Road Tripping Through the National Parks: Virginia

On the next edition of “Road Tripping Through the National Parks” we are traveling through the great state of Virginia. Virginia might be my favorite state to travel through with its amazing range of historic cities and mountainous wilderness. With a whopping twenty-three national park sites, it’s probably impossible to get to all of them during a single week. So what follows is just one way to get through a portion of these parks in a week. Start off with a flight to Reagan National Airport. Grab a rental and begin with a short but busy drive to Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial.

Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial is a part of Arlington National Cemetery and actually sits on the hill overlooking the cemetery. The park preserves the place that Robert E. Lee owned briefly before deciding to join the Confederacy. At that point the Army of the Potomac confiscated the grounds and turned it into a cemetery. It’s a solemn place to visit, but it's also quite beautiful. The House and gardens are visually stunning and you could spend a good hour touring the entire grounds. You can finish your first day by taking the ninety minute drive to the Strasburg and Front Royal area to set you up for a long day two. If you chose the Front Royal area, Vibrissa Brewery is a great choice for dinner with delicious pints of beer and pub food that is just as good.

Your first stop on day two is Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. This park preserves a few Civil War era sites with a main focus on the Battle of Cedar Creek, which was a decisive Union victory that ended the Confederacy’s influence in the Shenandoah Valley. This park is kind of, somewhat, new having been established in 2002. It definitely feels new as the park is still trying to cobble together land and resources. The visitor center is in a strip mall, which gives it a weird first impression. However, the inside of the visitor center is pretty comprehensive and the large interactive map of the Battle of Cedar Creek is a true highlight. The park has a driving tour and a few trails, but they are both works in progress. A lot of the stops on the auto tour are just pulling to the side of a major highway and many of the trails abut private property. Once they finally get this park in order it should be a great one. From Cedar Creek and Belle Grove, it’s just a thirty minute drive to Shenandoah National Park. This park preserves the mountains overlooking the Shenandoah River Valley. It’s a stunning park and the only eastern park (in this person’s opinion) that feels like the classical western national park with stunning views and full modern amenities. You can start by driving Skyline Drive. This is the main route through the park. Most of the early portions of the drive are repetitive despite there being multiple overlooks of the surrounding valleys. You will want to stop at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center as this is an informative introduction to the park as well as the adjacent Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The views behind the visitor center are also the best in the early portions of the Skyline Drive corridor. The main highlights of the park are generally between the Skyland and Big Meadows area. For the first night you will be staying at the Skyland Resort of the Skyland area. The rooms there are solid, but the location can’t be beat as you are right next to the forest and gorgeous valley views. You can also grab dinner at the Pollock Dining Room right on the Skyland Resort campus. Their blackberry themed dishes are fantastic, especially their signature blackberry ice cream pie dessert. Before you settle in, though, you will want to check out the nearby Limberlost Trail. It’s a short mile and a half trail that’s also accessible. It’s a great introduction to the flora of the area and a nice warmup before the more strenuous hikes you will do in the following days.

Begin your third day by heading back to the Pollock Dining Room and enjoying an all you can eat breakfast buffet. From there you can take on a big hike. You have two choices: Old Rag or Whiteoak Canyon and Cedar Run Trail Loop. Old Rag is considered the premiere hike in the park with its infamous rock scramble. However, it’s a bit of a drive to get to as it's inaccessible from Skyline Drive. Whiteoak Canyon and Cedar Run Trail Loop is my personal favorite hike in the park as it weaves its way through multiple waterfalls and swimming holes. However, it has nowhere near the same hiking culture cache as Old Rag does. You can’t go wrong with either hike. Just know that both are about eight miles in length with about two thousand feet in elevation gain. Quite simply they are tough hikes. If you do choose Old Rag just make sure to get a permit in advance. They only sellout during holiday and summer weekends so you should be able to get one easily on recreation.gov. You can spend your next evening at Big Meadows Lodge. The lodge is very similar to Skyland Resort but its restaurant area, New Market Taproom, has a much more southern charm to it. Additionally, the Big Meadows area is a more visually unique area that attracts most of the park’s animals including deer, bear and turkey. You should spend some of your evening exploring the open expanse of meadows. Make sure you catch the sunset at the nearby The Point Overlook. It’s the best view in the entire park. 

Day four involves a lot of driving as you have to make your way to the Roanoke, Virginia area, and you have to do it by way of the southern portion of Skyline Drive and your next park on the trip, Blue Ridge Parkway. Blue Ridge Parkway is a recreational auto route that connects Shenandoah National Park and Great Smoky Mountains. It’s also usually the most visited unit in the entire National Park Service every single year. The park’s best and most unique views are in the southern portion of the park, which you will not be able to get to on this trip. However, make sure to leave yourself enough time to do the hike up to Sharp Top Mountain. It’s a steep but interesting hike that delivers expansive views of the surrounding mountains. 

To start your fifth day, take the thirty minute drive from Roanoke, Virginia to Booker T. Washington National Monument. This park preserves the farm and surrounding areas of where Booker T. Washington was born into slavery. Booker T. Washington became the most influential African-American of his time. The park does a great job of interpreting the entire life of this man while also preserving an immense set of natural environments. Take a hike on the Jack-o-Lantern Trail as it's a deceptively great hike through woods, river banks and farmland. Your next stop, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, is an hour and a half away. Appomattox Court House National Historical Park preserves the area in which Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, which marked the beginning of the end of the American Civil War. The main highlight of the park is the McLean House, the building where the surrender took place. However, there is much more to explore beyond this. The visitor center also serves as a very detailed, two-story museum. An entire village has been reconstructed so you can explore how a community functioned back in the 19th century, and nearby trails leading to meadows where armies were posted make for good walks. 

Day six begins with the long two and a half hour drive to Prince William Forest Park. Prince William Forest Park is a CCC era park that has come under the wing of the National Park Service. In some ways it’s reminiscent of Greenbelt Park in Maryland, but it’s much more expansive. If you hike the Pyrite Mine Loop Trail you will hit most of the park’s highlights. It’s a little long at seven miles in length, but it’s flat enough to not be too challenging. It also connects with part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, a national park site that preserves some of the natural and historical features near the Potomac River. Finish the day by taking the forty-five minute drive to the Fairfax/Reston area to stay the night. If you get there in enough time to enjoy an evening show at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts take up that opportunity. If not you can explore the non-theatrical portions of the park on your final day.

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is one of the most unique parks in the National Park Service as it was donated by a philanthropist with the purpose of being a cultural and educational center. The park hosts daily concerts and musicals during the summer months and does educational programs for kids. Despite that you can still get enjoyment out of this park if you are not going for a show. Three hiking trails somehow find a way to disappear into the woods in this densely populated area. It’s a nice break from the commotion of the DC area. The airport is now only a short drive away.