The Splendor of Shenandoah National Park & Valley
The Allure of Shenandoah Valley
Perfect for nature lovers and history buffs, the Shenandoah Valley never disappoints. Nestled between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains of Virginia the area offers panoramic vistas of the seemingly endless unspoiled countryside. There are so many things to do and see in this area that it is hard to pick and choose what to do. The Valley offers everything from touring wineries, farms, museums, and battlefields to exploring ancient caverns, parks, and trails. Don’t know where to start? You have come to the right place. We have put together our five favorite things to do in the Shenandoah Valley to help point you in the right direction on your next trip.
Skyline Drive
Cruising Virginia’s Skyline Drive, a National Scenic Byway that runs 105 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains is an amazing experience. This narrow two-lane road twists and turns making its way up the mountain to an elevation of over 4,000 feet. There are 75 scenic overlooks that you can stop at along the way. Each vista will have you staring in wonder. Looking east you will see wave upon wave of the rolling hills of the Piedmont Valley. To the west, you will have stunning views of the Shenandoah River and Valley, with its rows and rows of blue hills and mountains that are enveloped in a blue haze. The Blue Ridge Mountains get their name from this blue haze. This distinctive blue color is caused by isoprene chemicals that are released by pine trees that cover this sprawling unspoiled landscape. The Skyline Drive is breathtakingly any time of year. One of the best times to make this sojourn is in the spring when Mountain Laurels and a plethora of wildflowers are in bloom and the animals that live in the park come out of hibernation. Another favorite time of year is autumn when the hillsides are dressed in a mantle of oranges, reds, and golds. No matter what section of the park you drive, don’t miss the sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains, it is legendary.
Shenandoah National Park
The National Park Service began looking for a park in the Southern Appalachians in 1924. The reason for this was to provide people living on the East Coast with a park system like those in the western United States. Fierce competition for the site of the park ensued between the Great Smokies of North Carolina and Tennessee and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Champions of a National Park located in Virginia promoted the idea of a “skyline drive” along the mountain top which gave Virginia the advantage. Consequently, Shenandoah National Park was created in 1926. President Franklin Roosevelt, an enthusiastic supporter of the park and Skyline Drive established six Civilian Conservation Corps camps at Shenandoah. These Civilian Corps were part of his “New Deal” to help the country out of the Great Depression. The Civilian Corps constructed roads including the Blue Ridge Parkway that connects the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and Shenandoah, improved forest landscaping, and wildlife conditions, and fought fires. President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated this 160,000-acre park (that has grown to almost 200,000 acres) in 1936 with the Skyline Drive completed in 1939.
Today, Shenandoah National Park is one of the most popular parks in America. It is a park bursting with cascading waterfalls, magnificent vistas, miles of well-marked hiking trails through a variety of habitats, quiet wooded hollows, and fields of wildflowers. It rises from just 550 feet to over 4,049 feet at its highest elevation atop Hawksbill. This vertical variation is one of the reasons for the incredible diversity of wildlife and plants found within its boundaries. There are more than 500 miles of trails, 1400 types of plants, and over 200 species of birds. Oak and hickory forests provide a haven for more than 50 different types of mammals such as white-tailed deer, black bears, coyotes, wolves, turkeys, bobcats, and many others. One of the best ways to see the park is to take a hike on the Park’s comprehensive trail system. Favorites include Old Rag whose granite-topped peak provides incredible views, Whiteoak Canyon with its trout-filled streams, roaring cataracts, and six waterfalls, and Hawksbill, the highest point in the park. On the 2.2-mile easy hike up Hawksbill, you will encounter “sky island” a Frasier Fir and Red Spruce forest, and stunning panoramic views.
Subterranean Marvels
One of the most otherworldly experiences Shenandoah Valley offers is a visit to an underground cavern. It took millions of years of rain, underground rivers, and earth movements to wash away Shenandoah’s bedrock of soft limestone and dolostone to create the caverns found here. This is a unique opportunity that is experienced in very few destinations and shouldn’t be missed.
Shenandoah Cavern
The most accessible cavern and the only one with an elevator is Shenandoah Cavern, which has been open to the public since 1922. Here you can tour 17 rooms and see stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and crystalline formations. Guides explain the history of the cavern and interesting geological facts about the natural formations that you are seeing. One of the most amazing facts is that formations grow at only one cubic inch every 100 to 125 years! Unusual formations include Breakfast Bacon, the Capitol Dome, Rainbow Lake, Diamond Cascade, and Beyond the Veil. The tour follows a crushed gravel pathway and is about one mile long. The temperature year-round is 56 degrees so you might want to bring a jacket or sweater along.
