Raymond R. "Andy" Guest, Jr. Shenandoah River State Park

Official notes

Parking

Park in designated areas only; a daily parking fee applies. All picnic shelters have adjacent parking. The River Right walk-in campground has two river-access points and parking for up to 21 vehicles, with wagons provided to move gear to sites; its sites are reserved by site number. DCR warns that some parks experience maximum capacity visitation on weekends and holidays, that park management may temporarily stop visitors from entering, and it recommends visiting during the week and having an alternate plan. The agency does not publish a separate trailhead parking lot inventory or per-lot capacity for the trail system.

Water

Every picnic shelter has a water fountain. Potable water is available in the River Right Campground. DCR encourages visitors to bring their own reusable water bottles as part of its effort to reduce single-use plastics. The agency does not publish water availability at individual trailheads or along the trails themselves.

Dogs

Dogs allowed on leash

Cell

Not on file

Emergency

Not on file

• All 25 miles of trail are shared with cyclists and more than 14 miles with horses, so expect to yield and to share blind corners
• The park hosts a managed deer hunt and special muzzleloader hunts (Nov. 2) under DCR's 2026-2027 hunting program; DCR does not publish whether trails close during hunts, so check with the park at 540-622-6840 before a fall visit
• DCR advises that if you are outdoors you should consider yourself in tick habitat and take steps to reduce your chances of being bit
• DCR states its printed trail guide is an overview and not meant for detailed wayfinding; it recommends downloading the free Avenza map while you have internet access, after which it can be used offline
• Two trails rated difficult by DCR, Shale Barrens (0.5 mi) and Wildcat Ledge (0.4 mi), are well under a mile, so short distance does not indicate easy terrain here
• The agency publishes no elevation gain or surface information for any trail, so grade and footing cannot be planned from official data
• There are no designated swimming areas; only wading and floating are permitted
• The park closes at dusk, which is the practical limit on a late-day outing
• The park can reach maximum capacity on weekends and holidays and management may temporarily stop visitors from entering