New Company Chosen to Operate Shenandoah National Park Facilities
LURAY, Va. — The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Shenandoah Hospitality, LLC as the new concessioner for commercial services in Shenandoah National Park.
The contract includes lodging, food and beverage services, retail, grocery operations, fuel services, horse stable operations and campground management at locations including Big Meadows, Skyland, Elkwallow, Lewis Mountain and Loft Mountain.
ExplorUS, the parent company of Shenandoah Hospitality, currently operates several facilities at National Park Service sites, including Crater Lake, Acadia, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Carlsbad Caverns and Mammoth Cave.
According to the NPS, the new agreement will address more than $10 million in deferred maintenance and repairs at Shenandoah National Park concessionaire facilities.
Long before Shenandoah National Park was officially established, private mountain accomodations already operated in the area.
In 1895, George Freeman Pollock, Jr. founded Stony Man Camp — a property that became Skyland Resort in 1888. The resort quickly became one of the region’s best-known mountaintop vacation destinations.
Panorama Resort, located near Route 211, opened on July 20, 1924 — attracting even more tourists seeking a mountain getaway.
Skyline Drive, the road that winds through the length of the park, was built in stages between 1931 and 1939.
When Shenandoah National Park was officially established in 1935, the NPS chose to continue using private concessioners to provide lodging, dining and visitor services.
In 1937, the Virginia Sky-Line Company became the park’s primary concessioner, and helped develop major visitor facilities, including Skyland and Big Meadows Lodge.
In later decades, concession operations were managed by several companies, including Aramark (beginning in the early 1990s) and Delaware North (which has operated facilities throughout the park since 2013).
Panorama Resort (along with Panorama Restaurant and Gift Shop) eventually closed. The last of all associated buildings was demolished in 2008.
In a written statement, NPS officials said the Shenandoah Hospitality contract is expected to create more than 200 private-sector jobs in surrounding communities, and generate more than $80 million for the agency.
The new agreement also states that Shenandoah Hospitality will be required to complete several major capital improvement projects — including upgrades to critical systems and restoration work on historic structures.
Visitors can expect expanded restroom facilities at Elkwallow Wayside and Loft Mountain Wayside.
Improvements are also planned for the historic Big Meadows Lodge and Lewis Mountain Cabins.
Mathews Arm Campground will receive fully-electric campsite access.
The 15-year contract between the NPS and Shenandoah Hospitality is scheduled to begin January 1, 2027.
