This 105-mile Virginia Drive Has Over 70 Scenic Overlooks Through an Iconic National Park

In the U.S., driving along mountain ranges is what many people associate with trips out west, but one of the country’s most scenic high-altitude road trips is far from the Rockies or the Cascades. It’s actually in Virginia.

Just 75 miles from Washington, DC, is Shenandoah National Park, home to the 105-mile Skyline Drive, and driving the road is one of the most popular American road trips you can take.

Developed in the 1930s at the height of the Great Depression, the driving route welcomed an astounding 500,000 people in its first year (1934 to 1935). Decades later, the trail still has an air of Mid-Central America, with rustic, throwback park accommodations like Skyland Resort and the massive Meadow Lodge. Even today, although Skyline Drive welcomes more than a million visitors annually, the route feels far removed from the rest of the world and holds its own as one of the great American road trips.

Skyline Drive is the only public road in the entire park. Following the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it cuts through nearly 200,000 protected acres of land and provides access to more than 500 miles of hiking trails. It rises 3,680 feet above the Shenandoah Valley, and provides views that are nothing short of commanding. And visiting in the fall during peak foliage weeks — or around sunset — is worth planning your visit around.

The drive stretches from north to south along the Blue Ridge, and would take at least three hours if you traveled the entire route, not accounting for any weather, exploration stops, or wildlife crossings. Visitors can plan their route based on the drive’s four entrances: Front Royal Entrance (mile 0) in Front Royal, Virginia; entrance to Thornton Gap near Lurie, Virginia (mile 31.5); Swift Run Gap entrance near Elkton, Virginia (mile 65.5); Or the entrance to Rockfish Gap (mile 104.6), which is also the north entrance to another scenic drive: the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Skyline Drive is well done with plenty of time to stop and enjoy it. There are more than 70 spots along the drive, perfect for a picnic or photo stop, with notable pit stops including Dickey Ridge (mile 4.6), Thornton Hollow Overlook (mile 27.5), and Kremora Lake Overlook (mile 92.6), a dining hall-turned-viewing center. And even if you wind through it, the 35 mph speed limit will dictate your speed.