Nature can be a wonderful painter, as in this scene of a lonely tree against the colorful patterns of the grasses of the Big Meadow in the Shenandoah National Park. The Big Meadow area is so different from the rest of the park and the other park trail. Maybe not as attractive at first but with so many treasures to offer.

Shenandoah National Park was established in December 1935. It's main and unique feature is a 105-miles long Skyline Drive along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia offering views of the Shenandoah Valley to the west and Piedmont Plain to the east. Along the drive, one can enjoy approximately 500 miles of hiking trails. The park also offers many picturesque waterfalls made even more beautiful by heaving to hike to them, many requiring a descend of several hundred feet to see them, followed by the same ascend back to the trail head. Many of these hikes take you along creeks where many small cascades offer great views as a prelude to the grand finale at the trails' end.