Shenandoah National Park celebrates 100 years of the National Park Service with free admission on Veteran’s Day.
Skyline Drive.
Photo by Neil Lewis
In 2011, Shenandoah National Park (SNP) celebrated its 75th birthday. This year, the National Park Service reaches its centennial. To celebrate this milestone, SNP, along with other historic sites around Virginia, will participate in Free National Parks Day, granting admission gratis to visitors Friday Nov. 11, Veterans Day. Says Claire Comer, interpretive specialist at SNP, “Depending on visitation, we still offer ranger programs after October, and folks can check at the visitor centers to see what programs are being offered each day.”
Virginia is home to more than 70,000 acres of protected land in its 36 state parks and about a dozen more designated national sites. But there is only one national park, the only national park, in fact, in the entire mid-Atlantic region—SNP.
More than one million visitors come to Shenandoah annually (visitation is up 38 percent this year) — some making it their backyard for only a day, and others settling near the park to establish residence for the long term. Hundreds of thousands of acres sprawl across the Shenandoah Valley, the Blue Ridge Mountains, forested watersheds, hillsides, and glens. Five-hundred miles of trails attract hikers, backpackers, cyclists, and rock-climbers from all over the country. And nine beautiful waterfalls are directly accessible from parking areas along Skyline Drive, which itself is an attraction.
Completed in 1939 as part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive runs 105 miles from Front Royal to Rockfish Gap and traverses some of the most beautiful scenery in the Shenandoah, including the Big Meadows (wildflower heaven) and 75 overlooks affording stunning views of the Shenandoah Valley and the surrounding Piedmont region. The highest point among these vistas is Skyland, a resort comprising 28 buildings—lodge, cabins, dining, taproom, and more—situated among 16 acres and affording more than just spectacular views from its elevation at 3,680 feet. Limited cell phone service encourages visitors to participate fully in their respite and simply enjoy all that the great outdoors have to offer.
In addition to Free National Parks day, Shenandoah National Park is celebrating the National Park Services’ 100-year anniversary by offering special ranger programs in the late fall season, including a great lineup of movies and interactive exhibits at both visitor centers. For the most up-to-date information on ranger activities, go to Nps.gov/Shen
For more information about other Virginia sites participating in Free National Parks Day, go to:
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Assateague Island National Seashore
Colonial National Historical Park
George Washington Memorial Parkway’s Great Falls Park
Click here to learn more about the history of Shenandoah National Park.
