When people talk about the amazing places they have visited, they are generally noting the most popular sites—places like the Grand Canyon, Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone. Those are magnificent icons of the American experience. But no less are those little-known gems that are painted with the hand of God in no less beauty and wonder than their greater cousins. One of those is just around the corner from the entrance to the famous Skyline Drive near Front Royal, Va. The Shenandoah River State Park is on a five-mile section of the Shenandoah River South Fork consisting of some 1,600 acres. Our spontaneous visit was blessed with all that nature and beauty, and an 80-year old woman that rescued us from a long hike.
After dragging our trailer hitch hauling our scooter up the steep incline to the parking lot, Chris, Service Dog Charlie and I made our way to the visitor’s center. There was a great display of the wildlife in the park, including a bear which served as a reminder of what not to feed. We decided on an intermediate 3-mile hike and started down the path. The trails at the park were really well marked and navigable. The first part of the hike was all downhill. We walked the bridge over a gorge and down a winding, rocky path that placed us beside the river. The river was flowing fast and near the top of the bank due to the recent hurricane Helene. We could see that not to long before we got there that it had flooded maybe 8 ft above the bank. Walking along the river, we were immersed in the beauty of the park.
We were about half way on the hike when we came to a clearing. The park has about 30 RV camp spaces with varying degrees of comfort—some have water, electric, sewer. Others are what they call primitive, like what we used to do when we were kids. But all of them are in beautiful settings, so much so that you have to make reservations months in advance to get a spot. But the trail map kind of left out a connecting path back to the Visitor’s Center. I was trying to figure it out when along came a lady driving an ATV. She stopped and asked if we needed assistance. Camp Host Dorothy Cogswell was at our service. I told her we were trying to find our way back to the Visitor’s Center. Like something out of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy pointed and said, “Well you can go that way or you can go this way. They are about the same.”
Not wanting to go back the way we came, I answered “this way.” So she told us to hop in and she would take us to the entrance of the trail because it was quite a distance. She gave Charlie a treat and told us that she was 80 years old, her husband 85. They have a fifth-wheel camping trailer and travel to parks as camp hosts. An amazing woman who did save us from quite an uphill climb. She said God had blessed them with good health and vigor and she hoped the same for us. She alone is as inspiring as the nature around us. The rest of the hike was challenging. We had worked up an appetite so we drove into town and had lunch at the Main St. Mill. You’ve heard of “gem of the Nile,” Dorothy and the park were definitely hidden gems of the Shenandoah.
