Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah is what I consider my “hometown” park. I’ve lived about two hours from Shenandoah for about 7 years, and I generally make it out here 4-6 times each year across all the seasons. This park is great because dogs are allowed on the majority of trails (there are roughly 10 trails dogs aren’t allowed on, which you can find on their website). So this is my go-to area for camping and hiking, because Sally absolutely loves to spend her nights sleeping in the outdoors, hiking the trails, and swimming in the many streams in this park.

This park is teeming with life, visible in the tons of wildlife activity, the vibrant streams and waterfalls, the changing colors of the trees from season to season, and the views over neighboring town from the overlooks. It’s also got very dark skies, dark enough you can see the Milky Way on clear nights, making it my local go-to for night sky photography. Some of the hiking trails allow for backcountry camping, while 4 established campgrounds provide some nice amenities like flush toilets and hot water (a real treat in cold nights!). Skyline Drive seems to be the main attraction here, and is a great way to visit this park either for those that are new to the outdoors, those who want to take in the views without hiking, or for those short on time. Taking in the mountain views in the low-light hours of the day will answer your question of: why are they called the Blue Ridge mountains?