An Overview of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park

How many miles is Skyline Drive?  The entire drive is 105 miles. 

The Shenandoah scenic drive starts and ends at Front Royal and Rockfish Gap. 

There are four Shenandoah National Park entrance stations: one at each end and two in the middle. They are roughly equidistant and effectively divide the park into three sections – the northern, central and southern sections.  

The Skyline Drive entrances are: 

Front Royal Entrance Station 
🔹Mile 0
🔹Getting there: Routes 66 and 340
🔹Shenandoah National Park north entrance 

Thornton Gap Entrance Station 
🔹Mile 31.5
🔹Getting there: Route 211 

Swift Run Gap Entrance Station 
🔹Mile 65.7
🔹Getting there: Route 33 

Rockfish Gap Entrance Station 
🔹Mile 105
🔹Getting there: Routes 64 and 250
🔹Shenandoah National Park south entrance / southern entrance to Skyline Drive
🔹This is the divider between Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline.  It’s the start of the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is a continuation of the Skyline Drive 

Most people enter at the Front Royal Entrance.  This does mean that the route heading south tends to be busier than the one heading north.  So, if you’re visiting at peak periods (especially fall weekends), it’s better to start at the southern Rockfish Gap Entrance and head north. 

The national park and Skyline Drive are open year-round, weather permitting.  If the weather is iffy, you can check the status of the Skyline Drive by calling (540) 999-3500 (option 1, then option 1).   

The Skyline Drive is open 24 hours a day.  If the entrance station is closed when you enter, you can drive right through and pay as you exit. 

How much does the Skyline Drive cost? 
The Skyline Drive price (Shenandoah National Park entrance fee) is $30 per vehicle/ $25 per motorcycle or $15 per person for other means of transport.  Entrance is valid for 7 consecutive days.  You can pay at the entrance station or online. 

However, if you plan to visit more than a couple of parks in a year (or the same park more than twice), then I recommend getting the America the Beautiful Pass.  It gives you unlimited access for a year from the date of purchase to over 2,000 federal recreation sites including all U.S. national parks plus national forests and BLM lands.  It includes admission for one vehicle or four people (for places that charge per person). 

➡️ You can also get a sleeve here to keep your pass in that will also make it more beautiful (don’t put stickers on your pass as it can invalidate it).

There are two Visitor Centers in the park: 

Dickey Ridge Visitor Center: Near the northern entrance of the park at Mile 4.6 
Harry F. Byrd Visitor Center: In the middle of the park at Big Meadows at Mile 51 

There are mile markers every mile along the scenic Skyline Drive, starting from 0 in the north and ending at 105 at the southern entrance.  The markers are small posts and somewhat easy to miss.  They’re on the right side of the road if you’re driving south and on the left if you’re driving north.

➡️ See a complete list of all the mile markers in the park here.

The Skyline Drive speed limit is 35 miles per hour. So, driving Skyline Drive straight through without stopping would take you three hours.  However, if you stop at all or some of these 25 overlooks, it will take you much longer to drive through Shenandoah National Park.

Rather than doing the entire drive all at once, I recommend breaking it up with hikes and stops at the visitor center, restaurants, etc. 

RVs, buses and trailers are permitted on the Skyline Drive.  The main thing to be aware of is that Mary’s Rock Tunnel (Mile 32.2) has a maximum clearance of 12′ 8″.  If your vehicle is taller, you can still drive the southern and northern sections of the Skyline Drive, but would need to turn back when you get to the tunnel.   

You will beat the crowds by going early.  However, the viewpoints are best after 10:00 am.  Before 10:00, the east-facing overlooks have the sun right in your eyes, which is terrible for photos.  And the hills on the west side of the mountain are in shadow / shade until about 10:00am.

So, it’s better to do a hike early in the morning and then do the drive and the overlooks later in the day.  

The same thing is true in reverse for late afternoon.

In general, the eastern-facing overlook are best for the sunrise and the west-facing overlooks are best for the sunset. I’ve indicated some of the more popular sunrise and sunset overlooks below.   

The park gets 25% of its annual visitors in the month of October.  Shenandoah National Park is famous for its stunning fall color and this is when the fall foliage is at its peak. The fall color typically peaks around October 18-25, but this can vary from year to year.

Something to be aware of is that the color can be at its peak along the Skyline Drive but not yet at its best on the hillsides.  Which means that the trees you pass on the road may be golden, but then the hills you see in panoramic views from the overlooks are still green.  Or the hills may be stunning swathes of gold while the trees along the drive are past their prime. 

That being said, the park is also beautiful in spring and summer.  Most of the park’s stunning waterfalls are seasonal and best in spring.

The road is open throughout the winter, weather-permitting, and seeing it covered in snow has its own beauty.    

The highest point on Skyline Drive is at the northern entrance to Skyland, at Mile 41.7.  It’s 3,680 feet. 

The highest overlook on Skyline Drive, at 3,595 feet, is Thorofare Mountain Overlook at Mile 40.4.

There are 75 lookouts on Skyline Drive, facing either east or west.  There are more overlooks on the west side, which looks over the Shenandoah Valley and the Massanutten Mountain Range beyond, than on the east.

The area to the east is called the Virginia Piedmont (literally “foothills”), and the views have more woods and less agricultural and developed areas. 

It’s probably a matter of taste, but I think that the views to the east are generally more interesting.   

Not all of the views are equal. So, what’s the best overlook on Skyline Drive?

My personal favorite Skyline Drive overlook is Hogback Overlook (Mile 21), followed by The Point Overlook (mile 55.3) as a close second.  However, you may well have your own favorite.

In addition to the overlooks in this guide, I have several other favorite views that can only be seen on hikes. 

➡️ Read More: Best hikes in Shenandoah National Park