With over 150 miles of horse trails in this national park, you can spend hours, days, or weeks just roaming the vast countryside. If you prefer, you trailer your own horses into the park or visit the Skyland Stables from May through October and enjoy a guided ride. Riders choosing to ride through Skyland Stables must meet a four-foot, ten-inch limit. However, if you have smaller children, pony rides are also offered. Camping in the backcountry of the Shenandoah National Park is a favorite pastime for people from around the world. It is requested that you stay within the designated areas for camping.
If you want to go into the backcountry, you can acquire a free permit from the park headquarters, which is only issued from sunrise to an hour prior to sunset. However, for the Appalachian Trail, you can self-register near the Chester Cap and Rockfish Gap on the trail. When you begin searching for the perfect campsite, choose pre-existing sites that are away from the roads and trails. Although it might be tempting, the park requests that no new campsites be created.
While the pre-existing sites are not posted or signed, they are easy to spot. If you have trouble finding a campsite, then camping on previously undisturbed area is acceptable but only when a pre-existing site is not available. You will need to be a minimum of 20 yards from an unpaved fire road or park trail. Then, you also need to camp a minimum of 10 yard from streams or any natural water source, within 50 yards of any standing ruins such as log walls or chimneys, within 50 yards of any other camping party, and within 100 yards from any day shelter, cabin, or hut.
Additionally, building fires are not permitted anywhere but in the pre-constructed fireplaces located at the huts and day shelters. For cooking at the actual campsite, a camping stove is advised. Each campsite is designed to accommodate up to 10 people so if you have a larger group, you will need to break the group up accordingly, and each group would need its own camping permit. If camping in campsite locations within the primary area of the park, there is a two-night maximum however, if you camp in the backcountry, you can stay for 14 stays straight.