A guide to the foliage, temperatures, crowds, pros, and cons for every month in Shenandoah National Park. Every month has something wonderful to offer. Whether you’re traveling into Virginia from another State or Country, or you live here but just aren’t sure what to expect in the mountains, I’m here to help!
Experience the months Shenandoah National Park with me, Gabrielle, an Elopement Photographer based in the park.
Scroll through for inspiration, maybe you’ll see exactly what you’re looking for.
MONTH TO MONTH IN
SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK
JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
If you are looking for privacy, this is your time to experience it. January and February are super quiet and really peaceful. You will see frozen trickles of water, ice on the rocks, and occasional snow flurries.
During these months, Skyline Drive is destined to experience regular road closures due to snow and ice. Because of this, I recommend having a backup spot!
The mountains are purple, blue, and brown.
MARCH
In March, you still get peace and serenity. However, you don’t have to deal with quite the extreme cold — I do say that lightly though! It is starting to warm up, but definitely still coat and gloves weather. The trees are still bare, and you might run into snow still.
The mountains are purple and brown.
APRIL
April is a wild month! You can get full sun, beautiful clouds, April showers, or snow!
For Brianna & Phil (below), they got snow, sun, rain, and rainbows all within a couple hours.
The mountains are purple, brown, and blue.
MAY
Early May can be really cold in the mountains… especially in the morning. I recommend bringing lots of layers. You can always take your clothes off if you need to. However, you can’t put them on if you don’t have them!
By now, the trees and grass are starting to green up just a little.
Similar to April, Shenandoah National Park in May is in peak rainy season!
The mountains are a bright green and blue.
JUNE
June is so fun (and probably my personal favorite). Everything is finally fully green, and the park is still not too busy! It is getting warm all day long, and the foliage is getting lush. The large ferns are starting to bloom, and I am not going to lie — the ferns are probably my favorite part of the Park (they hang around until the beginning of October!)
The mountains are a bright green and blue.
JULY
July is amazing - it’s not as hot as you would expect. It’s super lush, nice and warm, and not too busy.
but Bugs/gnats are starting to become a bother at the end of July.
The mountains are deep green and blue.
AUGUST
August is hot — especially at the end of the day. But for sunrise that can be a good thing! You won’t typically run into a cold morning on the Park - plus in the mountains it can be 10 degrees colder than it is down in the Valley. The only thing is if you’re on the Park mid-day and you have that sun on you.
Bugs & gnats are bad, but the ferns, trees, and wildflowers are totally in bloom.
The mountains are deep green and blue.
SEPTEMBER
It is starting to cool down a little bit, the trees are still green, but they are starting to turn to yellows and orange a bit too. Another favorite month of mine!
Ferns are still bloomin’ and wildflowers are super abundant.
Weekends are starting to get *very* packed. Lots of campers, hikers, and drivers - so plan to elope or have your shoot on a weekday to avoid crowds.
The mountains are blue and green!
OCTOBER
It is super packed.
The leaves are changing and they are ridiculously stunning.
The lines to enter the park can take up to 3 hours on weekends (I no longer book elopements on weekends because the crowds are too crazy & unpredictable). The weather is beautiful and the trees are truly unreal. It’s totally understandable why this is the most popular month in SNP.
The mountains are a bright orange!
NOVEMBER
The first half of November is still golden, but it is a lot cooler weather. It is starting to get less packed, and it is still so beautiful! It can be very rainy and you can get frost/ice/snow.
The mountains are orange and starting to turn purple for the winter.
DECEMBER
All of the trees are bare, and there is a potential for snow
(you’ll want a backup plan just in case Skyline Drive closes).
It is very quiet & peaceful again with no crowds.
The mountains are blue and purple.
PLANNING A SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK ELOPEMENT?
CHECK OUT THESE RESOURCES
Choosing a Sunrise or Sunset Elopement in Shenandoah National Park
How to Choose Which Season to Elope in Shenandoah National Park
