Shenandoah NP, Virginia

The northern entrance to the Shenandoah National Park is only an hour and a half from our townhouse.  We were able to get to the park to see the fall colors, but this year wasn't all that impressive for the fall colors because the temperatures were so warm in the fall. The most exciting part of this day trip was that I was able to get seven new National Park Passport Cancellation stamps.  We even got Owen is own book. Shenandoah was formed as a National Park in 1935 and covers just shy of 200,000 acres. The highest peak is Hawksbill Mountain at 4,051 feet. The park lies along the Blue Ridge Mountains  in the larger Appalachian mountain range. Some of the rocks exposed in the park date to over one billion years in age, making them among the oldest in Virginia. Skyline Drive is the main road through the park that is a very beautiful ride to see the beautiful valleys and vistas.  During the Civil War this area was a hot area because it was key for farming and supply lines.  Stonewall Jackson had several campaigns in this area that were quite the blow to the Union troops.