The beautiful and historic Shenandoah Valley is part of the Great Valley, a large region that stretches from New York to Alabama. In western Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley lies between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, the Allegheny Mountains to the west, the Potomac River to the north, and the Roanoke Valley to the south.

Historically, the Shenandoah Valley offers an unmatched perspective of the American Civil War. Thanks to its unique geography and agricultural abundance, numerous military campaigns were waged here. Because much of the landscape remains unchanged, visitors can retrace the steps of Stonewall Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign, Lee’s invasion north in what would be the Gettysburg Campaign, and the campaigns of 1864 including Philip Sheridan’s Shenandoah Campaign.

Scenic Drives

Shenandoah’s scenic drives abound from country roads to nationally acclaimed scenic byways such as the Skyline Drive & the Blue Ridge Parkway. We planned our road-trip through the picturesque Skyline Drive and covered about two-thirds of the 105-mile meandering roadway with nearly 70 breathtaking overlooks along the mountains.

The drive is accessible via four entrances in the Shenandoah National Park:

• Front Royal, accessible via I-66 and Route 340
• Thornton Gap, accessible via Route 211
• Swift Run Gap, accessible via Route 33
• Rockfish Gap, accessible via I-64 and Route 250 (Rockfish Gap is also the northern entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway)

Deer, black bear, wild turkey, and a host of other woodland animals call Shenandoah home and regularly cross Skyline Drive in their daily travels. We were extremely lucky to spot 3 black bears just a couple of meters away from my Jeep while cruising at the 35 mph speed limit. There are breathtaking hikes all along the drive, some of which are on the Appalachian Trail. On one such hike, we spotted a family of the white-tailed deer as well as snake skin that had been recently shed!

Hiking

Hikers like me, rejoice! Trails are plentiful, including parts of the Appalachian trail, most of which are pet-friendly. Ranging from easy to strenuous ones, there are numerous options both in the Shenandoah National Park as well as the Blue Ridge Parkway. The 360 degree panoramic views at the end of the hikes are worth all the sweat! I definitely advise studying a real map to get to the entrances of trails since GPS is definitely not reliable, especially on the local country roads.

Historic Towns

Shenandoah Valley’s extensive history has shaped the character of many cities and towns. Rich in history, culture and culinary experiences, we visited some of them during our 3-day sojourn in the region.

• Front Royal: Apart from being the northern entrance to the Shenandoah National park via the Skyline Drive, Front Royal is also home to the Skyline Caverns. It offers water sports like canoeing and kayaking along the Shenandoah river and numerous Civil War attractions for history buffs.

• Basye: Basye is a small town nestled in the northernmost county of Virginia, Shenandoah County. It’s best known as the home of Bryce Resort, a ski and golf vacation destination which is also a year-round community for several hundred people. We rented an AirBnB here and got to attend the annual Bryce festival being held at the time of our stay. Also, in the area is Swover Creek Farms, which is a dog-friendly brewery and has some great pizzas!

• New Market: With the Virginia Museum of Civil War, Stonewall Jackson House and the New Market Battlefield, this little town will leave history lovers asking for more.

• Harrisonburg: This city offers an eclectic cultural experience with its arts, culture and culinary district, bike-friendly streets, pet-friendly restaurants, a buzzing downtown and numerous music, beer & wine festivals. The city is home to the famous James Madison University which lends it a vibrant student vibe.

• Luray: Luray is situated between the Blue Ridge Mountains on the east and the Massanutten Mountains on the West. In addition to camping, hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking; the town boasts of the Luray Caverns which are the largest caverns in the East coast.
• Winchester: This beautiful town is an artistic hub and food lovers paradise. The Office of George Washington & Patsy Cline House are some of the historic sites in the town.

Lexington, Natural Bridge, Waynesboro and Staunton are some other notable towns to visit if you have the time.

My trip was in summer and I can’t wait to go back on a road-trip to the Skyline Drive to see the beautiful Fall colors in all their glory!

Thanks for reading and email me if you have questions.