Shenandoah National Park

Virginia · Established December 26, 1935

Ancient Blue Ridge crests, wooded hollows, and a hundred miles of sky

Area: 200,446 acres
Established: December 26, 1935
Recreation visits: 1,682,152 / yr
State: Virginia
Highest point: Hawksbill, 4,051 ft (1,235 m)
Lowest point: 535 ft (163 m), near the north end of the park

Shenandoah Weather Forecast

Loading the National Weather Service forecast for Shenandoah…

Seven-day outlook at the park's reference point (38.492, -78.469). Elevation changes everything in the mountains — expect colder, windier and wetter conditions on high ground.

Map of Shenandoah National Park

The Park

Shenandoah National Park follows the crest of Virginia's Blue Ridge for more than a hundred miles, a narrow band of forested mountains rising between the Shenandoah Valley and the Piedmont. Skyline Drive runs its full length along the ridgetop, and the Appalachian Trail shadows it, wandering past rocky summits, quiet hollows, and waterfalls tumbling toward the lowlands.

Authorized in 1926 and established on December 26, 1935, the park was assembled from thousands of private tracts, and the mountain families who lived there were moved away, a painful chapter still remembered today. Much of the land was farmed, logged, or grazed, and the deep forest now covering about 199,000 acres is largely a story of recovery. Black bears, white-tailed deer, and some 200 kinds of birds have returned to woods that seemed spent less than a century ago.

Geography

The park stretches from near Front Royal in the north to near Waynesboro in the south, and in many places it is only a few miles wide. Its spine is the Blue Ridge itself, with a string of summits above 3,000 feet and Hawksbill reaching 4,051 feet. On either side, steep ridges and hollows fall away more than 3,000 feet in places to the valleys below, the lowest ground in the park lying at 535 feet near its northern end.

More than 90 streams begin in the park and cascade down its flanks, feeding the Shenandoah River to the west and the Rappahannock and James river systems to the east. Skyline Drive links 70 overlooks, and some 516 miles of trails, including 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail, lead into the forest. Nearly 80,000 acres are designated wilderness.

Landmarks

Signal Knob OverlookAreaA northern-district overlook facing Signal Knob across the Shenandoah Valley.
Compton PeakPeakA summit where ancient lava of the Catoctin Formation cooled into columnar joints.
Hogback MountainPeakThe highest point of the park's northern district, with several Skyline Drive overlooks.
Little Devils StairsCanyonA steep, rocky gorge whose trail climbs beside a tumbling stream.
Thornton GapAreaA mountain pass where U.S. 211 crosses the Blue Ridge at the central entrance.
Marys RockPeakA craggy summit of ancient granitic rock with sweeping views south along the ridge.
Stony ManPeakThe park's second-highest summit, capped by greenstone cliffs above Skyland.
SkylandAreaA historic mountain resort near the highest point on Skyline Drive.
HawksbillPeak · 4,051 ftThe highest summit in the park, with a stone observation platform above a sea of ridges.
Old Rag MountainPeakAn isolated peak of billion-year-old granite famous for its challenging rock scramble.
Big MeadowsAreaA broad, open highland meadow and wetland rich in wildflowers, deer, and blueberries.
Dark Hollow FallsWaterfallThe park's most visited waterfall, dropping 70 feet down a series of greenstone ledges.
Bearfence MountainPeakA short rock scramble leads to a 360-degree view from this greenstone summit.
South River OverlookAreaA viewpoint near the trail to South River Falls in the central-southern district.
Loft MountainPeakA broad summit in the southern district above one of the park's largest campgrounds.
BlackrockPeakA summit of jumbled quartzite boulders in the quieter southern end of the park.

Geology

The oldest rocks in Shenandoah formed deep within a mountain range raised by continental collisions some 1.2 to 1.0 billion years ago, during the assembly of an early supercontinent. Granites and gneisses from that time, including the roughly 1.06-billion-year-old Old Rag Granite, now form the core of the Blue Ridge and crop out on peaks like Old Rag and Marys Rock.

Around 570 million years ago the ancient continent began to tear apart. Basaltic lava rose through rift fissures and flooded the landscape in sheet after sheet, burying valleys and building a thick volcanic plateau. Metamorphism later turned these flows into the greenish rock of the Catoctin Formation, which caps Stony Man and Hawksbill and shows columnar joints at Compton Peak. As the rift widened into the Iapetus Ocean, rivers, lagoons, and beaches laid down the sands and gravels of the Chilhowee Group, now hardened into quartzite along the park's southern and western edges.

