Virginia, USA: 1. Shenandoah NP & Luray Caverns

Index to Virginia:

Page 1 (this page): Appalachians (geologic map): Shenandoah National Park , Luray Caverns
Page 2: Appalachians: Cumberland Gap , Natural Tunnel State Park
Page 3: Plantations: Virginia historic maps , Historic Jamestowne (Pocahontas), Colonial Williamsburg , Shirley Plantation , Monticello / Thomas Jefferson , University of Virginia Rotunda

Shenandoah National Park

Skyline Drive is a National Scenic Byway which runs 105 miles (169 km) along the ridge of long and narrow Shenandoah National Park, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with the broad Shenandoah River and valley on the west side, and the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont to the east. The south end of Skyline Drive connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile (755 km) long scenic highway that ends in North Carolina at the east entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (which spans into Tennessee). The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachians (see map). Trees release a haze of hydrocarbon gases which selectively backscatter blue light, the name source for the Blue Ridge Mountains. Shenandoah NP was authorized in 1926 and fully established on December 26, 1935. Almost 40% of its land has been designated as Wilderness, protected as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Skyline Drive atop Shenandoah National Park provides good views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains, in Virginia, USA.

Appalachians Map

Left: The Appalachians are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians. The USGS defines the Appalachian Highlands physiographic division as consisting of thirteen provinces: the Atlantic Coast Uplands, Eastern Newfoundland Atlantic, Maritime Acadian Highlands, Maritime Plain, Notre Dame And Megantic Mountains, Western Newfoundland Mountains, Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge, Saint Lawrence Valley, Appalachian Plateaus, New England province, and the Adirondack provinces. A common variant definition does not include the Adirondack Mountains, which are often said to have more in common with the Canadian Shield than the Appalachians.

Above: Purple, orange, magenta and green fall leaf colors glow in Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia. (Photo Copyright by Carol Dempsey.)

Left: An orange sunset glows behind a tree silhouette on Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

Below: The last orange glow of sunset shines over the Blue Ridge Mountains, seen from Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

Left: Dark Hollow Falls is a very popular 1.4 mile (2 km) round trip hike from Skyline Drive (at highway mile marker 50.7), in Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia.

Below: Leaves of orange and yellow stand in contrast to a blue-green lichen covered boulder, in Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia.

Left: Trees release a haze of hydrocarbon gases which selectively backscatter blue light, the name source for the Blue Ridge Mountains, seen in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

Above: Dark Hollow Falls is a pretty waterfall in Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia.

Left: An exposure of 1/8 second blurs to flow of Dark Hollow Falls in Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia.

Below: On weekends, Shenandoah National Park can get very busy, with long lines of cars.

Luray Caverns

The spectacular Luray Caverns are a commercially operated underground cavern system just west of Luray, Virginia. Discovered in 1878 and originally called Luray Cave, the Caverns are in the Shenandoah Valley just east of the Allegheny Range of the Appalachian Mountains. Luray, Virginia is a 10 minute drive from the central entrance to Skyline Drive at Thornton Gap in Shenandoah National Park. Luray Caverns are millions of years old, formed within rock layers that themselves date back 400 million years. A vast array of "speleothems" such as columns, mud flows, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone and mirrored pools generously adorn the caverns. The stalactites of Luray Caverns continue to grow by about 1 cubic inch per 120 years. Visitors enjoy automated performances of the Great Stalacpipe Organ, a "lithophone" made from solenoid fired strikers that tap stalactites of various sizes to produce tones that sound like xylophones, tuning forks, or bells.

Stalactites cling to the ceiling and reflect in a pool of crystal clear water in Luray Caverns, Luray, Virginia.

Above: Visitors wander the concrete paths in Luray Caverns in awe of the large columns, stalactites, stalagmites, mud flows and flowstone.

Left: Flowing stone forms a toothed mouth that swallows visitors in Luray Caverns.

Below: Luray Caverns offer endless abstract imagery.

Left: A railed pathway curves through a large cavern of stalactites, stalagmites, mud flows and flowstone. Luray Caverns image #08VA-1042.jpg

Below: Columns rise to a cave ceiling in Luray Caverns.

Left: A stone pathway with secure railing funnels visitors deeper into the Luray Caverns.

Below: A fallen stalactite rests on the cavern floor.

Left: The Great Stalacpipe Organ is a "lithophone" made from solenoid fired strikers that tap stalactites of various sizes to produce tones that sound like xylophones, tuning forks, or bells. Cave operators claim the Great Stalacpipe Organ to be the world's largest musical instrument. Stalactites covering 3 1/2 acres of the surrounding caverns produce tones of symphonic quality when electronically tapped by rubber-tipped mallets. This unique instrument was conceived by Mr. Leland W. Sprinkle of Springfield, Virginia, a mathematician and electronics scientist at the Pentagon. It is usually played automatically for visitors, but also can be played manually from the keyboard.

Below: Visitors enjoy an automated performance of the Great Stalacpipe Organ.

Left: The Wishing Well glows blue-green at Luray Caverns.

Below: These formations remind me of a heat radiator, although the temperature inside Luray Caverns remains a constant 54 degrees Fahrenheit all year.

Below:

Left: Growing flowstone covers the walls.

Left: When stalactites grow to meet rising stalagmites, they form a column. To remember which is which, stalactites (spelled with a "c") cling "tightly" to the ceiling, and stalagmites (spelled with a "g") "might" reach the ceiling someday.

Below: Columns in Luray Caverns rise up to 40 feet.

Left: Impressive stalactites, stalagmites and columns line Luray Caverns.

Below: Visitors tour the caverns in guided groups on easy ramps and stairs.

Right: Skyline Drive follows ridge tops for 105 miles, providing great sunset vistas over the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Shenandoah National Park (see more above), Virginia.

Virginia, USA: 1. Shenandoah National Park

Index to Virginia:

Page 1 (top of this page): Appalachians (geologic map): Shenandoah National Park , Luray Caverns
Page 2: Appalachians: Cumberland Gap , Natural Tunnel State Park
Page 3: Plantations: Virginia historic maps , Historic Jamestowne (Pocahontas), Colonial Williamsburg , Shirley Plantation , Monticello / Thomas Jefferson , University of Virginia Rotunda

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