Wilderness will be celebrated in Shenandoah National Park this weekend/Hiking in Big Run Portal in Shenandoah by Bob Mishak

Shenandoah National Park will honor America’s wilderness heritage during its 15th annual Wilderness Weekend this coming Saturday and Sunday.

This year commemorates the 39th anniversary of Shenandoah’s Wilderness designation. You're invited to celebrate by viewing Shenandoah’s Wilderness from Skyline Drive, hiking a trail, joining a ranger program, learning how to use traditional tools, completing the Ranger Explorer Wilderness Activity Guide, watching a movie about wilderness or exploring a visitor center exhibit.

Special events will take place throughout the weekend. At the Byrd Visitor Center, mile 51 on Skyline Drive, there will be a traditional tool display and demonstration from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The Shenandoah National Park Trail Crew will share its expertise in how traditional tools are used to maintain trails in wilderness areas. You will get to try your hand at using these tools.

Rangers will be available to help you explore the history and significance of Shenandoah’s Wilderness through exhibits and hands-on activities for children. A film, American Values: American Wilderness narrated by Christopher Reeve, explores wilderness across the United States. The movie will be shown at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the Byrd Visitor Center auditorium each day.

There will be a four-mile ranger-led hike to Rose River on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meet the ranger at Fisher’s Gap Overlook, mile 49.3, at 9 a.m. It's suggested you bring water and a snack, and wear appropriate footwear.

Ranger Explorers (ages 13 and up) are invited to complete the activities in the Ranger Explorer Wilderness Activity Guide, “The Wild Side of Shenandoah.” This guide, part of an advanced Junior Ranger book series, leads visitors through seven activities that explore the meaning and significance of Shenandoah’s Wilderness. Activity guides are free and available at Byrd Visitor Center and Dickey Ridge Visitor Center. Participants who complete the seven activities will earn a wilderness patch.

Stop by park visitor centers for more opportunities to learn about Shenandoah’s Wilderness through exhibits. The interactive exhibit at Byrd Visitor Center, “Within a Day’s Drive of Millions,” tells the story of Shenandoah’s establishment, including the significance of wilderness designation. Experience the interactive Wilderness exhibit at Dickey Ridge Visitor Center.

Shenandoah’s Wilderness was designated by Congress on October 20, 1976. Forty percent of the park, almost 80,000 acres, is officially designated wilderness and represents one of the largest wilderness areas in the eastern United States. Wilderness provides sanctuaries for human recreation, habitat for wildlife, sites for research, and reservoirs for clean, free-flowing water. Today more than 109 million acres of public land are protected in the National Wilderness Preservation System.