The Breathtaking Adventure to Shenandoah National Park

By: Param Pachchigar

It was early in the morning, and we were packing our things to go to a place that me and my family have never been to Shenandoah National Park. I was pretty excited and after all the packing was done, we were ready to leave. From my house in Massachusetts, this national park was about nine hours away. So, we kept that in our mind, noting that there could be traffic.

The Journey

We left in the afternoon, and we were going to stay at the tip of West Virginia for the night. Where we were staying was only a one-hour drive from Shenandoah, which helped us a lot. About half way through the trip, we stopped at a gas station in New Jersey, and when we were filling our car with gas, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. It was a shiny thing that had scales like a reptile. When I got a closer look, it turned out to be a snake shed! I was astonished that a snake was once just outside this gas station and it shed its skin! Wow!

After the incident of the snake skin, we hit the road again, and the second half felt pretty quick. Mostly because I was sleeping in the car, and when I woke up, we had reached our hotel for the night in West Virginia. It was one at midnight! We slept there for the night and left the hotel at about ten-thirty in the morning. 

Appalachians

When we left, we were straight away welcomed by the country roads, and the Appalachian Mountains in all directions! It was breathtaking and the landscape was beautiful. After about thirty minutes, we left West Virginia, and entered the state of Virginia! Now, it was just a drive through the Appalachians until we reached Shenandoah! Overhead, I could see turkey, vultures and red-tailed hawks. Soon enough, we had entered Skyline Drive, a scenic road that is one hundred and five miles long, that winds through Shenandoah National Park. Once we were on Skyline Drive, it was not long till we reached the entrance of the park. We took some photos there and then moved on.

We decided it was best if we stopped by at the visitor center to ask some questions. Since we entered the national park from the north, the visitor center that was closest to us was the Dickey Ridge. Once there, I asked some of the questions I wanted to, and after that we were back on Skyline Drive. There were many overlooks on the side of the road, and almost all of them were absolutely breathtaking. It is the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a section of the longer and larger Appalachian Mountains. At almost every overlook, we stopped to take pictures because of how beautiful they were.

The eastern garter snake

As we were stopping at the overlooks, and taking in the vistas, I looked near the edge of the road since I knew that it could potentially have a snake. And I was exactly right.

At one of the seventy-five overlooks on Skyline Drive, I spotted something yellow and black with scales curled up in a ball in the grass. I knew exactly what it was. It was a snake, but one that I am very used to seeing. It was an eastern garter snake. This species is one of the most common snakes in most parts of its range, which is throughout North America. I was not too surprised that I had found this species since it was one of the most common species, even coming in my backyard! But every time I see a snake, I get excited, so it was no different.

After showing the garter snake to my family, we were back onto Skyline Drive. And that is when we saw a family of white-tailed deer. It was a fawn and a mother deer. They quickly ran off into the forest as other cars drove close. But wow! Another cool animal!

National park 

We were planning to hike on one of the trails since we were driving the whole time. Since the national park is famous for its waterfalls, we decided to hike one of those kinds of trails. But for us, the trail we were going to go on was a bit of a drive from where we were in the park. Either way, we decided to continue to go there. On our way, we saw another white-tailed deer cross the road. The deer was pretty cool. For me, they seemed to be common on the sides of Skyline Drive.

 

After observing the deer, we were only about twenty-five minutes away from the trail with the waterfall. Once in a while on the road, there was a really brightly colored red bird with black wings perching on the trees along the road. I did not know what this bird was at first but I figured out that it was this migrating bird called a scarlet tanager. Cool!

Before I knew it, we were there. The trail followed a little stream and there were many small rocks around it. I knew that this spot could hold some creatures that I do not see every day. So, I decided that I would go down to the stream and see what I can find. Up in the trees, I saw some really cool warbler-like birds that were singing and chirping. In the stream, I did not see much on the surface. So, I decided to very carefully flip a rock to see what is under. Under the very first rock, I found a salamander. I identified it as a two-lined salamander. Cool! Under the second rock, I found nothing. Still, I put it back as carefully as possible. After that, I found a crayfish. A crayfish is an animal that looks a lot like a lobster and it lives in freshwater. Nice! After that, I found another species of salamander. This one was mostly all gray and hard to tell, but it was a dusky salamander. Awesome! Then, near the edge of the stream, I saw another grayish salamander. But this one did not look like a dusky salamander. It was a seal salamander! This was a species that I had never seen before! Excellent! Since it was out in the open, I decided to take a good zoom in picture of it. It was just brilliant.

