Big Meadows Wayside

Big Meadows Wayside is a seasonal food-and-supply stop on Skyline Drive at mile 51.2. Expect grab-and-go food, groceries, snacks, gifts and camping supplies, rather than planning your day around a full-service restaurant. It's useful when you need something before camping or want a quick break in the park's central section. Food quality can be hit-or-miss, and lunch orders may take time, so give yourself some slack if you're on a schedule.

The Wayside has a store alongside its food service, plus seasonal accessible public restrooms and a parking area. A separate gas-station building is immediately beside it; check current pump status before counting on fuel. The Wayside itself operates seasonally, so check the current schedule before you plan your stop.

The Wayside was built in 1939 by the Virginia Sky-Line Company, the park's first concessionaire, during the first big push to develop Big Meadows for visitors. The picnic grounds, campground, lodge and cabins came together in the same period, making this one of the park's longstanding visitor hubs.

Big Meadows was used for glider recreation in the early 1930s, and the Civilian Conservation Corps built a runway and temporary hangar for sailplanes. A CCC camp, first called Camp NP-2 and later Camp Fechner, housed about 200 men. Their work included trails, shelters, picnic facilities, tree planting and a native-plant nursery. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Shenandoah National Park at Big Meadows on July 3, 1936.