Architecture and Landscapes of Shenandoah National Park

Photographed for the 80^th anniversary of the park in June 2016, and the centennial of the National Park Service. All images photographed with film.

In the forested uplands of northwestern Virginia, Shenandoah park overlooks the valley of the river for which it is named. Elevations range from 560 to over 4000 feet. Skyline Drive, a 105-mile parkway, traverses the ridges of the park. Following the dedication of Shenandoah National Park in 1936, a lodge and cabins for visitors were constructed at Big Meadows in a rustic, utilitarian style, yet which featured a dining room with elegant chestnut paneling. A second lodging area, Skyland, was later developed at the location of a small resort established in the 1880s.

		Entrance, Laurel lodgings, Skyland
		Laurel lodgings
		Balcony, Raven’s Nest lodgings, Skyland
		Big Meadows Lodge. Among the original National Park lodges, the historic hostelry was constructed in 1939.
		Dining Room, Big Meadows Lodge
		Lodging, Big Meadows
		Byrd’s Nest shelter for hikers on Appalachian Trail
		“Copper kettle” trail marker at Skyland
		Misty horseshoe curve in trail from Skyland dining room to lodgings in lower meadow
		Mountain cabin at dusk
		Rolling hills of Shenandoah. View from Hawksbill peak. Crescent Rock Overlook on Skyline Drive is visible in lower right.
		Mountain office. Skyland Lodge is managed from this picture-windowed office overlooking the forested valley below.
		Gray birch at Big Meadows. Fierce winter conditions at the mountaintop meadow limit the growth of even the hardiest trees.
		Big Meadows
		Byrd’s Nest cabin. Built in 1906, Byrd’s Nest is among the earliest remnants of the resort at Skyland established three decades before the national park. The cabin was most recently renovated in 2000.
		Motel-style rooms, Birmingham lodgings, Skyland
		Staff housing, Skyland
		Dining Room, Skyland
		Panoramic windows, Dining Room, Skyland
		Skyland Lodge in late evening
		Conference Hall, Skyland
		Skyline Drive
		Trailhead, Limberlost Trail
		Plank trail over wetlands, Limberlost Trail
		Bridge on White Oak Canyon Trail
		Descent to White Oak Canyon
		South River Valley
		View of Skyland lodge complex from Stony Man overlook.
		Big Meadows Lodge
		Gift shop, Big Meadows Lodge.
		Reception desk, Big Meadows Lodge.
		Original lodgings, Big Meadows.
		Older cabin at Big Meadows. A small number of such lodgings have not been restored.
		Canyon lodgings in morning fog, Skyland
		Visitor Center, Big Meadows
		End of trail at Stony Man cliffs
		Forest view from balcony, Raven’s Nest lodgings, Skyland.
		Décor by Tap Room Lounge, Big Meadows Lodge
		Television Room, Big Meadows Lodge. Frozen in time.
		Mountain cemetery south of Big Meadows
		Stalwart tree on windswept ledge, Thornton Gap