32:48 The reason we did it, is that it ended at I-64, and we were traveling from Washington D.C. to Charleston W.V. Our only regret was stopping half way at the restaurant, which was nice but overcrowded and understaffed, and that added 2 hours to the drive. Eat at the beginning or end. Or take a picnic lunch.
We went to Staunton, VA from Upstate, NY every other spring to see my Grandparents. We hiked a lot of the Appalachian Trail along Skyline Drive and drove it end to end many times over the years. One of the best car rides in the country!
Hi, Bill! Can't thank you enough for this video! My family and I are heading to Shenandoah National Park for the first time next week and we are looking forward to it even more after watching this. Beautiful views, great information...we are most appreciative!
I’m in the process of planting VA natives to support pollinators in my area. It was great that you included the images of the plants along the route. It gave me more ideas of diverse plants to be included.
We are planning a drive down Skyline drive to or from several dreaded trips- one for Funeral for our cousin and another to see our favorite & last living Uncle severely ill in the hospital. Your video was so well done- informative with a touch of humor. Perfect for us. Thank you.
I'm very sorry to hear about your cousin, and also your Uncle. Riding Skyline too or from is relaxing, and I hope it's peaceful. Thank you for watching and be blessed!
@@BillMarion I know what you mean, I remember when our car didn't even have AC. No cars had AC for a long time and when it came out you had to have money to get one and they were after markets AC's. Yes I'm that old !!
@@juantomas3630 I remember situations like that when I was a kid. In the deep south, or SW, traveling with my parents, we were in people's homes that didn't have AC. My Mom's parents didn't have AC until I was in college. BUT...That was then. lolol
Thank you for this! I’m gonna be visiting Staunton at the end of September and can’t wait to drive the whole Skyline Drive. Looks like it’s so beautiful.
Your video has really helped, I’m visiting in 2024 - East Coast to West Coast on motorcycle tour…and Skyline Drive is our planned first day! Thanks again from the UK.. 🇬🇧 ❤ 🇺🇸
Hey, if I may add since you are heading out west, try to hit South Dakota and Wyoming. Amazing National Parks especially Yellowstone. Colorado and Utah parks will blow your mind away too. Have a fun trip coming from a Brit living here in the USA.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I’m gonna be driving Skyline Drive in a few weeks and this video is Awesome and very helpful. I’ll be goin from south to north and can’t wait. Great video!
Hazy day last year. i'd like to remake this video, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting! We're more partial to the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we love Afton! It's the beginning!
In my opinion, June and July are the best times for Skyline. Fall is great too, but it's so easy to miss to peak. It doesn't last long at all. But wildflowers in the summer are awesome on Skyline. Skyline should be great next weekend too. The air is nice and clean right now. When I made this video, the visibility was terrible. We found out later it was because of the forest fires out west. Enjoy your trip! Thanks for commenting!
Had to respond to this comment again because I might have been wrong about the visibility. We drove Skyline for a few hours yesterday and pollen was hurting visibility. It's raining this week, so hopefully it should be okay when you're going on your trip!
@@BillMarion Thanks very much for the update. I'm watching the met closely and looks like I will have 80% clear weather but on the cooler side. Packing accordingly. Just the practice I need for a 2500+ mile New England trip in June!
We are traveling from Germany to the USA soon and want to visit this park too. I wasn't sure whether you could do it in a relaxed manner in one day, but since we probably don't stop everywhere like you do, I'm now in good spirits that it can be done easily.
This beautiful video is just what I needed today. This has been a very rough 5 days and I was so glad to see this video in my recommendations. My brother in law (husband's brother) passed away unexpectedly Saturday. He was only 59 (60 in 2 months exactly from the day he passed). This has totally devastated my mother in law, sister in law and my husband. I have been their shoulder for a few days and the weight has been heavy but they are starting to regroup so my load has lightened some. And along came Bill and Caroline and their beautiful YT channel. Thank you and God bless.
I am so very sorry for your loss. This is such a difficult time. I'm so very grateful that the video helped, at least a little. I hope things turn around quickly for you and for your family. God bless you as well!
Thanks for the share! I'm thinking of doing it from New Jersey in the next week or so. I was thinking of doing it in one day but that seems ambitious based upon what I see.
