Luray, Virginia // 15 July
We only had one day to explore Shenandoah National Park, so we took in a section of Skyline drive, chose a little hike/Rick scramble, and stopped in at the Big Meadows Visitor Center. It was a gorgeous day and we even glimpsed some deer as we were leaving Big Meadows!
Bearfence trail scramble… This is a short-ish hike but mostly rock scramble to one of the highest points along the mountains and also one of the few 360 degree view points. It was good fun and Claire loved leading the challenge.
Big Meadows… We learnt about the history of the park and had lunch in this beautiful spot. Shenandoah became a National Park in 1935 following the popularity of first National Parks in the west. There were few parks in the east, where most of the population was, so several areas were proposed and Shenandoah was chosen. It has over 500 miles of trails and 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Skyline Drive makes it very easy to take in the views and access the hikes.
Skyline Drive, Crescent Rock and The Point Overlook… We stopped at a few of the most popular outlooks (not lookouts!?) to take in the views. Mountains for miles!
