|
|
Things You Should Not Miss
1. The drive in the sky. Once you rise from the
valley floor onto the two lane road of Skyline Drive, you are taken
back in a landscape so beautiful that you'll want to pull off at every
lookout point. The landscape changes, of course, with the
season. Spring with the abundance of flowers as they bloom,
summer with the full poster of the greenery in full force bounded by
the mature trees along every turn, and in the fall, oh, colorful,
beautiful fall, when the tourists take flight all along the roadway to
get a glimpse of the red, orange, yellow, and brown hues as they
overtake the landscape. Even in winter, although the drive closes
during very bad weather, the land takes on a different hue.
There's a lot more along Skyline Drive and within Shenandoah National
Park, too. Take a guided ranger walk and view the exhibits at the
visitor centers.
2. The Civil War history in the area sometimes gets lost when compared to Antietam or Manassas or Gettysburg not too far away. But the National Park Service is attempting, since 1996, to coordinate these various sites into a new national heritage area, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, which is run the by non-profit Shenandoah Battlefields Foundation. At this time, the sites are a collection of local, state, private, and federal historic sites, most with a unique history all their own.
3. Dive into a cavern. No matter whether you like them large, like Luray, or small and twisting, like Skyline Caverns just outside the northern entrance to Shenandoah National Park in Front Royal, or Shenandoah Caverns, you'll be amazed at what beauty is in store below the ground, too.
Established in 1935, the park is predominantly wilderness, with campgrounds, visitors centers, ranger guided walks and talks, plus one hundred and five miles of scenic vistas up and down the drive. You can get on and off the drive at several locations. The park is open all year, but the drive may be closed at times due to weather conditions. There are three Visitor Centers; Dickey Ridge at Mile 4.7, Harry F. Byrd at Mile 51.0 (across from Big Meadows), and Loft Mountain at 79.5. Dickey Ridge and the Byrd Visitor Center include exhibits, plus other facilities. Most are open from March to November, with Loft Mountain opening later in the season, usually at the end of May.
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District
The district runs through eight Virginia counties and includes fifteen battlefields and 320 historic sites. The foundation which runs the district is currently attempting to preserve as much of these battlefields as possible, with fourteen of them on the list; Second WInchester, First Kernstown, Second Kernstown, Cedar Creek, Fisher's Hill, Tom's Brook, First Winchester, Third Winchester, Cool Spring, Front Royal, New Market, Port Republic, Cross Keys, and McDowell. Cedar Creek is now part of the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park. Thus far, 2,133 acres have been protected, however, this is only 7% of the core battleground area targeted.
There is a large amount of camping space inside the park, with four areas to serve your needs; Mathews Arm at Mile 22.2, Big Meadows at Mile 51.2, Lewis Mountain at Mile 57.5, and Loft Mountain at Mile 79.5. Big Meadows opens at the end of March with the others coming on line throughout May. Most remain open through most of October, with Big Meadows open through most of November. Most sites are on a first come, first serve basis, although there are some sites that take reservations. Lodging is provided inside the park at the Big Meadows Lodge, Mile 51, which has 99 rooms, and Skyland Resort, Mile 41.7, with 179 rooms. There are also furnished cabins to be rented at Lewis Mountain, and PATC (Potomac Appalachian Trail Club) primitive cabins that can be reserved.
Outside Shenandoah Valley National Park
From Front Royal at the northern end of the park to Luray in the center to the various other towns throughout the Shenandoah Valley, lodging and camping opportunities are plentiful.
Luray Caverns
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District
Skyline Caverns
Shenandoah Valley Travel Association
2. The Civil War history in the area sometimes gets lost when compared to Antietam or Manassas or Gettysburg not too far away. But the National Park Service is attempting, since 1996, to coordinate these various sites into a new national heritage area, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, which is run the by non-profit Shenandoah Battlefields Foundation. At this time, the sites are a collection of local, state, private, and federal historic sites, most with a unique history all their own.
3. Dive into a cavern. No matter whether you like them large, like Luray, or small and twisting, like Skyline Caverns just outside the northern entrance to Shenandoah National Park in Front Royal, or Shenandoah Caverns, you'll be amazed at what beauty is in store below the ground, too.
