Shenandoah National Park

INTRODUCTION TO THE PARK

Like a great, hazy shadow against the sky, the Blue Ridge Mountains rise between the Piedmont and the Valley of Virginia. The 105-mile Skyline Drive winds along the Blue Ridge highland, crossing and recrossing the crest. It roughly bisects Shenandoah National Park, which encompasses over 300 square miles of scenic mountain country and claims 60 peaks that rise 3,000 to 4,000 feet. Seventy-five parking overlooks on the drive give you panoramic views of the Piedmont to the east and Shenandoah River Valley to the west. From Hogback Overlook, on a clear day, you can count 11 bends in the river and look down on fertile valleys where Indian villages once stood.

To know Shenandoah National Park, to discover its secrets, you must take time to stop, look, and listen. For adventure, you must explore. Leave your car at one of the overlooks or visitor-use areas, and hike or ride horseback along the trail. Between the drive and the park’s boundaries are miles of ridges and valleys, hills and hollows, laced with sparkling streams and waterfalls. Trout lurk in shadowed pools, and wild gardens of rock, vines, shrubs, and wildflowers nestle only a short walk from the busy roadway.

At night, take time to look down on the twinkling lights of Luray, in Shenandoah Valley, and to see the stars through air so crystal-clear they seem almost within reach. On a rainy day, watch the fog roll in like a tidal wave; on a sunny day, see the cloud shadows sweep across hill and valley.