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Shenandoah National Park
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Introduction
Shenandoah National Park lies in the eastern portion of the state of Virginia along the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Located near the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, it is one of America's most popular national parks. It contains mountains, such as the 4,011 foot Stony Man and 4,049 foot Hawkshill, hollows, creeks, forests, streams, waterfalls, and vistas of the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont areas of Virginia. Although the Skyline Drive road attracts most of the park's annual 2 million visitors, there are also 500 miles of hiking trails, including 45 miles of the East Coast's famous Appalachian Trail.
The name of the park and the valley to the west of the Blue Ridge, Shenandoah, is an Indian word meaning "Daughter of the Stars", and is especially appropriate for this very beautiful part of the state of Virginia.
Park History
The Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia had been occupied and used by native Americans long before the arrival of Europeans. They hunted, gathered nuts and berries, and altered the land itself by burning vegetation to confine and kill game. Europeans later occupied the land, cutting most of the forest in the process of farming and cultivating the land, and engaged in some mining of copper, iron, and manganese.
When the search for national park land in the east began, a number of Virginians, including George Freeman Pollock, propietor of the popular Skyland resort, promoted the Blue Ridge site. Ultimately, the state of Virginia, using state money and additional funds donated by some 24,000 Virginians, and through the untiring efforts of William E. Carson, acquired some 3,870 tracts of land and donated the land to the federal government for the purposes of creating a national park. Approximately 2000 residents, "mountain folk", had to move as a result of the creation of the park. The park itself was established on December 26, 1935. Among its supporters was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who dedicated the park, and whose Depression Area Civilian Conservation Corps project was responsible for the contstruction of many of the park's existing recreational facilities.
Return of the Wilderness
Unlike most of America's national parks, Shenandoah was not founded to preserve wilderness. Much of the land contained within the present park boundaries had been in private ownership for two centuries, and much of the original forest land had been eliminated through logging activities which date back to 1700.
The wilderness which exists in the part now has largely been recaptured by nature since the founding of the park. The park itself has served as a laboratory for the observation of the way in which nature heals the wounds caused by human activity. The forest is rapidly returning to its original state, representative of the hardwood shield which once covered most of the northeastern United States. The forest has currently reclaimed approximately 95% of the park.
In the winter and early spring, before the leaves have returned to the deciduous trees, it is possible to see for miles across the returning forests. The land truly appears as a wilderness, without any clue of the centuries of human activity.
The current forest contains a wide variety of species of trees, including hemlock, grey birch and balsam fir. Sadly, one type of tree--the chestnut--which once represented a quarter of the trees in the forest--is no longer presented. A blight which occurred early in the century killed all of these trees, among the most useful to the original inhabitants of the land, and prevents the growth and development of any new chestnuts.
Haze & Fog
The Blue Ridge Mountains are named for the haze which often hangs over the mountains themselves and the valleys on either side of the ridge. Fog frequently blankets both mountains and valleys, creating interesting views and vistas.
From the ridge line within the park the visitor can look to the west over the famous Shenandoah valley.
The fog hides all of the details of the valley.
Views from the heights of the park reveal fields, farms, and patches of woodlands in the valleys.
A view to the south reveals the blue ridge itself shrouded in fog.
Through the haze from the Blue Ridge it's possible to see just the shapes of neighboring ridges as they run in a north-south direction through western Virginia. The furthest visible ridge is usually the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia.
Skyline Drive
An impressive engineering feat when it was built between 1931 and 1939, Skyline Drive runs 105 miles along the Blue Ridge from the northern border of the park near Front Royal to the southern boundaries of the park where it becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway, destined for Smoky Mountain National Park.
Originally an idea of President Herbert Hoover, who had a fishing retreat within what is now the borders of the park, Hoover wanted to provide access to the spectacular views previously accessible only by horseback or on foot. The road was completed largely though the efforts of members of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Three are a large number of overlooks along the drive which provide views of the surrounding areas.
Shenandoah Wilderness
Although Skyline Drive sometimes overshadows the park's other attractions, wilderness areas of the park reward the visitor. Dark Hollow Falls, a short hike from the drive, is one of these attractions.
The pictures below of Shenandoah wilderness were taken in early spring at about 3400 feet before the leaves on the trees have returned.
The woods await the leaves of spring.
References
Information about Shenandoah National Park has been drawn from personal experience,
data available in the park itself, and a number of other sources, including:
- National Geographic's Guide to the National Parks of the United States.
National Geographic Society, 1992.
- The Sierra Club Guide to the National Parks of the East and Middle West.
New York: Steward, Tabori, & Chang, 1986.
- Lambert, Darwin. The Undying Past of Shenandoah National Park. Boulder,
CO: Roberts Rinehart, 1989.
- National Parks of North America. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic
Society, 1995.
An impressive engineering feat when it was built between 1931 and 1939, Skyline Drive runs 105 miles along the Blue Ridge from the northern border of the park near Front Royal to the southern boundaries of the park where it becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway, destined for Smoky Mountain National Park.
Originally an idea of President Herbert Hoover, who had a fishing retreat within what is now the borders of the park, Hoover wanted to provide access to the spectacular views previously accessible only by horseback or on foot. The road was completed largely though the efforts of members of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Three are a large number of overlooks along the drive which provide views of the surrounding areas.
Although Skyline Drive sometimes overshadows the park's other attractions, wilderness areas of the park reward the visitor. Dark Hollow Falls, a short hike from the drive, is one of these attractions.
The pictures below of Shenandoah wilderness were taken in early spring at about 3400 feet before the leaves on the trees have returned.
The woods await the leaves of spring.
Information about Shenandoah National Park has been drawn from personal experience, data available in the park itself, and a number of other sources, including:
- National Geographic's Guide to the National Parks of the United States.
National Geographic Society, 1992.
- The Sierra Club Guide to the National Parks of the East and Middle West.
New York: Steward, Tabori, & Chang, 1986.
- Lambert, Darwin. The Undying Past of Shenandoah National Park. Boulder,
CO: Roberts Rinehart, 1989.
- National Parks of North America. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1995.
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