Between about 350 and 300 million years ago, the Iapetus closed as Africa collided with North America in the Alleghanian orogeny. The collision folded the region into a vast arch, the Blue Ridge anticlinorium, and thrust the ancient rocks westward. Much later, about 200 to 150 million years ago, as the Atlantic began to open, molten rock squeezed into cracks and cooled as scattered dikes.

The mountains visible today are not the original peaks but their deep roots, exposed by hundreds of millions of years of erosion. Resistant greenstone and quartzite hold up the high ridges, while softer rocks have been carved into hollows. During the ice ages, frost shattered exposed outcrops and built the boulder fields and talus slopes still found below many summits.

Deep time

1.2–1.0 billion years agoContinental collisions raise a mountain range and form the granites and gneisses of the Blue Ridge basement.
About 1.06 billion years agoThe Old Rag Granite crystallizes from magma deep underground.
About 570 million years agoRifting unleashes floods of basaltic lava that become the Catoctin greenstone.
About 570–540 million years agoRivers and shorelines along the young Iapetus Ocean deposit the sands and gravels of the Chilhowee Group.
350–300 million years agoThe Alleghanian orogeny closes the Iapetus Ocean and folds the region into the Blue Ridge anticlinorium.
200–150 million years agoAs the Atlantic Ocean opens, magma intrudes cracks to form scattered dikes.
PleistoceneFrost wedging during cold periods shatters outcrops and builds talus slopes and boulder fields.

The rocks

Old Rag GraniteMesoproterozoic, about 1.06 billion years
A coarse, pale granite forming Old Rag Mountain's boulder-strewn summit.
Grenville-age granitic gneissesMesoproterozoic, 1.2–1.0 billion years
Banded metamorphic basement rocks exposed across the park's lower slopes.
Swift Run FormationNeoproterozoic
Metasedimentary rocks deposited on the eroded basement just before the Catoctin lavas.
Catoctin FormationNeoproterozoic, about 570 million years
Metamorphosed basalt lava flows, or greenstone, capping many high peaks and forming waterfall ledges.
Chilhowee GroupEarly Cambrian
Quartzites and sandstones from rivers and beaches along the Iapetus Ocean, prominent in the southern district.
Jurassic dikesJurassic, 200–150 million years
Isolated igneous intrusions associated with the opening of the Atlantic.

Trees, Plants & Ecosystems

1,438vascular plant species recorded

Oak–hickory forestLower and middle slopes
Chestnut oak, red oak, and hickories dominate drier slopes, taking the place of the American chestnut lost to blight.
Cove hardwood forestMoist hollows and stream valleys
Tuliptree, sugar maple, birch, and ash grow tall in sheltered coves with rich spring wildflowers.
Northern hardwood and high-elevation forestUpper slopes near 3,000–4,051 ft
Cool, cloud-bathed summits support yellow birch, northern red oak, and the endemic Shenandoah salamander on talus slopes.
Rock outcrops and talusSummits and cliffs
Exposed greenstone and granite host rare plants, hardy pines, and nesting peregrine falcons.
Highland meadows and wetlandsBig Meadows, about 3,500 ft
An open grassland and wetland mosaic, kept open by management, with blueberries, sedges, and wetland wildflowers.

Trees

Chestnut oakQuercus montanaA deeply furrowed oak common on dry, rocky ridges.
Northern red oakQuercus rubraOne of the most widespread trees in the park and a key acorn producer for bears and turkeys.
White oakQuercus albaA long-lived oak of drier slopes with rounded leaf lobes.
TuliptreeLiriodendron tulipiferaA tall, straight hardwood of moist coves with tulip-shaped spring flowers.
Red mapleAcer rubrumAmong the first trees to flush red in spring and blaze scarlet in October.
Sugar mapleAcer saccharumBrings orange and gold fall color to rich hollows.
Sweet birchBetula lentaIts twigs smell of wintergreen when scratched.
Eastern hemlockTsuga canadensisA shade-loving conifer of stream ravines, heavily damaged by the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid.
Table Mountain pinePinus pungensA fire-adapted Appalachian pine with spiny cones on rocky ridges.
Pignut hickoryCarya glabraA common hickory of the oak forest whose nuts feed squirrels and bears.
Black locustRobinia pseudoacaciaA pioneer tree that colonized old fields and homesites after the park was created.
American chestnutCastanea dentataOnce dominant here, now surviving mostly as root sprouts after the chestnut blight.

