Food · Shenandoah National Park
A practical Skyline Drive stop for smash burgers and camping supplies.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Shenandoah Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Shenandoah National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Shenandoah audio tourRecorded for this place
Elkwallow: Burgers and a Picnic Break“You're approaching Elkwallow Wayside, a useful stop for a quick meal or camping supplies on the northern stretch of the drive.”
Plays as you drive up to Elkwallow Wayside in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Elkwallow Wayside is a seasonal store and carry-out food stop on Skyline Drive, around mile 24. It’s a good place for a quick meal or resupply break, with groceries, camping supplies and gifts alongside the food. If you’re driving the northern stretch or hiking nearby, it’s worth stopping when you need something practical; the separate Elkwallow Picnic Area beside it is a different destination.
The food runs from breakfast and sandwiches to grilled meals. The smash burger is the item people keep coming back for, though the exact menu can change. Patio and picnic-table seating make it easy to eat before getting back on the drive.
Parking, restrooms, potable water and picnic tables are listed at the wayside, and the facility is listed as wheelchair accessible. It operates seasonally, so check the current schedule before relying on it for lunch or camping supplies, especially outside the warmer months.
Wildlife
325 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
21 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
1,036 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
167 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
93 sightingsTimber RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
24 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Shenandoah. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingKnob Mountain – Jeremy's Run Loop13.3 mi · 9 hr · At the trailheadA long wooded loop with repeated crossings of Jeremy's Run.
ModerateKnob Mountain - Jeremys Run Loop6 mi · 7.5 hr · At the trailheadA six-mile Elkwallow loop with a steep climb and stream crossing.
ChallengingNeighbor Mountain and Jeremys Run Loop14 mi · 10 hr · 0.2 mi awayA long ridge-to-stream loop with fourteen crossings to plan around
ChallengingPiney Branch and Piney Ridge Loop10 mi · 8 hr · 1.2 mi awayWalk Piney Branch’s cascades before climbing the wooded Piney Ridge.
ModerateSugarloaf Loop5 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayA wooded five-mile circuit to a rocky view above Hogback.
ModerateUpper Thornton River Trail6.3 mi · 5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA steep descent on the former Thornton Hollow fire road.
ModerateOverall Run Falls5.1 mi · 4 hr · 1.6 mi awayThe gorge view still pays off when the falls run low.
EasyTraces Trail1.7 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.6 mi awayStone walls and a river view on an easy campground loop.
Picnic area · 0.2 mi awayElkwallow Picnic GroundsA wooded picnic loop beats lunch in the car on Skyline Drive.
Lodging · 0.8 mi awayRange View CabinA hike-in cabin with a signed stone from 1933.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayPiney River CCC BuildingA modest CCC office tied to Shenandoah’s early park design
Scenic pullout · 1.4 mi awayRattlesnake Point OverlookPick out six Blue Ridge peaks from a meadow-framed roadside view.
Campground · 1.9 mi awayMathews Arm CampgroundWooded campsites, an easy loop, and no showers or hookups.
Scenic pullout · 2.1 mi awayJeremys Run OverlookA tight west-facing valley view worth timing for sunset.
Sight · 2.3 mi awayHogback OverlookLayered ridges lead north toward the Alleghenies on clear days.
Scenic pullout · 2.3 mi awayThornton Hollow OverlookA broad east-facing panorama into Thornton Hollow.Parkwolf’s Shenandoah ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
