On the Road - Shenandoah National Park & Skyline Drive
November 14, 2022After visiting Acadia in Maine, the next stop on my trip was Shenandoah National Park and the historic Skyline Drive. Ideation for the park began in 1923 when National Park Service Director Stephen Mather brought up plans to create a park in the Appalachians to the Secretary of the Interior Hubert Work. It wasn’t until 1924 when Congress approved the creation of the Southern Appalachian National Park Committee that progress began. Just before the creation of the SANPC, local Virginia businessmen called for a convention in the area to highlight the historic, industrial, scenic, and recreational value of the Shenandoah region. Over 1,000 delegates from 13 counties came to the convention where they established the Chamber of Commerce known as Shenandoah Valley. On February 25th, 1924, the day after the SANPC was authorized by Congress, the 30-man Board of Trustees composed of influential businessmen and politicians, passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a National Park in Shenandoah Valley. The proposed park would be located on Forest Service and private lands which are west of where the current park is.
Skyland Resort, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains along Skyline Drive was a popular destination long before the establishment of Shenandoah National Park. In June 1924, owner and manager George Freeman Pollock, along with other Skyland property owners Harold Allen and George H. Judd, filled out SANPC questionnaires advocating for the national park to be built with Skyland as one of the premier destinations within the new park. By September they had established their own park association for the Northern Virginia region. Two officers from this association were also part of Shenandoah Valley Inc. and advocated for Skyland to be the centerpiece of the proposed park.
Over the next few months, Shenandoah Valley Inc. spent over $10,000 to beautify the area and sell their Blue Ridge Mountain site to the Committee. In December their report landed on the desk of the Secretary of the Interior and with it came a surprise. While the report recognized the undeniable beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains were found to be much more accessible to the 40,000,000 people living within a day’s drive of the range. According to the report, the authors noted that “The greatest single features, however, is a possible skyline drive along the mountain top, following a continuous ridge and looking down westerly on the Shenandoah Valley… and commanding a view [to the east] of the Piedmont Plain… Few scenic drives in the world could surpass it.”
In April 1926, Virginia Governor Harry S. Byrd created the Virginia Conservation and Development Commission to manage funds collected for the new park. This new Commission was tasked to survey, appraise, and purchase close to 4,000 properties within the authorized boundary. As properties were bought up, landowners became resistant to the purchases, and property values were inflated. After fighting to purchase land and relocate families the Commonwealth was convinced to pass a blanket condemnation law. This would end up passing through various levels of judicial review before reaching the US Supreme Court, which refused to take the case in December of 1935.
Between 1931 to 1933, Herbert Hoover supported funding for the creation of the first 32 miles of Skyline Drive which would connect his fishing camp on the Rapidan River to Skyland, Big Meadows, and Thornton Gap. After F.D.R. was elected in 1933, six Civilian Conservation Corps camps were established to aid in the construction and development of park infrastructure. They blazed trails, built picnic areas, cleared overlooks, and made water and sewer systems tied to comfort stations and drinking fountains. Today, Shenandoah National Park covers close to 200,000 acres. Forty percent of that is a congressionally designated wilderness area.
I set out on Skyline Drive from the north entrance in Front Royal, VA. I was immediately impressed by the numerous overlooks that were scattered along both sides of the road. It was difficult to keep myself on schedule and not pull off at each overlook to take in the gorgeous views. About 30 minutes into my drive I pulled off at a visitor center in order to get my National Parks passport cancellation stamp. I also took the opportunity to eat some food while looking out at the valley below. Once full I continued on my drive, stopping here and there to take in the bright fall scenery.
One of my many stops was at Big Meadow, where President Roosevelt dedicated Shenandoah N.P. and Skyline Drive back in 1935. At the Harry S. Byrd visitor center across the street was an informative exhibit on the vast history of the park, detailing the many challenges that were overcome to create the park as it is today. After my visit, I spent the rest of my day listening to music as I cruised along the winding mountain road. Eventually, I came to Swift Run Gap, one of the entry/exit points to the park. It was nearly 5 p.m. so traffic was quite heavy. Driving down from the mountains on the narrow one-way road toward Charlottesville in such traffic was a great test of my patience.
