Just 75 miles west of DC, Shenandoah National Park contains seemingly endless acres of dense forests, deep rocky ravines and surging waterfalls. Far from being untouched for the past three hundred years, this natural landscape was created when hundreds of small family farms and homesteads were brought up by the state and federal governments during the Depression, and the land was left to revert to its natural state. Shenandoah, meaning "river of high mountains" has one of the most scenic byways in the USA, the Skyline Drives: a thin ribbon of pavement curving along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The views are incredible.
Get the most out of the parks wide open spaces on one of the many hiking trails.