Shutterstock.com/Jon Bilous
198.8 miles:
5 hours,
31 minutes
Roll down your windows for a better view of the wildflowers and wildlife as you cruise along Skyline Drive in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. There’s a $15 fee to enter, but the 105-mile-long road offers 75 overlooks from point to point, and there are 200,000 acres to explore. Just don’t be in a hurry: the speed limit is 35 mph.
Courtesy of Luray Caverns
1
Waynesboro to Luray
101.3 miles:
2 hours,
54 minutes
Once you enter the park through the ranger station at Rockfish Gap, Skyline Drive is a limited access highway. The next exit isn’t until Swift Run Gap, 50 miles to the north. But leaving will be the last thing on your mind. This park is one to linger in—on the trails, in the heart of it all. There’s a low clearance tunnel just before the Thornton Gap entrance near Luray.
Courtesy of NPS
2
Luray to Front Royal
97.5 miles:
2 hours,
37 minutes
Be on the lookout for deer, black bear and wild turkey: they have right of way and are often seen crossing the road. You’ll never believe you’re only 75 miles away from Washington, D.C., as you find a quiet spot for a picnic high above the valley below. The highest point on the National Scenic Byway (3,680 feet up) is near the north entrance at Front Royal.
