Shenandoah Shines

(Click here to see a slideshow of photos from the Park.)

It’s easy to witness the love affair Mother Nature has with Smith Mountain Lake regardless of the season. There’s a serenity in winter, a rebirth of excitement in spring, a laziness in summer and an awesome burst of color in the fall, which can be perfectly savored while lingering on the shoreline or floating on the water.

            SML undeniably is a wonderful place to live or visit.

            And yet, just a short drive north of these beautiful waters is another spectacular display of nature’s best along Skyline Drive on the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains through Shenandoah National Park.

            Although the first show-stopping colors can be unpredictable, the finale is never disappointing. The fall colors along the drive ordinarily peak in mid-October and alone are worth the trip.

            In a slow-motion wave, the color comes first to the chestnut or red oak forests on the ridge tops, turning next to the mid-slopes covered in mixed hardwoods such as sumac, maple, ash and basswood, which are set ablaze in shades of red and orange. Following closely are the yellow poplars and birches along the lower slopes and valleys.

            Ironically, when the park was established in 1935, one-third of the area was completely deforested. For more than 200 years, settlers in the lower areas of the mountain range changed the landscape for their farms, livestock, crops and orchards. Others used the mountain land for extracting copper, lumber and for the operation of mills, tearing apart the beauty of the hillsides. But with careful reforestation and the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the park has recaptured the splendor of its original form.

            The CCC was part of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program, employing thousands of young men who lived and worked in camps adjacent to the park. The men graded slopes on either side of the roadway, built guardrails and walls, constructed overlooks, planted hundreds of trees and shrubs, built picnic areas, campgrounds, comfort stations and at times served as the park’s first interpreters.

            On the third weekend in October, the park will celebrate Wilderness Weekend, highlighting Shenandoah’s impressive scenic views, abundant wildlife and historic places. The Byrd Visitor Center, one of three visitor facilities along the 105-mile drive, will host a series of special events, including ranger-led hikes and informational presentations on the history and values of Shenandoah’s wilderness.

            Located at milepost 51 in Big Meadows, the largest developed area near the center of the Shenandoah Park, the Byrd Visitor Center provides information about roadside wildflowers and wildlife. Thousands of birds spend the winter in the park. Herds of does, fawns and bucks are often seen on or along the roadsides, as are one or more of the several hundred black bears that live in the park.

            More than 340 structures in the park are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, significant for their architecture and/or part in American history. While many are old homesteads and mills, one particularly interesting landmark near Big Meadows is Rapidan Camp. Also known as Camp Hoover, the land and 13 rustic cabins served as a summer retreat for President Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover. Three of Rapidan Camp’s cabins still stand. The restored interior of “The Brown House” and the museum inside “The Prime Minister” cabin are open during ranger-led tours. While Hoover conducted presidential business there, he also relaxed by fishing in the adjacent Rapidan River.

            A great way to enjoy the sights and sounds of the park is by trying out one of its numerous hiking trails, which total 500 miles. The most rewarding are those that include a waterfall, none of which are visible from Skyline Drive. Dark Hollow Falls, near milepost 51, is a popular hike but is steep and rocky in places.

            Limberlost Trail at Milepost 43 is an easy hike of 1.3 miles with a crushed greenstone walkway on a gentle grade for people of all ages. Many other facilities and services in the park are friendlier to those with wheelchairs, strollers or disabilities.

            Prized as a gigantic outdoor classroom, the park offers curriculum-based education programs for school-age children in addition to fun, self-guided learning adventures in nature, history and ecology. Other outdoor activities available throughout the park include swimming, canoeing, fishing, horseback riding and biking.

From Smith Mountain Lake, head east toward Lynchburg then north on U.S. 29 to Charlottesville; Travel west on Interstate 64 to access Skyline Drive near Waynesboro at Rockfish Gap (Virginia 250). It’s approximately two hours to Skyline Drive. Completing the length of it through Shenandoah National Park takes about three hours. For more information, log on to nps.gov/shen or visitshenandoah.com.