Skyline Drive

The majesty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the dazzling topography of the Shenandoah Valley can best be experienced by a ride along the Skyline Drive with pullovers at strategic spots affording breath-taking views. Skyline Drive begins in Front Royal and continues for 105 miles through the Shenandoah National Park. At Waynesboro it turns into the Blue Ridge Parkway and meanders another 469 miles to the Great Smokey Mountains in North Carolina.  

Construction of Skyline Drive began in 1931, spurred on by President Herbert Hoover, who kept a frequently visited fishing camp in the area. According to the storytellers of that era, Hoover was riding his horse along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains one day in 1930 when he turned to a companion and said: "These mountains are made for a road, and everybody ought to have a chance to get the views from here. I think they're the greatest in the world."

Hoover was right, and every summer two million people line up at one of the many entrances to Skyline Drive. The cost is $10 per vehicle, $5 for pedestrians and bicyclists. The speed limit is 35 mph, and visibility reports are posted daily during peak season.

Front Royal is an easy commute from the Grey Horse Inn – either west on Rte. 66 or via scenic country roads like Rt. 55, the John Marshall Highway.