Shenandoah National Park
Shenandoah is the most popular park on this list, yes, but itโs also the only centrally located National Park in the Northeast (the other being Acadia up in Maine) and is extremely underutilized for its location. The park incorporates a long and narrow section of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River and Virginia Piedmont that facilitates hiking, backcountry camping and guided tours.
GP Verdict: The 105-mile stretch of road called Skyline Drive winds along the mountain ridge of Shenandoah. Particularly in the fall, when the leaves are changing colors, the drive is well worth a detour for anyone driving through Virginia. Almost 75 lookouts along the drive offer gorgeous views of the river, mountains and the Piedmont.
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia
Which is: 90 minutes northwest of Richmond, VA, and 90 minutes southwest of Washington, D.C.
Visitors in 2015: 1,321,873