Elkwallow Wayside — Local services in Virginia

A nice place to stop for a quick bite, resupply or bathroom break. It's literally alongside Skyline Drive and about 400 feet West off the Appalachian Trail. All of the employees I've had the pleasure of interacting with were knowledgeable and friendly. The spacious parking lots, picnic areas and bathroom facilities (no showers here) were clean and workers were quick cleaning up after large tour groups. If you're touring by motorcycle, regardless of what you read in reviews, THERE IS NO GAS STATION HERE and hasn't been for many years. Wildlife frequents through this area so be prepared for the usual deer, turkey, raptors and occasional black bear and keep in mind that you will be fined heavily for feeding any critters. The store has a little of everything... camping supplies (including lantern fuel, gallon jugs of water, insect repellent, tents and sleeping bags), snacks (including Route 11 potato chips), hot made to order simple food (hamburgers, hotdogs, bbq, etc.), personal hygiene stuff, local crafts, local preserved foods, souvenirs and hiking paraphernalia. Someone complained in a review that they didn't have long walking sticks... they are located immediately to the right as you walk in the door and range from 3' to 6' fixed/straight with removable rubber foot (ref attached photos). They also sell collapsible 55" walking sticks. Keep in mind that camping and hiking supplies go quickly starting on Friday and are usually exhausted by lunch on Sunday. Also... be prepared for hordes of innocuous but annoying gnats in spring through fall throughout Skyline Drive and honey bees around the trash cans and eating areas at Elkwallow (in case you're allergic). I don't expect gourmet food, ubertech gadgets and bargain prices at a National Park Service wayside in the boonies. That said, I'd rate this place 5 stars for a wide variety of convenience items, well-kept grounds, cleanliness and friendly staff no matter what time of the year...

Great little camp store, souvenir shop, and food stand, and firewood all in one. Your can get food like eggs and cheese, drinks like Gatorade and Coke, and they even have a little concession stand type food stand there. Burgers and grilled cheese and stuff. On the other side of the store, they have Shanandoah themed gifts. Walking sticks, Virginia local honey and preserves, and tee shirts and hoodies with Shenandoah or Skyline Drive theme. You can also get FIREWOOD here... which is important because you can't bring firewood into the national parks. The picnic grounds, with fire rings are just around the corner. There are also real flush toilets, and running sinks just outside. If you are hiking thru, or just driving up Skyline... You have...

Souvenirs, snacks, drinks and a hot grill. The hot grill has a small menu, but the food they serve is surprisingly good. We got veggie burgers and the chicken sandwich and the fries and onion rings. Sandwiches were all topped off with fresh lettuce, tomato and onion and the burgers had pickles. The fries were more like English chips and were nice a crisp, the onion rings are the batter-dipped variety, not the bread crumb coated type, and both the fries and rings were made on order, so they were a nice treat. I wish we had ordered a milkshake so we could have seen what they were like, but we didn't, because they are...