Skyline Drive

Skyline Drive
Road map of Skyline Drive showing nearby major roads and cities in west-central and northwestern Virginia
Route information
Maintained by National Park Service
Length	105.5 mi[1] (169.8 km)
Existed	1939–present
Tourist routes	Skyline Drive
Restrictions	No trucks
Major junctions
North end	US 340 near Front Royal
Major intersections	US 211 in Thornton Gap US 33 in Swift Run Gap
South end	US 250 / Blue Ridge Parkway in Rockfish Gap
Location
Country	United States
Counties	Warren, Rappahannock, Page, Madison, Greene, Rockingham, Albemarle, Augusta
Highway system
Scenic Byways National National Forest BLM NPS
Skyline Drive Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Virginia Landmarks Register
View from Skyline Drive
Show map of Virginia Show map of the United States
Nearest city	Front Royal, Virginia
Coordinates	38°32′54″N 78°27′38″W / 38.54833°N 78.46056°W / 38.54833; -78.46056
Built	1931
MPS	Historic Park Landscapes in National and State Parks MPS
NRHP reference No.	97000375[2]
VLR No.	069-0234
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 28, 1997
Designated NHLD	October 6, 2008[4]
Designated VLR	December 4, 2006; July 2, 1997; June 18, 2003[3]

Skyline Drive is a 105-mile (169 km) National Parkway that runs the entire length of the National Park Service's Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, generally along the ridge of the mountains. The drive's northern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 340 (US 340) near Front Royal, and the southern terminus is at an interchange with US 250 near Interstate 64 (I-64) in Rockfish Gap, where the road continues south as the Blue Ridge Parkway. The road has intermediate interchanges with US 211 in Thornton Gap and US 33 in Swift Run Gap. Skyline Drive is part of Virginia State Route 48, which also includes the Virginia portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but this designation is not signed.

A park entrance fee is charged at the four access points to the drive. Skyline Drive is a two-lane road that has 75 overlooks providing views of the Shenandoah Valley to the west and the Piedmont to the east. The drive provides access to numerous trails, including the Appalachian Trail, and it is also used for cycling and horseback riding. Skyline Drive is the main road through Shenandoah National Park and has access to campgrounds, visitor centers, and resorts such as Skyland Resort and Big Meadows. The scenic drive is particularly popular in the fall for leaf peeping when the leaves are changing colors.

Plans for the road date back to 1924 when a national park was planned in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and the main feature was to be a "sky-line drive" providing views of the surrounding land. President Herbert Hoover, who had a summer home at Rapidan Camp, called for the construction of the road. Groundbreaking for Skyline Drive took place in 1931. The first section, which originally was to run from Rapidan Camp to Skyland, was extended between Swift Run Gap and Thornton Gap and opened in 1934. Skyline Drive was extended north to Front Royal in 1936 and south to Jarman Gap in 1939. The road between Jarman Gap and Rockfish Gap was built as part of the Blue Ridge Parkway in 1939 and was incorporated into Skyline Drive in 1961. The Civilian Conservation Corps played a large part in constructing Skyline Drive. Improvements have been made to the roadway since it was built. Skyline Drive was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, became a National Scenic Byway in 2005, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2008.