Visitors to the Shenandoah National Park can travel all of Skyline Drive in three hours, This will only be a quick glance to enjoy the wonderful sites. Take your time and experience the park by stopping and taking in The Top 5 Overlooks on the Skyline Drive. There are many overlooks, picnic areas, and waysides, so stop, look, and listen. Skyline Drive is marked by mileposts giving the exact mileage of where you are. Use these mileposts to find these top 5 overlooks and the great panoramic views they offer .
Range View Overlook
This overlook, at mile 17.1, offers a view down the length of the Blue Ridge to Stony Man Mountain. Looking south from 2,810 feet, the viewpoint stretches from Jenkins Mountains to Gimlet Ridge, Massanutten Mountain, and the Alleghenies beyond.
Hogback Overlook
I like this overlook because it is the longest in the park. You can’t take it all in without getting out of your car or driving a bit to the other end of the vista. From here, at milepost 20.8, you can see the Shenandoah River below, the two ridges of Massanutten Mountain, and the Alleghenies. In the foreground is the valley of Overall Run, Mathews Arm, and Gimlet Ridge.
Spitler Knoll Overlook
Here, Skyline Drive curves, and the overlook, at milepost 48.1, curves along with it. Page Valley and the Shenandoah River lie below. The small town in the Page Valley is Stanley. Blackrock Mountain is near to the left. Massanutten is the long, nearly level ridge across Page Valley.
Big Run Overlook
The valley of Big Run is one of the park’s most scenic. From here, at milepost 81.2, the vista opens into the depths of the park’s largest stream. On one side of Big Run is Rockytop Ridge; on the other side stands Rocky Mountain and Brown Mountain. On a clear day the quartz outcrops on Rocky Mountain are visible. Brown Mountain Overlook is visible in the foreground.
Crimora Lake Overlook
Crimora Lake forms the centerpiece of this expansive view. It is framed by Turk Mountain to the left and Rocks Mountain to the right. From 2,985 feet, here at milepost 92.6, you can see the strewn rock slopes of Rocks Mountain. Also in the picture is Wildcat Mountain. Crimora Lake is on the eastern edge of the Shenandoah Valley. The lake is a mining relic. This area had more manganese extracted from it than any other mine in America.
