Skyline Drive is a National Scenic Byway that runs 105 miles north and south along the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park. The maximum speed limit on Skyline Drive is 35 mph. It takes about three hours to travel the entire length of the park on a clear day.
| Shenandoah National Park |
|---|
| Per Vehicle | Park Specific Annual Pass |
|---|
| Current | $25 | $50 |
| June 1, 2018 | $30 | $55 |
How long is Skyline Drive VA?
Skyline Drive is open to pedestrians, bicycles, and other non-motorized vehicles from mile 0 at Front Royal to mile 65.5 (Swift Run Entrance), daily from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Visitors need to exit by 8:00 p.m. NEW: All picnic grounds are closed. All boundary trailheads in Rappahannock and Page Counties are closed.
Scenic Skyline Drive. Virginia's Skyline Drive is a National Scenic Byway that runs 105 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains starting in the north of the Shenandoah Valley at Front Royal to Waynesboro, where it meets the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Shenandoah National Park is always open. However, portions of the 105-mile-long Skyline Drive, the only public road through the park, are periodically closed during inclement weather. All park facilities, with the exception of a few picnic grounds and restrooms, are closed during the winter.
Skyline Drive and other park trails are open. If you do choose to visit Shenandoah National Park, please keep CDC social distancing recommendations in mind. The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners at Shenandoah is our number one priority.
And as if the caverns were not phenomenal enough, after you are finished with your tour, you can head down the highway only 15 miles to one of the four entrances to Skyline Drive and take a stunning ride through the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park. Skyline Drive is 105 miles long with 75 overlooks.
| Blue Ridge Parkway |
|---|
| The parkway near Grandfather Mountain |
| Location | North Carolina & Virginia, USA |
| Nearest city | Asheville, NC & Roanoke, VA |
| Coordinates | 36°31′07″N 80°56′09″W |
Take I-70 East to US-522 South. Follow VA-37 south to I-81 South. Follow I-81 South to I-66 East. Take I-66 East to Front Royal Virginia and follow signs to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive.
Shenandoah National Park is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia just west of Washington, D.C. The Park stretches 105 miles from its northern entrance at Front Royal to its southern entrance near Waynesboro.
| Shenandoah National Park |
|---|
| Location | Virginia, United States |
| Nearest city | Front Royal |
| Coordinates | 38°32′N 78°21′WCoordinates: 38°32′N 78°21′W |
| Area | 199,173 acres (311.208 sq mi; 806.02 km2) |
Your national parks are *free* during coronavirus. Social distancing. After a woefully delayed, sluggish decision to finally close down the crowded parts of parks during the deteriorating coronavirus pandemic, the National Park Service said Wednesday it would now waive entrance fees during the crisis.
Skyline Drive is the more popular route and exclusively through Shenandoah National Park. Blue ridge parkway goes through wilder terrain but is a bit more like a normal road than skyline drive (and toll free). It's also much longer at about 450 miles to the 100 or so of Skyline drive.
Spend the night under the stars in one of America's most beautiful natural settings by camping while traveling through the Blue Ridge Parkway. Campgrounds on the Parkway are open seasonally, while many privately-owned campgrounds just off the Parkway are open year-round.
Is driving the Blue Ridge Parkway scary? The road is asphalted. It was completed in 1987 and encompasses miles of stunning views through twisty hair pin corners, high elevations and steep grades. This is part of what makes the road seem to lie gently on the land and it also requires some extra care while driving.
The best stops on the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Natural Bridge — Milepost 61. Photo: Zack Frank/Shutterstock.
- Blue Ridge Music Center — Milepost 213.
- Moses H.
- Linn Cove Viaduct — Milepost 304.
- Linville Falls — Milepost 316.
- Mount Mitchell — Milepost 355.
- Black Balsam — Milepost 420.
- Oconaluftee — Milepost 469.
There is no fee on the Blue Ridge Parkway, however National Park Service Campgrounds along the Parkway do require a fee.
Perhaps unlike any other road in the world, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers one of the ultimate road trips for RVers of all experience levels. The total distance is 469 miles, making it an ideal three-or four-day trip in an RV (though campgrounds make it easy to take longer).
Maximun speed on the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) is 45 mph and the BRP is approximately 350 miles long. If you want to enjoy the drive I would suggest taking 2 full days.
Its southern terminus is at U.S. 441 on the boundary between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina, from which it travels north to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.
The
Parkway's speed limit
is typically 45 miles per hour (less in some places).
Typical Drive Times.
| Section | Estimated Time |
|---|
| Afton (MP 0) to Roanoke (MP 120) | 3.5 hours |
| Roanoke (MP 120) to Fancy Gap (MP 199) | 2.5 hours |
| Fancy Gap (MP 199) to Blowing Rock (MP 293) | 3 hours |
| Blowing Rock (MP 293) to Asheville (MP 382) | 3 hours |
Shenandoah Entrance Fee – Single Vehicle – $30.00
This fee covers unlimited entry for one vehicle and passengers for seven consecutive days, beginning on the day of purchase. Vehicles must be private, noncommercial, and with a seating capacity of 15 or less.One of the most unique things about Shenandoah National Park is that, unlike many western parks which were established to preserve wilderness and natural features on land already owned by the federal government, Shenandoah National Park was created to enable lands which had been heavily used and were no longer
The distance between Washington and Skyline Drive is 81 miles. The road distance is 102.7 miles.
Overall Shenandoah National Park Travel Experience by Season
Spring is the second busiest for tourism, which makes it a good time for those looking for things to do.
