The shape of this park is unique. It is narrow and long
Shenandoah National Park is located in north-central Virginia. The park was created in 1926 and is known for amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The park was formed from a conglomerate of private land, farms, and orchards. This was a unique way to create a National Park, in fact it was the first time this had been done.
Much of the park has since been protected and reforested. The shape of this park is unique. It is narrow and long. The park is connected via a 105-mile-long road called Skyline Drive. This is a picturesque drive along the ridges of the mountains. There are many scenic pull offs and hikes to explore, including the famous Appalachian Trail.
I entered the park in the morning and started my day with a short hike near the northern end of Shenandoah National Park, near the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center. During this hike, I came across some other hikers traveling in the opposite direction who said they just saw a black bear. I continued on and a short time later heard some limbs snapping, something that sounded like a large animal. I turned to look what it was, and it ended up being this whitetail deer, fortunately. After I got over my initial panic, I realized the deer didn’t seem to be bothered by me remaining motionless in the trail. The deer was looking at me with the same curiosity I was looking at him with. It walked closer, and as it did I took this video of the encounter.
Shenandoah National Park supports ~190 bird species (resident and transient). It also contains ~50 mammal species, ~20 reptile and amphibian species, and ~40 species of fish. Some of these iconic animals include turtles, moles, spotted skunks, big brown bats, bobcats, shrews, salamanders, and snakes.
Shenandoah National Park supports ~190 bird species (resident and transient)
Did you know?
- The park is ~200,000 acres!
- The tallest of the mountains in the park is Hawksbill Mountain, sitting at ~4,050 feet above sea level. The lowest elevation area in the park is ~550 feet.
- Although largely obscured by forest, some of the bedrock in the park is over a billion years old.
- Roughly one million people visit Shenandoah National Park every year!
- Whitetail deer typically live alone, only interacting with others during mating season.
- Only bucks grow antlers. Antlers are used to attract females and assert dominance over other males.
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