![\"July](\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/20200704\/DSC_1831.jpg\")
<\/a><\/br>July 4th Firework<\/p><\/div>\n
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Probably due to COVID, plans of this year\u2019s flyover and fireworks weren\u2019t released until less than week from Independence Day, and so was our plan. We wouldn\u2019t have a lot of time to spend in the mountains if we were to catch flyovers of vintage planes starting at 6:45pm, so I picked Little Devils Stairs Trail in the north of the park. In addition, I needed a new NPS annual pass, so we planned to enter the park via Front Royal, hiking Compton Peak Trail along the way before leaving the park via Thornton Gap. It\u2019s my friend\u2019s first time in Shenandoah, but I\u2019ve driven the segment between Front Royal and Thornton Gap for countless times, so we barely stopped at any overlooks along the way.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a short 2-mile trail in the woods leading to an overlook, the majority of which overlapped with Appalachian Trail. It\u2019s one of the few trails that I hadn\u2019t visited between Front Royal and Thornton Gap. Here’s GPS tracking:
\nHad we have more time, we would replace Compton Peak with Kennedy Peak, the overlook at the end of which seemed to be offering better views.<\/span><\/p>\nShenandoah National Park<\/span><\/h3>\n
Compton Peak Trail<\/span><\/h4>\n
\nThe trailhead parking lot holds about 20 cars, which wasn\u2019t very sufficient given the number of visitors today. On our way back, we found a few cars parked in the grass along Skyline Drive.<\/p>\n
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