First and foremost, the name Shenandoah conjures up a legendary river, one that flows through America's past in song, print, and folklore. And the valley that bears its name is easily the most beautiful in Virginia, an idyllic landscape of rolling hills and pastures, bounded by mountains on either side and bisected by the majestic river. Shenandoah National Park lies high above this classic American panorama, 300 square miles stretched out along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a precious reminder of the great hardwood forest that once blanketed the northeastern United States.