I met with a friend from State the next day to hike the Big Run Loop trail. We were incredibly lucky upon our arrival at the trailhead lot where a car was leaving just as we pulled in. With our bags packed full and a half day of sunlight left to hike we set out down the trail. It was a fairly easy start to the hike, making our way down a set of gradual switchbacks which led us into the valley below. We hiked for a mile or so until we reached the Big Run Portal trail. This trail isn’t part of the loop and instead follows the Big Run stream for miles running north/south. Being the largest stream in the park, it is a very popular destination for fly fishers hoping to catch a tasty brook trout for dinner.
We followed the portal trail for a short distance before coming upon a perfect spot to set up camp. Far enough from the water to be in compliance with backcountry camping guidelines, the site was open and flat without any dead trees, known as “snags,” overhead. Fires are not permitted in the backcountry of Shenandoah although we did notice an improvised fire ring made of rocks next to where we had set up our site. There was enough sunlight left to make food and sit, listening to the sounds of deer walking by and flocks of birds flying south. As the sun set and it got dark out we called it a night, packing up anything with a smell into the bear canister. Just before sleeping there was a rustling noise close by. I shone my headlamp in the general direction and saw the shimmering reflection of a pair of eyes staring back at me. It’s hard to tell exactly what was walking by, but the animal was no more than 50 ft. away. We gazed at each other for a few moments before it turned away and crossed the stream, walking towards the trail. As I lay in my sleeping bag there was a series of short howls echoing through the valley, I assume they came from a coyote.
Waking up the same way I fell asleep, an extremely shrill noise carrying through the forest startled me awake. It was quite jarring to hear first thing in the morning and I assumed it was someone in trouble at first. After some research, I believe it was the sound of a Barn owl, which has a very intense screech. You can listen for yourself here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barn_Owl/sounds. After waking up to nature’s alarm clock, I made some coffee and oatmeal for breakfast before packing up camp. We crossed over the stream and got back onto the Big Run loop.
Since we hiked downhill most of the way to camp, the rest of the trail ahead led up the mountain towards the ridgeline. We hiked at a leisurely pace, stopping every now and then to catch our breath. There was a limited amount of water left over from cooking the dehydrated meals so we had to ration it for the remainder of the hike. In an emergency, I could’ve used my filter to gather more water, but I didn’t trust that it was still clean from the last time I had gone backpacking. We hiked for about 3 hours, walking up the inclined trail until we finally reached Skyline Drive where we picked up the car and drove back to civilization.
Having said my goodbyes, I spent my last day in the park at Skyland. It took me a while to drive there, so I made lunch at one of the picnic areas when I arrived. There wasn’t much to do at the building itself unless I wanted to drink. Instead, I set out on the Stony Man trail. This short, easy hike is one of the most accessible trails in all of Shenandoah N.P. It was the perfect trail for me to hike that day so I could get my legs moving a bit and work out the soreness from the previous days’ hikes. At the summit were some fantastic views looking Northwest out to the valley below and the south fork of the Shenandoah River. Sitting on the pile of rocks which made up the overlook, the trees painted a beautiful scene of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens patterned throughout the mountainsides, spilling into the farmland below.
Hiking up Stony Man mountain was the perfect way to end my time in Shenandoah. I’d absolutely go back in a heartbeat as there is a lifetime’s worth of hiking to do in the park. After spending a few days seeing all that Shenandoah has to offer and driving the entirety of Skyline Drive, I can see why so many people fought so hard to make this place accessible to all. I’ve been lucky enough to have visited many beautiful places in my life and Shenandoah had some of the most scenic views that I can recall. Whenever I return shall not be soon enough.