Two National Parks For You This Time- Shenandoah and Manassas

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Shenandoah National Park

This one offers over 200,000 acres of protected lands in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.  It was established in 1935 and draws well over a million visitors every year who enter the park through one of its four entrances. The most northern of these entrance stations is Front Royal at Mile 0. Thornton Gap is at Mile 31.5.  At Mile 65.5 you can enter through the Swift Run Gap Entrance Station. And, finally, find, at Mile 104.6, the entrance known as Rockfish Gap. 

We entered the park through the Front Royal Entrance Station 70 miles west of Washington, D.C. This is the one most used of the four. The views were breathtaking. We enjoyed the changes in temperature as we rode to higher elevations then coasted downward. We didn't hike at all as we visited Shenandoah, but that didn't stop us from enjoying every mile! If ever in the park again, we just might check out some of the more than 500 miles of trails. 












Manassas National Battlefield Park




We were greeted by some amazing attendants and rangers and had the pleasure of being led by a very informed and engaging ranger, Abby, who taught us so much about the battles fought here. They are officially called the First Battle of Bull Run (aka the Battle of First Manassas) and the Second Battle of Bull Run (Battle of Second Manassas). We found out that this is where General Thomas Jonathan Jackson began being known as "Stonewall". 

 Being on that land as she relayed to us what took place there was sobering. We gathered knowledge about Henry Hill and the war's first civilian casualty. Judith Carter Henry was killed during the First Battle of Bull Run. She was bedridden and didn't want to be removed from her home. She was steadfast in her decision, but it was one that led to loss of life that day. Below is the Henry House which was built in 1870 near where the first house stood.












"Stonewall" Jackson is seen here in a much more than necessary hero-like pose that even he himself might not love if given the chance to see it. We have seen many similar portrayals as we tour different national sites that even the individuals they are made to commemorate might question. 





A very few pieces of information are all that are mentioned here. They don't even begin to cover all that can be found when visiting. The grounds are awesome. The Henry Hill Visitor Center is a great place to start before venturing out for more. This was a pleasant learning experience for us and a definite launching pad to more Civil War history.



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