Skyline Drive
A 105 mile drive that runs the entire length of the National Park Service's Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The views are supposed to be stunning, especially in fall when the leaves are changing to golden and red.
There is a really good map of the route here
The National Park service website warns drivers to watch out for the crossing deer, black bear, wild turkey and other creatures who live in the National Park. One of us is going to need to keep one eye on the road then!
More information here
Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is America's longest linear park (fact from Wikipedia so if this is wrong, don't blame me!) and runs for 469 miles through Virginia and North Carolina.
The Blue Ridge Parkway was built to connect Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We're not going to have time to travel its complete length so have chosen to start the Parkway at the connection with the Skyline Drive and then continue until Peaks of Otter Recreation Area.
It is known as 'America's Favourite Drive' because of the views, especially during fall, are amazing.
More information here
Here is the plan:
| State: | Virginia |
| Towns of Interest: (FB) = Firebreak | N/A |
| National Parks: | Shenandoah National Park |
| State Parks of Interest: | N/A |
| Places of Interest: (N) = Night Stay | Shenandoah Valley - Skyline Drive (N) Shenandoah Valley Overlook (Sweeping views of the valley, river and moutains) Range View Overlook (Best vista on Skyline) Hogback Overlook (Amazing view of Shenandoah River - can see siz or more bends) Tunnel Parking Overlook (Place to take pictures after going through Mary's tunnel - granite tunnel) Pinnacles Overlook (View of Old Rag Mountain) Stony Man Mountain Overlook (View of Stony Man Mountain - can see a man in the mountain) Skyland (Little town - Lodge has good views. Stonry Man Nature Trail 1.6 mile round trip trial to Stony Man Mountain) Crescent Rock Overlook (Panoramic view of Blue Ridge Mountains - best place to spot birds of prey in fall) Dark Hollow Falls Trailhead (Short trial leads to the head of the falls and a series of cascades that drop 70 feet) Big Meadows (150-acre clearing - deer, groundhogs and foxes are common) South River Overlook (A great place to see fall colours ) Swift Run Overlook (View of Swify Run Gap - where Skyline Drive intersects the Appalachian Trail, the longest footpath in north America) Big Run Overlook (Postcard perfect vista) Blackrock (No trail but you can climb up the slope to the top) Crimora Lake Overlook (To the left is an abandoned manganese mine - once the largest source of this rare mineral in America) Sawmill Run Overlook (Final look at Shenandoah) Blue Ridge Parkway - (N) Humpback Rocks (National Park Service reconstructed farm museum) View, Buena Vista (Parorama of endless wooded ridges and hills) James River (River flowing through a wooded gorge) Peaks of Otter Recreation Area (Beauty and Serenity. Elk Run Trial is a short loop behind the visitor center) |
| Routes of Interest: | Skyline Drive Blue Ridge Parkway Old Rte. 441 / Scenic Loop 15 (Clings to the rim of Tallulah Gorge) |
| Where to Stay: | Shenandoah Valley - Skyline Drive Camping in the Shenandoah National Park - first come, first served available: Big Meadows Campground ($20) Lewis Mountain Campground - within seven miles of the popular Big Meadows area ($15) Loft Mountain Campground - sits atop Big Flat Mountain ($15) Blue Ridge Parkway 8 Campgrounds along the parkway - first come, first served available. Ones we are going past: Otter Creek Campground ($16) Peaks of Otter Campground ($16) There are also campgrounds outside the parkway owned by private firms rather than the park service |
| Useful Links: | http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=70 |
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