a day / 105 miles / 3 hours 29 minutes
During its over seventy year history, Skyline Drive has offered travelers the opportunity to view many of the most scenic vistas in the eastern United States. The experience combines the protected setting of Shenandoah National Park with two visitor centers, miles of hiking trails, and opportunities for wildlife viewing.
Day 1
9:00 - 2.5 miles / 4 minutes - 9:04
The Skyline Caverns is one of the few places in the world where the public may view anthodites. Anthodites, sometimes called "Orchids of the mineral kingdom", are extremely rare. Geologists have never figured out how they form.
10:34 - 2.0 miles / 4 minutes - 10:39
The Lewis Mountain facilities date from 1940 when the initial park facilities were being completed. It is extremely popular for camping and features cabins, tent sites, and a camp store. Of note is the fact that it was built and operated by a concessioner as a segregated facility for African Americans. Shenandoah's facilities closed during WW II and after the war, a federal policy was issued requiring full desegregation of all concession facilities in national parks.
10:39 - 37.1 miles / an hour 14 minutes - 11:53
A guide to the park characterizes White Oak Canyon as a "scenic gem and a place of wild beauty - a shady place of great boulders under tall hemlocks, of cascades and pools and sheer rock walls, and a steep gorge with six waterfalls." You have to get out of your car and hike to enjoy this spectacular setting,one of the Shenandoah National Park's most visited features.
15:53 - 0.7 miles / a minute - 15:54
As you proceed south along Skyline Drive, the tree canopy opens onto Big Meadows that dates to Indian times. Early settlers grazed cattle here. Today the meadow is a popular spot for leaving your car and wandering among wildflowers and native grasses with many opportunities for spotting deer and enjoying the many bird species that congregate here.
President Roosevelt chose this site for his speech to the thousands of people who gathered for the park dedication.16:54 - 62.4 miles / 2 hours 4 minutes - 18:59