If you arrive early in morning, it's doable. While making this video we hit every lookoff from both directions. So, it took us longer than it would to just drive straight through and stop at overlooks as the come. It's a great place to get away from the heat. Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting!
despite my complaining about the price ,it is very beautiful. in from south of knoxville.kingston to be exact but i love virginia . especially the battlefields.
I'm so grateful you enjoyed the video! Honestly it didn't turn out as well as I would have liked because of the haze. You're going to have a blast! Call the Park's automated answering service and make sure all of it is open, or to find out which section is open. 1-540-999-3500. If I remember correctly, you have to press 1 twice. Enjoy your trip, and thanks for watching!
Lovin that drive Bill. I was kinda disappointed that you did use a Dutch oven on the picnic but I guess a samich is better than noting LOL. Do the rattle snakes up there still Rattle. The reason I ask is because down here they have stopped doing that. It has something to do with the wild pigs going after them. Not fun to walk up on one of these guys and it is quiet. Oh no Rhonda would have died right on the road if the AC would have went out LOL. She is used to a 65 degree environment at work. OMG I really thought that you had this in fast-forward because you were trying to get in all in so fast. Then I realized that I had watched one of our videos before this to see what someone was asking about . Bill at 1.25 talks a lot faster then Bill at regular speed. Hope y'all are doing fine!
Oh yes...They rattle. This is the smaller of the two we've seen. The other one was huge. Looked like it had just swallowed a small deer or something. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but it was huge!
Thanks for your question! No, overnight parking is not permitted along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Thanks for your question, and thanks for watching!
Also, I highly recommend the podcast Hello, Nature. You mention that Shenandoah is the first National park that is land taken from people already living there. This is not correct if we consider the indigenous people who lived in many National Park lands across the nation. Worth a listen if you want to hear about that forgotten history. No criticism though, enjoyed the video.
I'm grateful you find this video useful! It wasn't the greatest day to visit Skyline, and we're probably going to remake this video next year, earlier in the summer. The haze was terrible. The last 1/3 of the video is much better than the first 1/3. (Not sure why I'm breaking the video up into thirds). Anyway, thanks for watching! Bill
@@BillMarion Don’t be so hard on yourself - sometimes you need to accept what Mother Nature serves up that day. Once we planned to do this epic fire tower hike off the Blue Ridge Highway in NC and if you think your day was hazy, omg you couldn’t even see 10 ft in front of you this morning. We ended up laughing it off and saying “we’re going to punch through the clouds any minute!!” Well, we didn’t end up punching through them at all.
Nice video. The wife and I are picking up an RV in Oxon Hill, MD on the 25th of October. Hopefully that's not too late to see all the fall foliage. We're starting in Front Royal and hoping we can find a nice campground that will allow our German Shepherd and possibly run our generator for heat if needed. Any recommendations?
Howdy! Thank you for watching and commenting! I guess my favorite camping area on Skyline is Loft Mountain. But there are others you my might like more. It's windy up there, and I'm not sure how long the colors will last at that elevation. You'll have some leaves that linger. For the next week or more, we have sunny weather and crisp and cool nights here in the valley. That means VERY crisp nights in Shenandoah National Park. If it stays dry this month, you have a great chance at seeing some amazing colors. If not, keep driving south and on to the Blue Ridge Parkway. You'll run back into some colors! (But Shenandoah has better places for RVing.) Regardless, the views are amazing. In fact, the views will be much better than this video. It was incredibly smoky during this video from forest fires out west. Visibility is much better on clear days in the fall. Have an amazing time! Here's a link to campgrounds on the Skyline www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm
@@BillMarion we're going the 24th. Is that still a good time to go? We are staying at Big Meadows. However we're at a loss on a campground back up north from the south end of skyline towards Alexandria, VA. Any recommendations?
New Sub, great drive and info. Few ?’s, Guessing September best time to visit given summer haze and traffic. Also is there a town or 2 worth pulling off the drive to venture to for its history, beauty, amenities? Many Tks
Thanks for watching and thanks for subbing! Great questions! At the Luray terminus in the town of Luray, there are some amazing caverns. Front Royal, the northern terminus, is a pretty cool town. All of Virginia is historical! lol It's hard to throw. rock without hitting something historical. Honestly, and without writing a novel, Skyline is somewhat different than Blue Ridge Parkway. As much as we love Skyline Drive, we love the Parkway more. Skyline Drive has four lodges, and I think 2 gas stations. There are no gas stations on Blue Ridge Parkway. Skyline has a lot more restrooms. But connecting other activities to Skyline is difficult. Sure, you can exit and drive 2 hours and find something amazing in any direction. But to just exit? Other than Luray, I can't think of anything. Still, thanks for watching. Amazing question! I hate it that I don't have much to offer in answers!
