View the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley from McCormick Gap Overlook. The Shenandoah Valley is bordered by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Valley and Ridge Appalachians to the west. Origins of the name Shenandoah are unknown, though it is generally believed to be of American Indian origin. The most common, romantic theory is that the name means "Beautiful Daughter of the Stars," however there is no more evidence for this theory than any other.