This 105-mile Virginia Drive Has Over 70 Scenic Overlooks Through an Iconic National Park

"In the U.S., driving along the crest of a mountain range might be something many would associate with trips in the West, but one of the country's most beautiful high-altitude road trips is far from the Rockies or the Cascades. It's actually in Virginia. Just 75 miles outside of Washington, D.C., is Shenandoah National Park, home to the 105-mile Skyline Drive, and traveling the road by car is one of the most iconic American road trips you can undertake."

"The Skyline Drive is the only public road in the entire park. Following the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it cuts through about 200,000 protected acres and provides access to more than 500 miles of hiking trails. It climbs up to 3,680 feet above the Shenandoah Valley, providing views that are nothing short of commanding. And visiting in the fall during peak foliage weeks-or around sunset-is worth planning your visit around."

Shenandoah National Park lies about 75 miles from Washington, D.C., and contains the 105-mile Skyline Drive, a classic high-altitude scenic route. Developed in the 1930s during the Great Depression, the drive drew roughly 500,000 visitors its first year and now welcomes over a million annually while retaining midcentury park lodging such as Skyland Resort and Big Meadows Lodge. The only public road in the park, Skyline Drive follows the Blue Ridge spine across about 200,000 protected acres, offers access to more than 500 miles of hiking trails, climbs to 3,680 feet, and is especially popular during fall foliage and at sunset. The full north–south route takes at least three hours to drive without stops, and there are four main entrances at Front Royal, Thornton Gap, Swift Run Gap, and Rockfish Gap.

Read at Travel + Leisure