Skyline Drive overlooks
Bare trees open wider views, but snow or ice can close Skyline Drive for several days. Decide the drive after checking the road.
December · Skyline Drive overlooks
What to see and do in Shenandoah in December
Choose a December outing that fits the route, weather and effort involved.
Whiteoak Canyon
A winter waterfall outing needs an ice and trail check. Stay off wet or icy rocks and choose a distance that leaves enough energy for the climb back.
December · Whiteoak Canyon
Shenandoah weather in December
December’s normal high is 40°F and low is 24°F, with 3.10 inches of precipitation. Big Meadows at about 3,540 ft supplies the ridge temperature normals. The precipitation normals shown in the chart come from Luray 5 E at about 1,400 ft on the valley floor, not the ridge. Snowfall normals are not reported.
Cooler Hotter
Jan
High36°F
Low19°F
Precip · in2.85
Feb
High38°F
Low22°F
Precip · in2.45
Mar
High44°F
Low27°F
Precip · in3.58
Apr
High57°F
Low37°F
Precip · in3.51
May
High64°F
Low46°F
Precip · in4.21
Jun
High70°F
Low54°F
Precip · in4.76
Jul
High75°F
Low59°F
Precip · in4.12
Aug
High73°F
Low58°F
Precip · in3.77
Sep
High69°F
Low52°F
Precip · in5.42
Oct
High58°F
Low42°F
Precip · in3.17
Nov
High48°F
Low32°F
Precip · in3.21
Dec
High40°F
Low24°F
Precip · in3.10
Shenandoah crowds in December
December averages 34,330 recreation visits, 11% of the peak monthly average in October.
LowestLowModerateHighPeakAverage month: 133,666December
Tips for your December visit
Check the approach before choosing the rest of the day.
AFront Royal Entrance (North Entrance)BThornton Gap EntranceCSwift Run Gap EntranceDRockfish Gap Entrance (South Entrance)
- Park boundary
Front Royal Entrance (North Entrance)
Normal road approach, subject to weather and individual site restrictions.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Crowds
- 2021–2025 monthly averages. NPS recreation visits, compared with the park’s own busiest month. Visits are not unique visitors or a count of people on a trail.
- Weather
- 1991-2020 climate normals. NOAA’s Big Meadows, VA station. These describe typical weather at the station, not every part of the park or a forecast.
- Roads & lodging
- Normal seasonal schedules. NPS guidance and official operator information. Confirm access, hours and availability before you travel.
Historical records and data-quality checks
- Visit history: 1979–2025 NPS monthly recreation visits.
- Weather history: 1935–2025 daily observations, separate from climate normals. We average daily highs and lows and total the rain for each month.
- Complete months only: every day must pass our quality checks for that metric. Missing or incomplete records stay blank; we never interpolate.
- Excluded measurements: flagged, presumed-zero and lagged values. Trace rain counts as zero measurable rainfall.