This guide is dedicated to Henry Heatwole who authored the popular Guide to Shenandoah Park and Skyline Drive first published in 1978 by the Shenandoah Park Association. Henry saw his guide through four editions before he died in 1989. The guide has been reprinted, with corrections, five times since 1989, the last in 1999. Almost 75,000 copies have been sold. A generation of users has grown to know, experience, and love the park, its Skyline Drive, trails, flora, fauna, and history, based on Henry's knowledge, experience and remarkable insights. His observations range from the eons of the park's geology, to the reality of the park's establishment, to the excitement of observing a wildflower blooming along a trail for a short time in the spring and even more transient, to the uniqueness of a snowflake before it melts in your hand.
Giving credit where credit is due, Henry wrote he was "indebted to my wife Milly Heatwole, who provided me with constant encouragement as well as stacks of reference material." Henry and Milly lived in a trailer in the park for nine months a year for several years." exploring, researching, absorbing, and writing.
This electronic version of the guide, though significantly updated, remains basically Henry's work. It is hoped that several more generations of park users will benefit from his labor of love.