Did Little Devil Stairs last weekend -- went up the stairs, and then on to a river trail, where we spent the night. It was hard to find a decent camping spot along the river, but we eventually found something doable, although the ground was fairly lumpy. All in all it was a good trip, although not quite as much exercise as we had envisioned when looking at the map. Little Devil Stairs is a cool place and I'd recommend it for the beginning or end of a longer hike. Also, there is a graveyard in the woods near there for the people who lived in the Park area before it was a park. VERY worth devoting ten minutes to. There's a big plaque with a poem about the people who were forced out so that the park could be a park that is very poignant and a good reminder that the "wilderness" there is manufactured, not original.

Their are absolutely no water mocassins in the SNP. I hear this all the time. If your wife stepped on TWO, she would be dead. They are aggressive, and she would have been bit.

Water mocassins cannot winter this far north. But we do have water snakes that look very similar to water mocasins. Us biologist call that mimicry.

This is from the Smithsonian website: "Distribution and Habitat
Cottonmouths reside mainly in the southeastern United States. This includes very southern Virginia to Florida and east to eastern Texas. There are three subspecies: the eastern, Florida, and western cottonmouths.

Cottonmouths are semi-aquatic and can be found near water and fields. They inhabit brackish waters and are commonly found in swamps, streams, marshes, and drainage ditches in the southern lowlands of the United States. They also live at the edges of lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams and waters. They sun themselves on the branches, logs, and stones at the edge of the water."

My friends and I in the D.C.-area want to plan a weekend trip to the Shenandoah National Park. Can anyone recommend trails and/or campgrounds for first-time visitors? We don't hike very often, but we're active people. gracias!