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This 1940 photo of the North Entrance Checking Station shows the newly built structure.
NPS Photo
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Welcome to Shenandoah National Park!
Entrance station staff have welcomed millions of visitors over the decades. First called "Checking Stations," later "Ranger Stations," and now "Entrance Stations" these buildings signal the beginning of a grand adventure for many who pass through them. This 1940 photo of the North Entrance Checking Station shows the newly built structure. It was replaced in 1966 with the current building.
On April 28, 1997, Skyline Drive was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The idea behind the construction of Skyline Drive was to create a western park experience in the east. Come experience the 105 miles of beauty and history the scenic Skyline Drive has to offer!
North Entrance Sign in 1997.
NPS Photo
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The birth of national parks in the late 19th centry brought with it a unique and new style known as National Park Service (NPS) Rustic or, as it's more affectionately known by NPS staff, 'Parkitecture.'
Infused with native materials, natural whole logs, and built by hand (or meant to look as if it was), 'Parkitecture' defines the National Park Service experience in the collective memories of visitors just as much as our natural landscapes. In part, this is because the buildings were designed with the purpose of blending into landscapes instead of imposing upon them.
Notice the natural structure of the north entrance sign and building. Throughout Shenandoah, there are even more examples of 'Parkitecture' as you explore entrance stations, lodges and cabins, visitor centers, and informational kiosks at scenic overlooks.
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The initial plan called for wooden guardrails made from fallen chestnut trees. However, landscape architect Charles Peterson advocated for stone walls instead, drawing inspiration from those found at Mt Rainier.
During Franklin D. Roosevelt's visit to Rapidan Camp with Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes, he was accompanied by Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, who frequently expressed concern regarding the cost of the stone walls, referring to them as a "Hoover extravagance." Prior to arriving at Marys Rock Tunnel, Morgenthau voiced his objections again, prompting President Roosevelt, who was driving, to remark “Aw, shut up Henry…Nobody gets more scared than you do. If it wasn’t for that wall, you’d be out walking.” According to National Park Service Director Albright in an oral history interview, made April 14, 1969, by R. Taylor Hoskins, E. Ray Schaffner, and Bruce McHenry, SNPRMR, Oral History Collection, Box #1
Miles of historic rock walls line the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, many of which have been there since the 1930s. Thanks to your support, we can continue to maintain these iconic structures well into the future.
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Skyline Drive features more than 70 scenic overlooks and vistas! This first, Shenandoah Valley Overlook, is just beyond the Front Royal entrance.
Historic Dickey Ridge Lodge
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Dickey Ridge was initially planned as a multi-use development constructed by the park concessionaire to provide services to motorists along Skyline Drive. The Virginia Sky-Line Company secured the concessionaire contract in 1937, and the next year Dickey Ridge Lodge was completed. Site amenities included a gas station, dining services, overnight accommodations, and picnic areas.
Dickey Ridge Lodge officially opened to the public on July 7, 1938. On opening night there were more than 300 guests in attendance, enjoying dinner and dancing into the early morning! The Park Service purchased the building in 1957, when it was converted into a visitor center. The trees have grown up, the tables and umbrellas are now gone, but the wormy chestnut walls, the flagstone terrace and the panoramic views remain the same.
Shenandoah National Park Association (SNPA) is Shenandoah National Park's official cooperating association that sells books, maps, videos, and other items in the park's visitor centers like Dickey Ridge. All profits are returned to support the interpretive and educational programs of Shenandoah National Park.
Many visitors hike Snead Farm Loop to see the Carter family's barn.
NPS Photo
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Snead Farm Loop is located across Skyline Drive from the Dickey Ridge area. A main point of interest along this hike is one of the many orchards that existed before the park's establishment. The fruit trees found in the park remind us that orchards served as an important source of income for farmers who once lived in the area. In the vicinity of Dickey Ridge the Carter family operated Skyland Orchard which, at its peak, had 8,000 fruit trees.
Along the Appalachian Trail is Compton Peak. This hike is a little more than two miles long, round-trip from the Compton Gap parking area at mile 10.4. Moderate in difficulty, the hike is well worth the effort to see the geologic feature called columnar jointing.
The columnar jointing visible at Compton Peak is part of the Catoctin Formation, a geologic unit of bluish-green metabasalt that originated from ancient lava flows.The United States Geological Survey notes, “when lava contracts and cools in certain conditions, it can form polygonal cracks, which look like honeycomb from above."
Below the Little Devils Stairs Overlook, a cold trickle of water begins a long journey. Keyser Run forms along these slopes, carving the steep gorge that hikers explore on the Little Devils Stairs Trail, a 7.4 mile circuit hike that begins at mile 19.4. As the water drops from boulder to boulder, the stream picks up strength, joins larger rivers, and ultimately feeds the Chesapeake Bay.
In fact, the hundreds of small streams in Shenandoah are an important part of the headwaters of the Rappahannock, Potomac, and James Rivers. Protecting these streams protects the drinking water for millions from mountain to city and contributes to the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
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Left image
PATC members laying out a future trail near the Range View Cabin.
Credit: NPS Photo
Right image
Present day Range View Cabin
Credit: NPS Photo
Just down the Piney River Trail is Range View Cabin, one of six cabins operated by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC). With the exception of the stonework, PATC volunteers built the cabin in 1932. The club hired local stonemason, Charlie Sisk, whose skills were also frequently used at Skyland.
Explore the virtual tour to learn more about Range View Cabin.
Thornton Gap Entrance Station and Panorama Resort circa 1937.
NPS Photo
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Thornton Gap
Thornton Gap was named for Francis Thornton (1711-April 14, 1749), owner of the land to the east and the "F.T. Valley." In 1740, he built a mansion in the Piedmont region near Nethers in Rappahannock County. The privately-owned Thornton's Gap Turnpike Company was formed to build a road over the mountains at Thornton's Gap. The toll road opened in 1806.
During the Civil War, the Great Valley of Virginia was known as the "breadbasket of the Confederacy" and so was the scene of intensive military action and much destruction. But the Blue Ridge Mountains witnessed only limited military actions and few depredations as the contending armies merely passed through on their way to larger confrontations.
Thornton was one of many passageways that led across the Blue Ridge. Two others were the Gordonsville Turnpike that crossed the Blue Ridge at Fishers Gap and Swift Run Gap Turnpike that crossed at Swift Run Gap. But when Skyline Drive was completed in the 1930s, the National Park Service chose to limit vehicular access to the mountaintop and closed the many roads that crossed the ridge. Today, many of these historic routes are maintained as fire roads or provide limited access for administrative purposes.
Panorama Resort
On July 20, 1924, Panorama Resort opened its doors to guests. Managed by J. Allen Williams of Luray, the resort was located seven miles east of Luray. Straddling Page and Rappahannock counties, the property occupied approximately 350 acres including Mary's Rock. The site had been purchased in 1923 by Williams, his brother-in-law Paul Taylor of Washington, D.C., and R. L. Cheatham and A.M. Priest of Washington, Virginia. By 1928 the resort included a Tea Room, summer hotel, five cottages, dining room, bath house, miniature golf course, tennis court, and various other service buildings.