After all the crazy stream creatures, it was time we hike down to the waterfall. The forest was beautiful as wildflowers and moss blanketed the forest floor and the leaves shaded the wilderness like a roof. After about twenty minutes of walking downhill, we were here. The waterfall was absolutely amazing. It was one of the best that I had ever seen. After taking some photos, it was time to take the walk back to the car. Honestly, it was harder to go back since we had to go uphill. But no complaints, because this was one of the most beautiful trails I have ever hiked.

Once we reached the car, we were back on Skyline Drive. A couple minutes in, we saw another white-tailed deer cross the road. They were so common here! We once again took a moment to admire it, and then we continued our driving. At this point, it was about six in the evening. My family and I decided that we would just drive around. That took around an hour, and it was seven, as the sun was getting a little bit lower in the sky. It was time to get some dinner, and we left the park from the Swift Run Gap.

After we had our dinner, we had to go to the place where we were staying for the night. Unlike the hotel in West Virginia, it was a house in the middle of a forest. It was nice, and pretty big. One of the things I wanted to see on this trip was a black rat snake, and this house looked good to find one, since they can sometimes live around humans. Around sunset, I looked around the house and at the rock wall that was near the edge of the road and driveway. But all I found was a slug. Soon enough, the sun set in the sky and it was dark outside. As the night began to take over, fireflies lit up the edge of the forest and it was a light show. We watched them flashing their lights. It was very nice and lit up in the dark.

Black Rat Snake

The next day, I woke up at around seven-thirty. We were ready to leave at around nine. Since we were early, my dad took me for a walk around the house, which was a perfect environment for snakes and other creatures. We looked around crevices and the rock walls. Nothing. Just little beetles and a slug. We walked for about twenty-five minutes and when we were about to return to the house to get everyone outside, I saw a black pipe-like thing move into a crevice in the rock wall. I knew what it was. It was a black rat snake. But it went in a hole! I need a picture of it! So, while my dad was calling everyone to come in the car, I decided to wait for it to come out of its hole. And sure enough, it poked its head out of the hole and I got a picture. But once it saw me again, it went right back in its hole. But still, I was extremely happy that I got to see a snake species that I have wanted to see for a long time.

After that black rat snake encounter, it was time for us to leave the house and go to Shenandoah National Park which was only twenty minutes away. In no time, we had reached the park entrance. Today, our plan was to hike up a mountain to hopefully find some cool creatures like bears and snakes. Before the hike, we ate lunch. Then, we started our walk. The trail was nice and the temperature in the forest was much cooler than the open areas where the sun would reach. There were rocky outcrops which were perfect for venomous snakes like the copperhead and timber rattlesnake. We were careful on where we stepped and after about thirty-five minutes, we had reached an area full of rocks, with direct sunshine, creating a perfect habitat for animals. We looked around but nothing. Just the spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains in all directions. We continued on the trail and looked in the crevices of the rocks. Still nothing. After a little while, we reached the place with all the great views. It was on top of one of the mountains. This is one of the best views so far that I had seen in this national park.

After taking in the views, we started to make our way back to the car. On our way back, we saw many unique species of mushroom that came in all colors. After about thirty minutes of walking, we made it to the car. We did not see much but it is okay. Since I already saw the black rat snake, I was satisfied and did not mind.

Deer Encounter

After the hike, we drove around a little bit on Skyline Drive. It was not long till we found another white-tailed deer. After the deer encounter, there was another overlook. This one connected to the Appalachian Trail. This trail is so long and it extends from Maine to Georgia! That is over two-thousand miles! There, we met a hiker. He said that he had started his walk from Maine! That is crazy!

After taking some photos of that overlook, we drove around some more on Skyline Drive. Since we were near the southern tip of the park at that time, we decided to finish the whole Skyline Drive till the end. We still had a good fifteen miles to cover to finish the drive. It took about twenty-five minutes and we were done! The one hundred and five miles of Skyline Drive has been finished!

Once we finished Skyline Drive, we decided we would drive around on some other country roads surrounding the park, and then go back to the house. The views were great and we had a lot of fun. On our way back to the house we were staying in, we saw yet another deer!

