A series of photos & graphics I have assembled for this trip

Shenandoah National Park's geology pages (SNP)

An introduction to the Blue Ridge province (W&M "Geology of Virginia" series)

...and the "Kids' Version"

Yet another introduction to the Blue Ridge: After all, repetition is the mother of learning! (JMU "Geology of Virginia series)

Geology of Old Rag Mountain (USGS)

Extensional environments of the Catoctin Formation [notes on pillow basalts in the park] (GSA Field Trip Guide, 1986)

Geologic events in the Blue Ridge province (W&M "Geology of Virginia" series)

A simplified geologic map of Virginia [PDF] (W&M "Geology of Virginia" series)

You may also wish to acquire copies of the following books. Though none is a "required text," they will help you to get more out of the course experience. They could be ordered from the Shenandoah National Park Association's bookstore, or "used" from Amazon.com.

Robert L. Badger, 1999. Geology along Skyline Drive: A self-guided tour for motorists. Falcon Publishing, Helena, Montana. ISBN 1560446919 [USED on Amazon]
[NEW from SNPA Bookstore]

Gathright, Thomas M., 1976. Geology of the Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Bulletin 86, Charlottesville, VA.[USED on Amazon]
[NEW from SNPA Bookstore]

Other (technical) resources you may wish to consult:

Southworth, Scott, Aleinikoff, J.N., Bailey, C.M., Burton, W.C., Crider, E.A., Hackley, P.C., Smoot, J.P., and Tollo, R.P., 2009, Geologic map of the Shenandoah National Park region Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009–1153, 96 p., 1 plate, scale 1:100,000. [link to USGS website]

Richard Tollo, Christopher Bailey, Elizabeth Borduas, and John Aleinikoff, 2004. "Mesoproterozoic geology of the Blue Ridge Province in North-Central Virginia: Petrologic and Structural Perspectives on Grenvillian orogenesis and Paleozoic tectonic processes," in : Geology of the National Capital Region—Field trip Guidebook. Southworth, S., and Burton, W., eds., USGS Circular 1264, p. 17-75. [link to PDF]

Christopher Bailey, Scott Southworth, and Richard Tollo, 2006. "Tectonic history of the Blue Ridge, north-central Virginia," in: Geological Society of America—Field Guide 8. Pazzaglia, F.J., ed. p. 113-134. [link to PDF]

Shenandoah trip | Callan Bentley home

Finally, take a good look at this picture: the stratigraphic "column" of the Park's geology. Note that all formations shown were later deformed during the Alleghanian Orogeny (not shown in this image). (redrawn after Gathright, 1976).