Shenandoah National Park

Roll down the window and listen. Tyres hum over the asphalt, wind moves through oak and hickory, and somewhere below a stream runs over rock. The air smells of leaf litter and cool stone. To your left, the land drops away into a long blue haze, ridge behind ridge, each one paler than the last. That haze gave these mountains their name. You are on the crest of the Blue Ridge, in Shenandoah National Park.

The park is long and narrow, like a ribbon laid along the top of the mountains. One road runs through it from end to end. That road is Skyline Drive, and it is about 105 miles long. It begins near Front Royal in the north and ends at Rockfish Gap in the south. Small stone mileposts count your progress along the way. Locals and rangers give directions by these numbers, so it helps to notice them.

The blue colour is not a trick of the eye. Trees release natural compounds into the air, especially on warm days. These tiny particles scatter blue light, and that soft colour settles between the ridges. On clear, cool mornings the view can stretch for many miles. On humid summer afternoons the far ridges fade to grey. The same overlook can look like two different places a few hours apart. It is worth stopping at the same spot twice.

Now for the first surprise. Much of this forest is younger than it looks. A century ago these slopes held farms, orchards, pastures, and small mountain communities. People had cleared and grazed the land for generations. When you walk the trails, look for old stone walls, piles of cleared rock, and the odd apple tree far from any house. These are the traces of homes. The wild look of the park today is, in large part, a forest that grew back.

The park was formally established in 1935. Creating it was not simple, and it was not painless. Virginia acquired the land and gave it to the federal government. Hundreds of families who lived inside the new boundary had to leave. Some went willingly. Many did not. Some older residents were allowed to stay for the rest of their lives. Today the park openly tells this story at its visitor centres. The people who were moved, and their descendants, are part of this landscape.

Much of what you see along the road came from the Civilian Conservation Corps. This was a programme of the Great Depression in the 1930s. It gave work to young men who badly needed it. In this park, they built overlooks, planted trees and shrubs, and laid many of the low stone walls along the road. Run your hand along one of those walls at an overlook. The stones were placed by hand, one at a time.

Here is the second surprise. Skyline Drive was designed to be slow. The speed limit is low on purpose. The road follows the shape of the mountain instead of cutting straight through it. Its curves open onto views, and its overlooks invite you to pull over. The designers wanted the drive itself to be the experience. In 2008 the road was named a National Historic Landmark, partly for this careful design.

The Appalachian Trail also passes through the park. This long footpath runs from Georgia to Maine, and roughly a hundred miles of it lie here. It crosses Skyline Drive many times. In late spring and summer you may see long-distance hikers with heavy packs and worn boots. Many have walked for weeks to reach this point. If you meet one at a trailhead, a friendly word goes a long way. You can also walk a short section yourself and say you were on the famous trail.

The park also carries a harder chapter of American history. When it opened, the facilities were segregated by race, following the laws of the South at that time. Lewis Mountain was set aside as the area for Black visitors. Over the following years, the park moved toward integration. Today Lewis Mountain is still a quiet campground and picnic area. The park keeps its history visible, so visitors can understand how far the country has travelled.

Near the middle of the park sits Big Meadows, a wide, open area of grass and shrubs. Deer often graze here in the early morning and evening. Not far away, a trail leads down to Dark Hollow Falls, where water slides over dark rock into a shaded ravine. The walk down feels easy. The climb back up is steeper than many visitors expect. Hawksbill, the highest peak in the park, is also in this central section.

Hidden in a valley on the eastern side is a place called Rapidan Camp. President Herbert Hoover built it as a summer retreat in the late 1920s, before the park existed. He came here to fish for trout and to escape the heat of Washington. Some of the cabins still stand. It is a rare chance to see where a president came to rest, far from crowds and cameras.

The forest is home to many animals. White-tailed deer are common along the road. Black bears also live here, and sightings are not unusual. Wild turkeys walk the edges of clearings. In spring, wildflowers cover the forest floor. In autumn the ridges turn red, orange, and gold, and the road fills with visitors. Please keep your distance from all wildlife, and never feed it. A fed animal often becomes a problem animal.

So pull over at the next overlook, switch off the engine, and step out. Feel the stone wall under your hand, cool even in summer. Look at the ridges fading into blue, one behind another. Somewhere down there are old farm walls under the trees, and the memory of families who once called this place home. Listen to the wind in the leaves... and then take the curves slowly on your way.