Lodging · Shenandoah National Park
Spend the night in a 1936 cabin above the Page Valley.
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 area
Spitler Knoll Overlook: Meadow and Mountain Views“You're nearing Spitler Knoll Overlook, with a grassy foreground and a broad view across the Shenandoah Valley to Massanutten Mountain. It's an easy stop without a hike, though the turnout is narrow.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from Rock Spring Cabin 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
Rock Spring Cabin is a one-room, locked overnight rental in Shenandoah's Central District, on Hawksbill Mountain's western slope about two miles north of Big Meadows. It's for guests with a PATC reservation, not a walk-in museum or casual shelter. I'd choose it for a primitive night in a historic cabin; this isn't a fast Skyline Drive pullout.
The Civilian Conservation Corps built the cabin from dead chestnut logs in 1936. It has two double-width, double-deck bunks for up to eight, a wood stove and a covered porch fireplace. Mattresses, blankets and cookware are provided, but there is no food service; plan meals before hiking in. Keep fires in the stove or porch fireplace, and use firewood conservatively under park rules.
The cabin looks across Page Valley toward the Massanutten Range. For a photo, frame the porch and stone fireplace with the boulders around the cabin. A pit toilet and spring are nearby; the spring's drinking-water safety wasn't established, so check before relying on it. The neighboring Appalachian Trail shelter brings other hikers close, so don't count on a secluded stay.
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
EasyHawksbill Summit via Upper Hawksbill2.1 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayA short climb to Shenandoah’s high point and its stone-walled panorama.ModerateHawksbill Loop2.9 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayA rocky 2.9-mile loop to Hawksbill’s 360-degree summit views.
EasyHawksbill to Swift Run via Laurel Prong25.6 mi · 4 days · 1.2 mi awayFour days from the highest summit to Swift Run Gap, with waterfalls.
ModerateHawksbill Summit via Lower Hawksbill Trail1.7 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayA short, steep climb to Shenandoah's highest summit.
ChallengingCedar Run - Whiteoak Circuit8.1 mi · 7 hr · 1.2 mi awaySix waterfalls reward a very hard, creekside loop.
ChallengingCedar Run Falls3.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.2 mi awaySteep streamside miles lead to a narrow gorge and natural waterslide.
ChallengingBig Meadows and Laurel Prong Loop19 mi · 15 hr · 1.5 mi awayA two-night loop links Big Meadows, Lewis Falls, and Hoover’s retreat.
ModerateRose River Falls Loop4 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayRocky streamside loop to a waterfall, with an uphill finish.
Sight · 0.6 mi awaySpitler Knoll OverlookA broad meadow view over the valley, especially near sunset.Sight · 0.7 mi awayHawksbill SummitA rocky summit and a full-circle view worth hiking for.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayOld Rag View OverlookA three-mile view of Old Rag from Skyline Drive.
Scenic pullout · 1.3 mi awayFranklin Cliffs OverlookA quick pull-off for a focused valley view and colorful volcanic rock.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayCrescent Rock OverlookA quick roadside stop for Hawksbill and a rocky west-facing perch.Sight · 1.5 mi awayRose River FallsA 67-foot waterfall with cascades along its four-mile approach.
Scenic pullout · 1.6 mi awayFishers Gap OverlookA narrow valley view frames New Market Gap's Civil War story.
Scenic pullout · 2 mi awayTimber Hollow OverlookA west-facing view with a story from Shenandoah’s creation.Parkwolf’s Shenandoah ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
