Shenandoah-Nationalpark
The U.S. National Park Shenandoah National Park covers about 800 square miles of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the southern Appalachians near the Piedmond plateau in Virginia. It is a narrow corridor of densely forested ridges and forests, with numerous rivers and waterfalls, with a wide valley on each side. The highest elevations, Stony Man and Hawksbill are over 1200 meters high.
Attractions
The Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway are the most famous streets in the park. The Skyline Drive leads 170 km along the ridge through the entire park. 160 km long leads of the Appalachian Trail through the park. In total there are around 800 kilometers of hiking trails in the park. There is the possibility to go horse riding with horses, go camping, cycling and visiting the ten waterfalls.
Nature
In mammals, the white -tailed deer, American Black Bear, bobcat, raccoon, skunk, opossum, fox and hare are native.
About 200 species of birds live in the park, of which around 30 species overwinter here. 32 species of fish live in the waters of the park.
The trees consists of oak, hickory, chestnut and willow. The here once dominant American chestnut was infected by chestnut blight in the early 20th century and has long been threatened with extinction. The tree grows according to the fungal infection continue, but dies before he bears the first fruits. Different types of oak trees have subsequently replaced the chestnut and were the dominant tree species in the park.
In the 1990s, then were the oak forests of the gypsy moth, a parasitic disease infested, whereby the forest cover has since been decimated by almost 10 percent in the national park. Especially in the north of the park testify large areas with leafless trees of this infestation.
History
The oldest rocks are about 1 million years old. 10,000 years ago the first people arrived in the area. In 1750 settlers cultivated the land. In the early 20th century was discussed for the first time, whether in the eastern USA is a national park is to be built. 1935, the Shenandoah National Park was established.