Shenandoah National Park 75th Anniversary, Luray, Va, June 25, 2011

June 25, 2011 is the 75^th anniversary of the beautiful Shenandoah National Park, and so in honor of that, I present to you a compiled list of random facts about this area. Enjoy! - Congress authorized the creation of the park of May 22, 1926 -. The park was officially established on December 27, 1935 - Many of the roads and trails were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps --. There are over 200 different species of birds in the park - The park contains over 1,300 species of vascular plants, 50 species of mammals, and 27 species of reptiles. - The park encompasses 197,411 acres total - 40% of the land in the park is protected by the National Wilderness Preservation System - Shenandoah National Park is featured in a video game called Tom Clancy's EndWar. - This park has the densest population of black bears in the entire U.S. - This park is the only known location in the world where you can find the Shenandoah Salamander. [caption id="attachment_348" align="aligncenter" width="300"] © 2011 VisitShenandoah.com[/caption] [caption id="attachment_349" align="aligncenter" width="300"] © 2011 VisitShenandoah.com[/caption] As you can tell, the Shenandoah Nation Park is fascinating, beautiful, historical and overall fantastic, and there is going to be a lovely celebration of its 75^th anniversary in Luray, VA. I know you want to check it out, and I also know that you'll be needing a place to chill while you celebrate the gloriousness of the Shenandoah National Park. Luckily for you, there are some wonderful bed and breakfasts in the area! Try the Mayneview B&B and GreenTree Inn or the South Court Inn Bed and Breakfast. (Facts are courtesy of NationalParked.com and MountainTVGuide.com) By Tara Stoll