• 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.

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Founders Day Celebration

A young visitor gets a "hands on" experience with a stuffed fawn.
NPS | John F. Mitchell
 
Join us as we celebrate the 96th birthday of the National Park Service by offering special programs and activities for children of all ages. Programs will celebrate the role the National Park Service has played in protecting and preserving our national treasures so that future generations can enjoy them.

The National Park Service was established on August 25, 1916. The United States was the first country in the world to set aside its most significant places as national parks so that they could be enjoyed by all. Today, the National Park Service cares for 397 national parks throughout the country - each one an important part of our collective identity. Some parks commemorate notable people and achievements, others conserve magnificent landscapes and natural wonders, and all provide a place to have fun and learn something.

Events will take place at both Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, mile 4.6 on Skyline Drive, and Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Visitor Center, milepost 51 on Skyline Drive, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Did You Know?

Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover sitting on the porch of the Brown House at Rapidan Camp in Shenandoah National Park.

In 1928, wanting to escape the heat and humidity of summers in Washington, D.C., Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover began looking for a "summer place" within a day's drive of the city. The Hoovers acquired land within the proposed Shenandoah National Park and built Rapidan Camp, their summer White House.