Shenandoah National Park Virginia is a Tourist Hit Every Autumn

Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, VA is also known as Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. It has proven to be the best changing of the leaves viewing I've ever experienced. Every year, around mid September to early October, my family and I take this road trip as do many others. The colors of the trees are astounding. You can see reds, yellows, oranges, greens, and even purple all down the mountains and throughout your drive. The views are so serene. You will see streams, valleys, and even apple orchards. It is 75 miles from the peak of Shenandoah National Park to our Nation's Capitol. There are many site viewing areas along this 105 mile stretch of historical drive. There is also a visitor's center that has a gift shop and restrooms located on a large grassy area where you can stretch your legs, walk your dogs, or let the children play. This spot is great for taking pictures and having family picnics.

There are several resorts along Skyline Drive and I recommend visiting all of them, as they each have their own unique characteristic about them. However, our favorites are Big Meadows Lodge and Skyline Resort. We like Big Meadows Lodge because it is very historical and often has live entertainment. They have a great tasty menu that is pretty reasonable. Be forewarned though that there is usually a waiting list if you go around lunch or dinner time. They do have a gift shop you can browse while you wait and a center coffee bar. If you can find a table in the lounge area, you can skip the waiting list. What we usually do is put our name on the list and wait by the entrance to the lounge to see if we can snag a table before our name is called.

Skyline Resort also has excellent food. They have one of the best views and outdoor seating so you can dine right along the mountain edge. The staff is very friendly and attentive. Their menu is a little pricey but well worth it. They also have they horse stables nearby where you could do a little horseback riding through the mountains.

You will probably want to take tons of pictures, so don't forget your cameras. We have been lucky enough to be able to take pictures of black bears in their natural habitat. You will know when there is one around because you will see a row of cars parked to the side of the road that isn't a site seeing area and people will be frantically trying to cross the street to catch a closer glimpse. You will also see deer, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, and birds, but the bear is the main attraction. Make sure you take a sweater because it is about 10 degrees cooler at the top of the mountain than it is in the valley. As night falls it seems even cooler than that.

When entering the park there is a small fee to enter but 80% of the fees collected at Shenandoah are returned to the park for specific projects. I forget how much exactly the fee is, but it is very reasonable. They will give you a map of the drive that have all the resort locations and other fine details about the park along with many activities that you could do. Shenandoah National Park Virginia is a great place for hiking, biking, and camping so bring your gear and enjoy one of nature's best National Parks.

For detailed directions and information, please visit this website.
http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/directions.htm