Shenandoah: Skyline Drive along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Shenandoah is a long, narrow park, set on the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Virginia. A road runs through it from one end to the other, with the Shenandoah Valley on one side and the hills of the Piedmont on the other. All around is forest, and trails that drop down to waterfalls.

History and origins

In the 1920s, a great national park was being sought for the East of the country, close to the cities. The choice fell on these mountains. But they were inhabited: hundreds of families had been working small farms here for generations. The State of Virginia expropriated them, often by force. You still come across their stone walls and cemeteries beside the trails.

The road was built during the Great Depression, partly by the unemployed young men of Roosevelt’s public works programmes. The park was dedicated in 1936. The forest, then cleared or grazed, has covered everything since.

What to do there

• Skyline Drive: 169 km of ridge, with 75 overlooks. You drive slowly, and it takes three hours to cover it without stopping.
• Stony Man: a short climb to a cliff, with one of the finest views in the park.
• Dark Hollow Falls: the waterfall closest to the road. The way down is short, but the climb back is steep.
• Big Meadows: a large high-altitude meadow where deer come to graze in the evening. It’s the centre of the park, with a lodge and a museum.
• Old Rag: the best-known hike in Virginia. The final third is done by hauling yourself between big granite boulders. It’s long and strenuous.
• The Appalachian Trail: the great footpath linking Georgia to Maine follows the ridge for 160 km. You can walk a stretch of it from any car park.

Stories and good to know

• Skyline Drive continues south as the Blue Ridge Parkway, another ridge road 755 km long, all the way to the Great Smoky Mountains.
• President Hoover had his summer retreat in the park. You can visit his fishing camp, beside a stream.
• On October weekends, the queue at the entrance can exceed an hour. Come on a weekday.

Practical information for your road trip

• Pass: the America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee. Everything is explained in our guide to the national parks pass.
• Getting there: the north entrance, at Front Royal, is 1 hr 15 from Washington. The park has four entrances.
• Fuel: a single petrol station on the road, at Big Meadows. Fill up beforehand.
• Fog: the ridge is often in the clouds. The road can close in winter, when it freezes.
• Where to stay: in the park’s two lodges, on the ridge, or in the small towns of the valley, such as Luray.
• Combine it with: Washington, and the Blue Ridge Parkway heading south.