• Visitors bask in a golden sunset at Dickey Ridge Visitor Center in Shenandoah National Park

    Shenandoah

    National Park Virginia

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  • Vehicle Fuel Available at Big Meadows ONLY!

    Vehicle fuel is only available at Big Meadows (mile 52). Gas service has been discontinued at the Loft and Elkwallow areas.

Groundwater

Groundwater Model

Groundwater Model

(UK Groundwater Forum)

Two significant publications (DeKay 1972, Plummer et al 2001), fully cited below, provide both general descriptions of groundwater conditions throughout the park as well as specific conditions in the Big Meadows area. Groundwater withdrawal and condition are of particular interest because of relationships between high elevation ridge tops that tend to receive more moisture but that do not accumulate the water, presence of visitor use facilities along the crest of the ridge with associated high demand for potable water and withdrawal problems, and potential exposure to pollutants.

Related Information

Useful references specific to Shenandoah National Park groundwater are:

DeKay, R.H. 1972. Development of ground-water supplies in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Mineral Resources Report 10. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources. 158pp.

Plummer, L.N., E. Busenburg, J.K. Bohlke, D.L. Nelms, R.L. Michel, and P. Schlosser. 2001. Ground water residence times in Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Mountain, Virginia, USA, A multi-tracer approach. Chemical Geology, v. 179/1-4, pp. 93-111.

Did You Know?

A hiker is dwarfed by the huge, round, lichen-covered boulders of Old Rag Mountain.

The large rounded boulders on the top of Old Rag, Shenandoah National Park’s most popular peak, were formed in place by chemical and physical weathering, called spheroidal weathering.