Appreciate your reply. It brings up another ? lol. Driving Skyline what % of driving is a tunnel cover of trees vs open views? We live in Maine NH area and find the drives through some White Mountains i.e., Kancamangus Scenic Hwy the views are sparse as too many trees. and is Blue Ridge hwy about same for open vs obstructed driving views.,Thanks, it helps us plan our trip👍
WOW! Another great question. I had to ask my wife, Caroline to help me with this one, and she is saying the same thing! First, Skyline has amazing views, and it's definitely worth your time. Skyline is older than Blue Ridge Parkway. Stanley Abbott was the landscape architect for Blue Ridge Parkway, and improved the original "mountain parkway" concept. He did so by treating the road and views like music with crescendos, and decrescendos. The build up to each view is better, especially in North Carolina. In other words, even when you're driving under a canopy of trees, you know it's building to the reveal. (There's a giant exception to this in the Roanoke area, as well as the Otter Creek area.) When comparing Skyline to Blue Ridge Parkway in NC, the views are bigger and with more frequency on the Parkway. On the Parkway between Asheville and Cherokee, you're driving at or near 5K ft of elevation for about two hours with spectacular views of the Southern Sixers. (Mountains over 6K ft in elevation.) The elevation isn't as high on Skyline. But unlike BRPW in NC, Skyline offers amazing views of Shenandoah Valley . We're positive that you won't be disappointed spending the day on Skyline Drive. You could always access Skyline Drive where we access it at Swift Run Gap outside of Harrisonburg, driving south. Catch the last half of Skyline, and jump on the Parkway for about 8 hours, following it all the way to NC, and get the best of both worlds. BUT, even if you drive all Skyline Drive, I think you're going to love it. Feel free to ask all the questions you like!
@@BillMarion Terrific indepth reply and very helpful! The Skyline’s amenities along drive seem well appointed and sure to bring welcome breaks. Will look toward a Fall trip. Enjoying your channel. btw my grandpa was a VA coal miner and many more Appalachia was home. The mountains have a real pull on me😊
Afton. Where this video ends, you go through the Skyline Terminus, and access the Parkway. Check out our Blue Ridge Parkway Playlist. We talk a lot about that kind of stuff and i think you'll enjoy it.
The southern terminus of the Skyline Drive and northern terminus/entry of the Blue Ridge Parkway are near Waynesboro, VA. Exit one and enter the other.
Thanks for commenting! Here are some hikes, Some of these are short, some of these are brutal. ***Old Rag Summit is the most famous hike in Shenandoah National Park, it's an overnight hike if you access it from Skyline, and honestly, I don't recommend Old Rag unless you access it from the boundary. Also, you have to get ticket now for that hike. Check the website for more information. It's awesome, and brutal. 1) Black Rock Summit. Short hike. It's at mile maker 84.4. I enjoyed it, but I didn't access the trail from the parking lot. ( I'll spare you the long story). If you start from the parking lot at mm 84.4 It's nice and easy. 2) Dark Hollow Falls is a nice and easy hike too. MM 50.7. This is a great time of year to visit dark hollow falls. 3) Stony Man Hike. Nice and easy short hike. Mile marker 41.7 4) White Oak Falls (Upper) Mile Marker 42.6. You can actually take this all the to bottom. It just depends on how much time you have, and how much energy you have the hike back. Those are some of my favorites. With the time you have, you can get them all in! Thank for watching!
i havent been yet and at 30 dollars for 105 miles i probably wont . there are mountains all around us bill . im not a cheapskate ,but thats a pretty heavy toll. great video by way . yours always are
First time we went up there, I about choked. We're from Chattanooga, and not used to paying that much money for so little. Paying annually makes it a little easier to deal with. There's a lot of hiking. We do a lot up there.
And to think that ALL the dozens of times my wife and I have traveled the I-81 corridor going from NY to NC, and we’ve never done this?!?! I’m about to fix that!
It's worth your time! There have been times that it's faster to take Skyline and then Blue Ridge Parkway than Interstate 81! (I loathe 81!) Thank you for watching!
