Shenandoah Valley

Understand

The Shenandoah Valley is formed by two mountain ranges, the Blue Ridge on the east and the Appalachian on the west. Another mountain ridge, the Massanutten, runs down the middle, as does the Shenandoah River. The Shenandoah Valley is believed to have been named by a lost Native American tribe. The meaning of the name is disputed, but the most popular interpretation is “daughter of the stars”.

Intrepid Englishmen began to explore and settle the valley in the early 18th century. Germans and Scots-Irish first entered the valley from the north in the 1730s. A young George Washington worked in the area as a surveyor for Lord Fairfax. Locals such as Daniel Morgan, Peter Muhlenberg, and George Rogers Clark distinguished themselves during the War of Independence.

During the American Civil War, the Shenandoah Valley was the site of many battles, primarily because the region’s moniker, “the breadbasket of the Confederacy”. If Union troops could control the valley, they would cut off a large portion of the Confederate troops’ rations. Most notably, during the Peninsula campaign, the first large scale Northern offensive to capture Richmond, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and his men managed to draw away vastly superior Union numbers, that ended up unable to aid McClellan's ultimately failed attempt to capture Richmond. The city of Winchester, at the northern end of the valley, traded hands over 80 times during the war. The most important battle fought in the region was the Battle of New Market.

Get in

By car

• Interstate 66 West from Washington, D.C.
• Interstate 64 West from Richmond, Virginia
• Interstate 64 East from West Virginia

By bus

• Greyhound operates bus stations in Charlottesville, and Lynchburg. Buses connect with Washington, D.C., and Richmond, with transfers available for further destinations.

By train

• Amtrak operates train stations located in Staunton, Clifton Forge, and Charlottesville. Trains connect with Washington, D.C., and Chicago.

By plane

• Washington Dulles International Airport, with scheduled commercial flights from many cities around the world. It is about a one-hour drive (65 mi, 106 km) from the northern area of the Shenandoah Valley.
• Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport in Charlottesville is a small airport with scheduled commercial service from several cities in the U.S. It is about a 30-minute drive (35 miles, 55 km) from the central area of the Shenandoah Valley.
• Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD) in Weyers Cave.
• Luray Caverns Airport (W45) near Luray is a small general aviation airport with no commercial flights.

Get around

A car is essential for touring the region.

• Interstate 81 runs the length of the valley
• Skyline Drive, one of the most scenic routes in the country, is in Shenandoah National Park.

Go next

• Washington, D.C.
• Richmond
• Roanoke
• Potomac Highlands of West Virginia

Cities and towns

North

• Bentonville
• Berryville
• Front Royal
• Middletown
• Mount Jackson
• Winchester — This great old town has a wonderful historic district with a nice pedestrian mall.
• White Post

Central and South

• Basye
• Bridgewater
• Edinburg
• Harrisonburg
• Luray
• New Market
• Staunton
• Strasburg
• Stuarts Draft
• Warm Springs, Bath County
• Waynesboro

Other destinations

• Shenandoah National Park - runs along the Blue Ridge Mountains from the town of Front Royal to the Waynesboro area. Skyline Drive, the main route through the park, is busiest in autumn due to the colorful foliage.