Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

February 2023

"Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River Life is old there, older than the trees Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze

Country roads, take me home To the place I belong West Virginia, Mountain Mama Take me home, country roads" - John Denver - "Take Me Home, Country Road"

John Denver pretty much described our hikes and drive through Shenandoah Ntl. Park. We were not in West Virginia but Virginia definitely holds something special with one of the country's 63 world-renowned National Park.

When the cold and rain of February let up for a weekend we decided to drive through the national park. We did not have a plan and did very little research beforehand and it turned out to be one of the best experiences while living in the DVM area.

We started in Luray, VA, and ended our drive in Front Royal, VA. We stopped at almost every outlook as each one of them was unique and provided amazing photos of the Appalachian Mountains and beyond. We did stop and hike up to Marys Rock and Comptons Peak both of which I highly recommend. Marys Rock had wonderful views and Comptons Peak had some amazing rock structures that we climbed around on for a good while.

There is so much to see and do in Shenandoah but on our leisurely day, we just meandered down the road and enjoyed the views. Some of the trails were very populated, even in the off-season, so I can't imagine the traffic flow is any better during the peak tourist season.

Tip: Make sure you have enough gas to make it from the entrance you go into to the exit you choose. We did, but some people were not as lucky.

Tip: There is a fee to get into the park.