Shenandoah National Park

Perched between the majestic Shenandoah Valley and the lush rolling hills of Virginia's Piedmont region, visitors to Shenandoah National Park are transported into breathtaking hollows, ridges, meadows, peaks, and farmland across this 197,439-acre national park.

Authorized by Congress in 1926, Shenandoah National Park officially came to be on December 26, 1935, in part to create more parks east of the Mississippi River. Before the first visitors arrived, however, Shenandoah National Park served as a one-time summer home to 31st President Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover. Upon leaving office, Hoover donated the 164-acre hemlock-enclosed retreat to the National Park Service for incorporation into the soon-to-be-established Shenandoah National Park. In 1988, Camp Hoover was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Located in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, this long, narrow park has a storied history that extends well beyond President Hoover. Native Americans hunted and gathered on the land long before the first European settlers arrived. The name Shenandoah has Native American origins and is said to mean either "beautiful daughter of the stars" or "spruce river" as it refers to the flowing Shenandoah River. By the 1930s, the land was well settled by some 400 homestead families who were later nudged into resettlement communities set up by the Rural Resettlement Administration in order to further create this national park.

Shenandoah National Park has a long and storied African American history, too. From 1939 to 1950, Black people were allowed only in the Lewis Mountain section of the park's Central District. It was then called the Lewis Mountain Negro Area with cabins and picnic grounds. Desegregation began in late-1945, but was not fully complete until the summer of 1950.

While the park does have an interesting history, it's the wildlife and nature opportunities that draw more than a million visitors every year. For many, the opportunity to see a black bear lumbering across Skyline Drive or a forested hiking trail is a highlight. Though black bears typically prefer to go about their business, it's wise to stay calm and not approach a black bear for the safety of you both.

Hiking reigns supreme at Shenandoah National Park, thanks to more than 500 miles of hiking trails, including 101 miles of the iconic Appalachian Trail. However, horseback trail rides, guided rock climbing adventures, and trout fishing in the park's more than 90 mountain streams provide lifelong memories as well. But a leisurely drive along famed Skyline Drive, a scenic byway that runs the length of the park, wows visitors young and old, especially in October when the foliage is bursting with vibrant ambers and golds.