Wildflowers, shrubs & other plants

Mountain laurelKalmia latifoliaAn evergreen shrub whose pink-and-white blossoms cover ridges in late spring.
Flame azaleaRhododendron calendulaceumBrilliant orange flowers glow along the Skyline Drive in early summer.
Pink lady's slipperCypripedium acauleA pouch-shaped orchid of acidic oak woods.
Large-flowered trilliumTrillium grandiflorumCarpets rich slopes with white blooms in late April and May.
Painted trilliumTrillidium undulatumA white trillium marked with a crimson V, found in cool upland woods.
BloodrootSanguinaria canadensisOne of the earliest spring wildflowers, named for its red sap.
Dutchman's breechesDicentra cucullariaPantaloon-shaped flowers dangle in rich hollows in early spring.
Wild columbineAquilegia canadensisRed-and-yellow nodding flowers on rocky outcrops, favored by hummingbirds.
Jack-in-the-pulpitArisaema triphyllumA hooded spring flower of damp woods that ripens into red berries.
Turk's cap lilyLilium superbumTall stalks of spotted orange lilies in midsummer meadows.
Butterfly milkweedAsclepias tuberosaBright orange blooms that feed monarchs and other butterflies.
Early lowbush blueberryVaccinium pallidumRipens in late summer at Big Meadows and on open ridges.
BuckbeanMenyanthes trifoliataA rare wetland plant with fringed white flowers in the park's highland bogs.
New England asterSymphyotrichum novae-angliaePurple autumn asters that brighten meadows and roadsides.

Wildlife

55mammals
196birds
24reptiles
25amphibians
41fish

Mammals

American black bearUrsus americanusCommon throughout the park and often seen from Skyline Drive; secure all food.
White-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianusAbundant, especially in Big Meadows at dawn and dusk.
BobcatLynx rufusA secretive cat occasionally glimpsed crossing the drive.
CoyoteCanis latransA relatively recent arrival in the eastern mountains.
Gray foxUrocyon cinereoargenteusA tree-climbing fox of the hardwood forest.
Red foxVulpes vulpesHunts mice in meadows and along forest edges.
RaccoonProcyon lotorForages along streams and around campgrounds at night.
Striped skunkMephitis mephitisCommon in meadows and edges.
Eastern spotted skunkSpilogale putoriusA small, rarely seen skunk that performs handstands when threatened.
WoodchuckMarmota monaxGrazes on grassy road shoulders in summer.
Eastern chipmunkTamias striatusBusy on rock walls and trails.
Southern flying squirrelGlaucomys volansA nocturnal glider of hardwood forests.
Allegheny woodratNeotoma magisterA rare rodent of rocky outcrops and talus slopes.
Indiana batMyotis sodalisAn endangered bat that forages in the park's forests.

Birds

Pileated woodpeckerDryocopus pileatusIts ringing call and rectangular excavations are common in mature forest.
Barred owlStrix variaAsks 'who cooks for you?' from wooded hollows at night.
Wild turkeyMeleagris gallopavoFlocks forage for acorns along the drive and in meadows.
Ruffed grouseBonasa umbellusMales drum on logs in spring with a sound like a distant engine.
Common ravenCorvus coraxSoars and tumbles around rocky summits.
Peregrine falconFalco peregrinusRestored to nest on the park's cliffs after vanishing from the region.
Broad-winged hawkButeo platypterusMigrates along the Blue Ridge in large kettles each September.
Scarlet tanagerPiranga olivaceaBrilliant red males sing from the oak canopy in summer.
Cerulean warblerSetophaga ceruleaA sky-blue warbler of tall hardwoods, declining across its range.
Black-throated blue warblerSetophaga caerulescensNests in the dense understory of higher-elevation forests.
Wood thrushHylocichla mustelinaIts flutelike song fills the forest at dusk.
VeeryCatharus fuscescensA thrush whose downward-spiraling song echoes in cool, moist woods.
Red-eyed vireoVireo olivaceusOne of the most abundant summer songbirds, singing all day.
Dark-eyed juncoJunco hyemalisNests at high elevations and flocks along trails in winter.

