Our favorite time of the year is most definitely Fall. The changing colors of the foliage to the most gorgeous hues of red, orange and yellow, the crispness of the air as you step outside, and the most gorgeous scenery as we embarked on our trip to Skyline Drive in Virginia. Skyline Drive is something that most people who live in the Maryland and Virginia area know about, but for those who have no idea what it is, I’ll tell you. It’s a must visit. You can find it at Shenandoah National Park in Front Royal Virginia inside the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
During our drive, we learned that there are 69 total scenic overlooks that we could experience – as you can guess, we couldn’t visit all of them, so we had to opt for every second or third one we passed. We also booked a night at one of two National Park lodges that are located on Skyline Drive, We stopped at many overlooks while driving to the trail that we planned to hike. Rose River Falls Loop has 2 good size waterfalls and followed a stream for a good portion of the hike. It was rated as moderate by the Skyline Drive website but in places on our scale it was difficult. Portions were very rocky and wet. The hike took about 3 hours total, it had beautiful scenery and was a great pick.
We then headed to Skyland Resort, were we would spend the night.The Resort itself is as beautiful as the drive through Skyline Drive. The rooms themselves were set up with basic accommodations, but when you first step into the resort buildings, there is a warm welcome waiting for you, as cheesy as that sounds. The check-in building had giant windows that let in the sunlight and a fireplace surrounded by a cluster of chairs and a sofa. In our room we had a back door that led to a small patio. The rooms are in a series of small buildings that house about a dozen rooms each along with cabins for larger groups.
Nearby the resort is the Hazeltop Ridge Overlook which was recommended as a good place to watch the sunset. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets we have seen.
During these more isolated times of COVID-19 it’s hard to plan out a drive, let alone any vacation, and do it in a way that is safe. Skyland Resort made sure that all guests would be cared for in the safest way possible, which was a relief to find.
During our trip, we met new people and learned about their lives. There is something cathartic about these road trips to beautiful destinations and this isn’t only our opinion. On day 2 we met a woman who had packed up what possessions she needed for a trip of a lifetime. She explained that she was newly unemployed and had wanted to do this for her whole life, She was traveling down the coast from Maine, stopping at whatever she thought was interesting. She truly was an inspiration to anyone who needs a boost to fulfill your dreams. We saw her and another couple at a few overlooks before heading our separate ways.
This was a truly extraordinary trip, and anyone reading this- We highly recommend you go. You definitely won’t regret it. From the beautiful scenery to the wonderful people who work at the Skyland Resort and Shenandoah National Park Rangers, everything about this Top-Down Drive was truly perfect.
Useful Tips and Tricks:
- There is only one gas station inside the park. Make sure you fill your tank up before entering the park!
- There is a fee to get into the Skyline Drive but worry not! You can always prepay on-line, which saved us 15 to 30 minutes of standstill traffic to get in.
- During peak or near peak leaf color season in the fall. Plan your trip for Sunday through Thursday. Friday and Saturdays are very crowded. Sunday’s can also be on the crowded side but manageable.
- Speed limit in the park is 35 mph. It is monitored by Park rangers. We saw several people pulled over for speeding.
