Sights To See

Scholars might contest the definitive meaning of the name Shenandoah, but what is interesting is that many meanings have to do with the land. "Silver Water," "Great Meadows" and "River of High Mountains," attest to the fact that even in times past, the land inspired people to name it. Like the ancients, modern visitors are also affected by the beauty of the land. It is the landscape and peace of Shenandoah that bring visitors back again and again.

Natural Sites

The large meadow at Big Meadows, with its wildflowers and blueberries, is the largest, treeless area in the park. The meadow was first created by the cold tundra-like conditions and later, perpetrated by fire, either naturally by lightning, or deliberately by native peoples in order to encourage the growth of wild berries and to attract game. Grazing elk and bison helped keep it open. Later, settlers grazed their cattle here. By 1900, the meadow was about 1,000 acres in size.

Since the establishment of the park in 1935 and the cessation of grazing, the meadow has shrunk considerably, being reclaimed by trees and shrubs. To keep part of meadow open, the NPS staff controls black locust, pine and other woody species in the area by prescribed fire, thus allowing grasses and herbaceous plants to grow.

More than 270 species of plants live in the meadow, making it an excellent place to see a diversity of wildlife. Animals depend on this grassy, treeless area, some of which would be rare or nonexistent if the forest were allowed to take over.

Many prehistoric encampments were located in the meadow. It was also the site of one of the first Civilian Conservation Corps camps. The park dedication ceremony was held there in 1936. 

Shenandoah is part of the Appala-chians, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, and, as such, has many unique rock formations. It contains rocks that exhibit columnar jointing, a geologic phenomenon caused by the rapid cooling of molten lava. As cooling continued, vertical fissures and cracks penetrated deeper, creating large columns of rock with four to eight sides. Columnar jointing can be seen at Compton Peak (Mile 10.4), Little Devils Stairs (Mile 20.1), Crescent Rock (Mile 44.4), the Limberlost Area from Crescent Rock Trail (Mile 45.6), Franklin Cliffs (Milepost 49), Blackrock (Mile 51.2) and several spots on Stony Man Mountain.

An overview of the wonders of Shenandoah would be incomplete without mentioning its waterfalls, which can be reached by foot and are spectacular in the spring. See page 56 for a list of some of the trails which lead to waterfalls.

Historic Sites

Shenandoah contains a rich history not only of the Earth, but also of the people that lived, worked and died here. Today, visitors can still view remnants of times past.

Reminders of the days of the mountain residents can be found in the ruins of houses, barns, animal pens and fruit cellars from the past few hundred years. The remnants of some 500 homes and farms are now mostly piles of logs, a handful of still-standing walls, an occasional chimney and more than 100 family cemeteries. Evidence also exists of habitation by American Indian peoples, however, these sites are generally restricted to those archeologists who are researching and preserving them.

Buildings at the most significant extant historic sites, such as Skyland Resort and Rapidan Camp, have been preserved. Rapidan Camp was built by President and Mrs. Hoover as their "summer White House." In 1932, the Hoovers donated the 160-acre tract for inclusion in the future park. Rapidan Camp is located at the end of Mill Prong Trail, which is easy to reach from the Skyline Drive (Mile 52.8, Milam Gap).

The Fox family homesite at Fox Hollow can be seen at the end of a short hike from the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center (Mile 4.6).

A 1.5-mile hike down a steep trail (Mile 37.9) leads to Corbin Cabin. Built in 1920, the cabin has been preserved by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and is now rented to park visitors. Call (703) 242-0315, for further information and reservations.

There are more than 100 cemeteries in the park. Some are small plots with only a few graves, while others have many families and as many as 100 graves. Some cemeteries are still used by descendants of mountain families and many are maintained. All should be respected as the final resting places of those who walked this land before us.