What is There Now
Shenandoah National Park and Skyline DriveEstablished in 1935, the park is predominantly wilderness, with campgrounds, visitors centers, ranger guided walks and talks, plus one hundred and five miles of scenic vistas up and down the drive. You can get on and off the drive at several locations. The park is open all year, but the drive may be closed at times due to weather conditions. There are three Visitor Centers; Dickey Ridge at Mile 4.7, Harry F. Byrd at Mile 51.0 (across from Big Meadows), and Loft Mountain at 79.5. Dickey Ridge and the Byrd Visitor Center include exhibits, plus other facilities. Most are open from March to November, with Loft Mountain opening later in the season, usually at the end of May.
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District
The district runs through eight Virginia counties and includes fifteen battlefields and 320 historic sites. The foundation which runs the district is currently attempting to preserve as much of these battlefields as possible, with fourteen of them on the list; Second WInchester, First Kernstown, Second Kernstown, Cedar Creek, Fisher's Hill, Tom's Brook, First Winchester, Third Winchester, Cool Spring, Front Royal, New Market, Port Republic, Cross Keys, and McDowell. Cedar Creek is now part of the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park. Thus far, 2,133 acres have been protected, however, this is only 7% of the core battleground area targeted.
Lodging and Camping
Inside Shenandoah Valley National ParkThere is a large amount of camping space inside the park, with four areas to serve your needs; Mathews Arm at Mile 22.2, Big Meadows at Mile 51.2, Lewis Mountain at Mile 57.5, and Loft Mountain at Mile 79.5. Big Meadows opens at the end of March with the others coming on line throughout May. Most remain open through most of October, with Big Meadows open through most of November. Most sites are on a first come, first serve basis, although there are some sites that take reservations. Lodging is provided inside the park at the Big Meadows Lodge, Mile 51, which has 99 rooms, and Skyland Resort, Mile 41.7, with 179 rooms. There are also furnished cabins to be rented at Lewis Mountain, and PATC (Potomac Appalachian Trail Club) primitive cabins that can be reserved.
Outside Shenandoah Valley National Park
From Front Royal at the northern end of the park to Luray in the center to the various other towns throughout the Shenandoah Valley, lodging and camping opportunities are plentiful.
Shenandoah Links
Shenandoah National Park
Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Site
Appalachian National Scenic TrailLuray Caverns
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District
Skyline Caverns
Nearby Attractions
Virginia TourismShenandoah Valley Travel Association
Shenandoah Then and Now
 |
|
Shenandoah Then |
|
|
Scenic Vistas
- The many scenic vistas were made more accessible with the
construction of Skyline Drive. The photo above shows a 1935
picture of a rustic Appalachian cabin with the photo of a tunnel along
the roadway in the left margin. Photos courtesy Library and
Congress and the Historic American Engineering Record, respectively.
The Civil War Struggles - The Shenandoah and Blue Ridge mountains often provided sanctuary and a hidden path for Confederate soldiers throughout the war, but during two campaigns, the Jackson Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862, and the Sheridan/Early battles of 1864, the sanctuary became a bloody battleground. The image to the right is a depiction of one such battle in the Shenandoah Valley, at Harrisonburg on October 8, 1864, showing Rosser attacking the rear. |
|
Shenandoah Now |
|
 |
|
Skyline Drive - Four entrances throughout the drive allow you to get on and off after about an hour travel in each section. The first photo shows fall cornshalks in a mountain farm along Skyline Drive. Photo Courtesy LOC. The second, below, is a spectacular winter scene at the entrance to a Skyline tunnel.  Museums and Tours - Exhibits and ranger guided tours are plentiful, check the information desk at the various visitor centers for their times and dates. They focus on birds, Shenandoah history, and other topics of the valley and mountain. Outside the park, if you love Civil War history, check out the many sites now being coordinated as the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Heritage District into five regional sites. Cedar Creek and Belle Grove is now a National Historic Site as well, including Cedar Creek battlefield and Belle Grove Plantation.
 Custom Search
|
