness creates a spectacular purple glow.  

Did You Know?
Benton McKaye, the “father of the Appalachian Trail,” was also instrumental in passage of the Wilderness Act. Shenandoah National Park carries on Benton McKaye’s legacy with 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail and almost 80,000 acres of designated wilderness.
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Last Updated: July 10, 2008 at 15:29 EST