The Blue Ridge spreads through several national forests. The Shenandoah National Park in northern Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park also lie in the Blue Ridge.
Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Mountains, Northern Virginia, US, was formed in 1935. The Park consists of 193, 357 acres with tree-covered mountains, trails, streams, waterfalls, and trout-filled pools and it is noted for its scenery, which affords some the widest views in the eastern states.
It is heavily forested with hardwoods and conifers: wildlife includes deer, foxes and numerous birds. Besides scenic overlooks, the park offers camping, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, nature trails and bird watching.
Forest consists of 1200 kinds of vascular plants. A segregation of forest communities occurs because of differences in elevation, exposure and moisture:
Chestnut oak forests
Red Oak forests
Cove hardwood forests
Yellow poplar forests
Hundred of plant species including one hundred species of tree – now flourish inside the park. As the forest reestablished themselves so too, did Shenandoah’s wildlife. Today, more than 200 species of birds and 50 species of mammals exist in the park.
The skyline Drive north-south highway extends for 105 miles through the park and offers an opportunity to view the scenic valley as well as the Blue Ridge Mountains, Massanutten Mountain and the Allegheny Mountains.
Shenandoah National Park
