Entrance station · Shenandoah National Park
Choose north for Big Meadows; south is quieter.
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
A Frog That Freezes“Wood frogs can survive a winter freeze with their hearts stopped. They shelter under leaf litter, where ice can form around their organs and between their cells.”
Plays on the road 0.5 mi from Swift Run Entrance 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
Swift Run Entrance is a vehicle entrance at Swift Run Gap, reached from U.S. 33 near Elkton. It sits at mile 65.5 of Skyline Drive, the park’s 105-mile crest road. Treat it as a route choice rather than a sightseeing stop: head north for Big Meadows, the Harry F. Byrd Sr. Visitor Center, and more hiking, lodging, and dining; head south for a quieter stretch of overlooks and trails.
A ranger or staff member is listed here to provide information. The park cautions that GPS directions can be wrong, so use its entrance directions. Skyline Drive is generally open around the clock, though weather can close it.
Swift Run Gap was part of Skyline Drive’s first construction. An early 34-mile stretch ran from here north to Thornton Gap, making this entrance one of the places where the scenic road first took shape.
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
ModerateSaddleback Mountain Loop5.8 mi · 3.3 hr · 0.1 mi awayA 5.8-mile wooded loop with a few seasonal valley glimpses.
ModerateHightop Summit3 mi · 3 hr · 1 mi awayA shaded Appalachian Trail climb ends at a west-facing rock viewpoint.
ModerateLewis Mountain and Laurel Prong Traverse17.3 mi · 15 hr · 2.2 mi awayA three-day traverse through Rapidan Camp to Lewis Falls
ChallengingPocosin, Laurel Prong & Slaughter Loop28.9 mi · 22 hr · 2.2 mi awayA four-day loop links a tall waterfall, mission ruins, and Hoover's camp.
ModeratePocosin & Dry Run Backcountry Trip7.4 mi · 5.5 hr · 2.3 mi awayAn 83-foot waterfall anchors a flexible two-night backcountry loop.
ModerateSouth River Falls Base Loop4.6 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.3 mi awayGo beyond the overlook to stand beneath an 83-foot, two-chute waterfall.
ModerateSouth River Falls Circuit3.3 mi · 2.3 hr · 2.3 mi awayWaterfall overlook, then a loop back by fire road and the A.T.ModerateSouth River Falls Observation Point2.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.3 mi awayAn 83-foot waterfall overlook caps this 2.6-mile out-and-back.
Scenic pullout · 0.8 mi awayHensley Hollow OverlookLook north past Hensley Ridge toward Elkton.
Sight · 1.4 mi awaySwift Run OverlookA roadside orientation stop when the valley view opens up.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayHightop SummitA rocky ledge and layered ridges reward the uphill climb.
Scenic pullout · 1.9 mi awaySandy Bottom OverlookA quick westward look over the Shenandoah Valley
Picnic area · 2.2 mi awaySouth River Picnic GroundsA shaded picnic stop that doubles as a South River Falls trailhead.
Scenic pullout · 2.4 mi awaySouth River OverlookA field-framed southeast view, right on Skyline Drive.Sight · 2.9 mi awaySouth River FallsAn 83-foot waterfall, reached by a steep wooded loop.
Scenic pullout · 3.2 mi awayBacon Hollow OverlookStonework frames a south-facing view across the hollow to the Piedmont.Parkwolf’s Shenandoah ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
