Blue Ridge Parkway & Shenandoah National Park

When most people think of the National Parks in the United States, they picture the snow-capped Rockies of Grand Teton, the geysers of Yellowstone, or the Sierra Nevada in Yosemite.  Although these parks are magnificent and deserving of a visit, the parks that lie closest to the most number of people are actually in the East.  In this post, I'll outline Shenandoah National Park -- only about an hour from the major population center of Washington, DC.  We'll also take a look at a road that provides an opportunity for Sunday driving at its best, the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Shenandoah National Park
Players:  Jenny & Zach
Date of Visit:  June 2010
Website:  www.nps.gov/shen
Location:  Virginia
Entrance Fee:  $15 per car
Type of Trip:  Drive-through (Wish I could have stayed longer!)
Park Passport Stamps Available:  5 (including a special 75th Anniversary Stamp only available in 2011!)

Driving through Shenandoah

Trip Report:  Shenandoah National Park encompasses the northern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains; the Blue Ridge is an old mountain chain, and years of erosion have worn them down to gentle peaks.  To the east of the Blue Ridge lies the farmland of Eastern Virginia -- making for some terrific views.  Shenandoah National Park is long and skinny, only a few miles wide but stretching 100 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Front Royal to Waynesboro.  The Skyline Drive is the main park road, and travels the length of the park.  Besides the scenic drive through the park, there are many things to do here:  camping, hiking (the Appalachian Trail runs through the length of the park), viewing nature, learning about history, and so on.  Shenandoah benefited heavily from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) efforts in the 1930s, and several of the park's buildings are remnants from that period.  In addition, this is one of the few outdoor/hiking parks where you can witness the changes history has wrought -- the Lewis Mountain area was originally built as a segregated area for African Americans.  Even more interesting, and something I really want to do someday, is stay in a hiker's cabin in the park run by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club :)  However, on this trip, all we were able to do was to drive through the park.
The park road is well maintained and easy to reach from Front Royal, where we entered the park.  It is only a few miles south of I-66 west of Washington, DC.  Right after the entrance station, the road begins to climb pretty steeply, switchbacking up the mountains.  Once you have gained the elevation, the park road is fairly flat, although with many twists and turns.  The speed limit through the park is 35 miles per hour, and frequently this is too fast.  Use the pullouts located several places along the Skyline Drive to let vehicles pass or to look at the scenery.  Food and lodging is available at several places along the way, including at the Skyland Area, Big Meadows Area and Loft Mountain Area.  The only ways out of the park (or into it, depending on your perspective) are at Front Royal at the northern end, Thornton Gap, Swift Run Gap, or Rockfish Gap at the southern end.  Rockfish Gap is also the place where you can begin your drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The day we were in Shenandoah, the weather was a bit misty and that prevented some of the great views.  Zach actually slept through the whole drive (we had been up late at a wedding the night before) but I enjoyed driving the mountain roads with my window down.  Every few miles, we'd pass a sign post for a hiking trail, and I was itching to stop and go for a walk, but we had many miles to drive that day so I wasn't able to.  However, I will be returning to the area sometime in the near future and I hope to do some hiking and/or camping.  This park would be spectacular in the fall.  I am told that there are many relatively easy hikes here, making this a great place to bring kids.

Blue Ridge Parkway
Players:  Jenny
Date of Visit:  May 2009
Website:  www.nps.gov/blri
Location:  Virginia & North Carolina
Entrance Fee:  Free!
Type of Trip:  Drive-through (Wish I could have stayed longer!)
Park Passport Stamps Available:  2
Trip Report:  The Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park at its north end with Great Smoky Mountain National Park at its south end.   It is marked by stone mile markers every mile along its 469-mile length.  The speed limit on the parkway is 45 mph, making this an ideal place to slow down and take in the scenery.  There are hundreds of overlooks, hiking trails, picnic areas and so forth along the route.  There are also a couple of museums at various points.  I have driven just the small bit closest to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, but I think a fabulous vacation would be to spend a few days in Great Smoky, drive the Blue Ridge up to Virginia, and then spend a few days in Shenandoah National Park.  There is a ton of history in this area as well.  A great resource for planning this type of trip is Lonely Planet's Guide to Great Smoky Mountain & Shenandoah National Parks.  Again, I look forward to revisiting this route someday in the near future!