Project to improve access to highest peak in Shenandoah National Park

The highest peak in Shenandoah National Park is on track for some springtime TLC as part of a nationwide flurry of projects marking a centennial celebration. The summit at Hawksbill Mountain – and its panoramic views of the Shenandoah Valley – is among the park’s most popular attractions.

The National Park Service and a local philanthropic partner will invest $120,000 to improve the historic observation point and access to Hawksbill Mountain, elevation 4,050 feet. The initiative is part of the Centennial Challenge projects celebrating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary on Aug. 25, 2016.

The late U.S. Sen. Harry Byrd, a Democrat from Virginia, donated the masonry observation platform at Hawksbill to the park in 1962. It has since been vandalized and fallen into disrepair. Added exposure to the elements has turned the important landmark into a source of embarrassment for the park.” The project will repair its flagstone floor and replace missing mortar and stone in the walls.

In addition, the upcoming project at Hawksbill will upgrade the tread of a high-use trail to accommodate small equipment access for maintenance and remove an unpaved section of road that is no longer needed, converting it to a trail.

An existing bronze plaque at the site also will be repaired and used to fabricate a second sign that went missing five to 10 years ago.

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