Reptiles & amphibians

Shenandoah salamanderPlethodon shenandoahAn endangered salamander found nowhere else on Earth, restricted to talus slopes on a few high peaks.
Eastern red-backed salamanderPlethodon cinereusProbably the most abundant vertebrate on the forest floor.
Eastern newtNotophthalmus viridescensIts bright orange juvenile stage, the red eft, wanders trails after rain.
Wood frogLithobates sylvaticusBreeds in cold vernal pools in very early spring.
Timber rattlesnakeCrotalus horridusA venomous but reclusive snake of rocky, sunny slopes.
CopperheadAgkistrodon contortrixWell camouflaged in leaf litter; watch where you sit and step.
Eastern box turtleTerrapene carolinaA long-lived land turtle often seen after summer rains.
Eastern ratsnakeElaphe alleghaniensisA large, harmless climbing snake.

Fish

Brook troutSalvelinus fontinalisVirginia's state fish and the native trout of the park's cold mountain streams.
Blacknose daceRhinichthys atratulusA small minnow common in headwater streams.
Mottled sculpinCottus bairdiiA bottom-dwelling fish hiding under stream stones.

Insects & other invertebrates

Eastern tiger swallowtailPapilio glaucusA large yellow-and-black butterfly common along summer roadsides.
Appalachian tiger swallowtailPapilio appalachiensisA mountain swallowtail that flies in spring.
Great spangled fritillarySpeyeria cybeleAn orange butterfly that nectars on milkweed in Big Meadows.
MonarchDanaus plexippusStreams south along the Blue Ridge during fall migration.

Species totals are the park's certified NPSpecies checklist (occurrence: present).

Climate & When to Visit

Shenandoah has four distinct seasons shaped by its position on the Blue Ridge in the humid mid-Atlantic. Because the park sits high above the surrounding lowlands, temperatures on the mountain are usually about 10°F cooler than in the valley below, a welcome relief in summer and a source of ice and snow in winter when the valleys see only rain.

The ridge also makes its own weather. Moist air forced up the slopes condenses into fog and low clouds that can wrap Skyline Drive for hours, and summer afternoons often bring thunderstorms. Because the park spans about 105 miles from north to south and a wide range of elevations, conditions at one end or on one overlook may differ sharply from another.

Spring
Mild temperatures, frequent rain, and waves of wildflowers moving upslope from April into June.
Summer
Lush green forests with warm, humid days, cooler nights on the ridge, and afternoon thunderstorms.
Autumn
Crisp air and the park's famous fall foliage, generally at its best in October, along with the year's biggest crowds.
Winter
Cold with periodic snow and ice; sections of Skyline Drive can close temporarily during storms.

Weather hazards

Fog: Dense fog can reduce visibility on Skyline Drive to a few feet, so slow down and use low beams.
Ice and snow: Winter storms can close Skyline Drive and leave trails icy long after the valleys have thawed.
Thunderstorms: Summer lightning is dangerous on exposed summits like Old Rag and Hawksbill.
Heat and humidity: Strenuous hikes that climb out of the hollows can cause heat exhaustion, so carry ample water.
Slippery rocks at waterfalls: Wet greenstone ledges are extremely slick; stay on trails near cascades.
Black bears: Bears are common, so store food properly and give them plenty of space.

Shenandoah Questions

When is the best time to visit Shenandoah National Park?

October brings the celebrated fall color and comfortable temperatures, while late April through June offers wildflowers, flowing waterfalls, and green forests. Summer is busy and humid but cooler on the ridge than in the valleys.

What is the weather like on Skyline Drive?

The mountain is usually about 10°F cooler than the valley below, and fog, rain, or snow can arrive quickly. Check the forecast for the section you plan to visit and bring layers.

Where can I see black bears and other wildlife?

Bears are often seen from Skyline Drive in the early morning and evening, particularly in the central district. Big Meadows is excellent for deer, wild turkeys, and woodchucks.

How old are the Blue Ridge Mountains?

The oldest rocks in the park are more than a billion years old, and the greenstone capping many summits comes from lava flows about 570 million years old. Today's ridges are the eroded roots of mountains shaped by several continental collisions.

What is the tallest waterfall in Shenandoah?

Overall Run Falls is the tallest at 93 feet. Dark Hollow Falls, at 70 feet, is the most visited, thanks to its short but steep trail near Big Meadows.

Is the Shenandoah salamander really found only here?

Yes. This endangered salamander lives only on a few high, rocky peaks within the park, where it is restricted to cool talus slopes.

More parks in the East

← Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Theodore Roosevelt National Park →

Sources: www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.usgs.gov · irmaservices.nps.gov · en.wikipedia.org · Official NPS site