Fireflies

Once we reached home, the sun was getting lower in the sky and we began to see the flashes of light we saw the night before. They were the fireflies! Since I had a container with me, I wanted to see if I could catch one of these lighting bugs. In the grass, I saw a lot of them. Boom! Got one! When I observed it in the container, I noticed that they are actually beetles and not flies. They create the light because of a chemical reaction. This natural light is known as bioluminescence. Since these insects have a molecule called luciferin in their bodies, it mixes with oxygen, and creates the bioluminescent light! Fireflies light up to attract mates and also make the light to warn predators. In a couple of minutes, it was time to let it go back into the environment.

After catching some more fireflies, it was time to have a campfire. It was pretty fun and I enjoyed it very much. Just when me and my mom were returning inside the house, something was jumping around our feet. When we looked down, it was an American toad! This is a species that is common in Massachusetts, but one that I like very much. We observed the toad for a couple seconds and then we went inside.

It was our last day in Virginia, and we were up early, ready to leave. I checked the spot where I had seen the black rat snake the day before, but it was not there. Then, we were ready to leave for the last few hours in Shenandoah National Park. In about twenty minutes, we entered the park. In about five minutes of driving, we had spotted our first deer. This one quickly ran off into the forest. We decided that for my final few hours in Shenandoah National Park, we would go for another waterfall hike for one hour and thirty minutes.

 

Once we reached, we started the walk. This one was also following a stream and that was nice. Since it was early summer, a lot of vegetation was growing in the forest. This made it a maze of green in every direction. This area was also known for its copperhead snake population so we watched our step. The trail was exquisite. It was beautiful and I could tell this place had a lot of wildlife. After about forty minutes of walking through the dense forest trails, we made it to the spot where you can see the waterfall. It was huge and I really liked all the sounds from it. I took some photos and we chilled there for a couple of minutes. After that, it was time to go back. We decided to go there on the same trail because if we missed something, we could see it. After about twenty-five minutes of hiking, I spotted a goldish-tan thing sticking up out of a cave. For me, it looked like it could be a venomous copperhead. When I took the photo, I got a closer look, and it did really look like it was a copperhead. When my dad saw it, he said that it looked like a copperhead, too. And sure enough, it was. Curled up in a ball, it was waiting motionless in ambush for any prey to pass by. What a cool snake. It was one that I had never seen before. Wow!

 

Lizard

After about five minutes from the copperhead encounter, I saw a flash of blue on the side of a tree. When I looked closer, it was a lizard. This species is found across the eastern United States and known as the five-lined skink. This one was pretty young so it had its nice bright blue tail.

After the cool skink encounter, we were almost there in the car. There was a little opening there in the bushes and a little bit of access to the stream that was following the trail. I went there to see if anything was around, and sure enough, I spotted a salamander on the edge of the stream. It was a dusky salamander. Since it was in the open, I decided to take some photos.

 

After taking some photos of the salamander, me and my family went back to the car. We went back onto Skyline Drive and we stopped at our last few overlooks. At one of them, I spotted a bright blue bird perched on a tree. This one is known as an indigo bunting. I took some photos and we were back on Skyline Drive.

 

After the final overlook, it was time to say bye to Shenandoah National Park. In Shenandoah, I have got to see some common, illusive, and rare creatures, and some that I will never forget.

Author’s Note

Shenandoah National Park is one of my most favorite national parks and it is very important to protect an area like this. Remember, when hiking, camping, or even spending time in national parks, leave no trace. This means do not litter, hurt, fragment, destroy, or do anything that harms the environment. Always leave animals, plants, and other organisms where they belong. When flipping rocks or rolling logs remember: It is the animal or organism’s home. Do it as carefully as possible or do not. Also, remember to be safe. Wildlife can be unpredictable or toxic so keep your distance. In Shenandoah National Park, we hiked many trails, and saw a large amount of wildlife. Shenandoah is a great, must-visit national park. Some recommended areas in the park are Big Meadows, South River, Loft Mountain, and the Riprap area. For more information about the park, ask a ranger.

Overall, Shenandoah National Park is a place that I will never forget. I will definitely visit this national park again. Shenandoah is full of beauty, wildlife, mountains, scenic roads, and everything a national park has. Shenandoah is one of the national parks that is always going to be one of my favorites.

Date Visited: July 3rd to July 5th

Travel Dates: July 2nd and July 5th

 

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This article  is published by Bookosmia, India’s #1 publisher for and by young people. Bookosmia publishes stories, books, podcasts, events, TED-Ed talks, workshops, bedtime stories and more related to kids and young adults.

Photo Credit – Copyright Free, Royalty Free images from Param Pachchigar

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