Skyline Cavern
Discovered in 1937 and opened in 1939 this is one of the few places in the world which has anthodite formations. These unique needle-like crystals radiate outward in all directions, looking as though they are defying gravity. They resemble flowers, sea urchins, and spiders and are made of calcium carbonate. Measuring at 18″ long, the Chandelier is the largest and oldest anthodite known to man. The dripping water in this cave is a reminder that the formations in this cave are still growing. Well-trained guides and a spectacular lighting system bring these formations to life. Skyline Cavern is home to three underground rivers and the 37-foot Rainbow Waterfall. The only other caves with abundant displays of anthodite crystals are Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Craigline Caverns, and Grotto de Moulis in France.
Luray Cavern
Luray Cavern is a 1.25-mile paved walkway through a breathtaking underground cavern that is 4,000,000 centuries in the making. This is the largest and most popular cavern in the Eastern United States. In addition to stalactites and stalagmites that are still growing, there is the charming “fried egg” cavern that is composed of rocks that look like egg yolks sitting in clear albumen! Nature created them as stalagmites, but in 1921 two workers accidentally snapped the stalagmites off at their base, and over time they came to resemble breakfast! Dream Lake is picture-perfect because it reflects the stalagmites that dangle above it and Sacaran’s Tent looks like a delicate curtain that flows from the ceiling of the cavern. The most defining feature is the Great Stalacpipe Organ which was created by Leland W. Sprinkle who shaved and shaped the stalagmites to achieve the proper tones. Today guided tours include a live automated demonstration of the music generated by this stone stalagmite organ. Feeling utterly surrounded by sound deep under the earth is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Tour Four Presidential Homes
After experiencing the unspoiled natural beauty of Shenandoah Valley, it is easy to understand why four U.S. Presidents built homes here.
You can visit Thomas Jefferson’s famous domed neoclassic-styled home Monticello. Opulently furnished and surrounded by beautiful gardens you cannot help but be inspired by this grand environment that Jefferson called home.
For a change of pace, visit the tobacco plantation called Highland, home of America’s fifth president, James Monroe who bought the property at the urging of his friend, Thomas Jefferson. Monroe purchased the land in 1797 and moved there in 1799. He lived here sporadically from 1799-1828. Monroe sold the house in 1829 because of financial duress. The house passed through a series of owners and opened as a museum in 1930. Recent archeological excavations have pinpointed more information about Monroe’s home on the plantation.
The two-story brick neoclassic mansion known as Montpelier was the home of America’s fourth President, James Madison who is known for his ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers. The estate was built in the 1760s by Madison’s father. Madison spent much of his youth here and Montpelier became his home when he married his famed wife, Dolly. A visit here offers an interesting glimpse of how one of America’s Founding Fathers lived.
President Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States was born in a Greek Revival manse in 1856 in Staunton, Virginia. The manse was acquired by the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace Foundation in 1938 and, dedicated as a museum and as The Presidential Library of Woodrow Wilson in 1941. In addition to his papers, you will discover Wilson’s inspiring story as a professor, president, and peacemaker.
Follow the Wine Trail
Making wine in this region dates back to Thomas Jefferson’s day. Initially established in 1982, the Shenandoah Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) is the oldest and largest AVA in Virginia, covering 2.4 million acres with over 450 acres of planted grape vines. Today, visitors to Shenandoah Valley will find award-winning vineyards set amid awesome views and lush rolling hills. A trip along the Shenandoah Wine Trail allows you to taste some incredible wines as you drive through this picturesque landscape. Each winery on the trail offers something different from the variety of grapes grown to tasting room offerings. Many experts claim that the climate here is similar to the Loire Valley in France. The high ridge-line protects the Valley from too much rainfall, the limestone soil gives grapes grown here rich minerality, and the cooler temperatures allow grapes to retain their acidity. Wine tasting is the perfect way to end a day of exploring the Shenandoah Valley.
There are so many reasons to visit the Shenandoah Valley from scenic trails, fantastic geological formations, historic house museums, beautiful towns, and one-of-a-kind experiences, that make this beautiful and serene Valley one to treasure.