Virginia Scenic Drives: Skyline Drive to Colonial Parkway

Explore Virginia's most celebrated scenic routes spanning 3,149 km, including Skyline Drive along the Blue Ridge Mountains, the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Colonial Parkway connecting Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. These historic roads offer panoramic mountain views, preserved colonial landmarks, and access to protected wilderness across the state.

Mode
Places
Start
Skyline Drive
End
Waynesboro
Stops
12
Video author
travmap
Updated

Stops on this route

  1. Skyline Drive — 105-mile scenic ridge road built during the Great Depression, running along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains with 75 overlooks and 35 mph speed limit.
  2. Blue Ridge Parkway — 469-mile scenic parkway with zero traffic lights and billboards, connecting Shenandoah to Great Smoky Mountains; Virginia claims 219 miles.
  3. Colonial Parkway — 23-mile scenic parkway connecting Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown; built 1930–1957 with handmade brick and zero commercial development.
  4. Mount Rogers Scenic Byway — Virginia's highest peak drives through the Appalachian Mountains with sweeping vistas, rare alpine meadows, and pristine wilderness trails.
  5. Back of the Dragon (Route 16) — Serpentine mountain road famous for its 13 hairpin curves, attracting drivers seeking thrilling elevation changes and panoramic ridge views.
  6. Hallowed Ground Scenic Byway — Historic route through Civil War battlefields and preserved plantation landscapes that shaped America's most pivotal conflict and its aftermath.
  7. George Washington Memorial Parkway — Riverside drive honoring the first president, linking historic estates and monuments while showcasing the Potomac River's natural beauty and colonial heritage.
  8. Snickersville Turnpike — Mountain gap route steeped in 18th-century history, originally used by Native Americans and settlers connecting the Shenandoah Valley to eastern Virginia.
  9. Front Royal — Northern terminus of Skyline Drive, gateway to Blue Ridge Mountains scenic exploration in northern Virginia.
  10. Shenandoah National Park — Protected wilderness area of 200,000 acres encompassing Skyline Drive, created during the Great Depression through displacement of 500 mountain families.
  11. Rockfish Gap — Southern terminus of Skyline Drive where it meets the Blue Ridge Parkway, gateway between two major scenic routes.
  12. Waynesboro — Gateway city near Milepost Zero of the Blue Ridge Parkway, starting point for the southern scenic route through Virginia.

Useful for your trip

Timing
Visit Skyline Drive from late September through mid-November for autumn colors when mountains display reds and oranges across the slopes.
Transport
Skyline Drive has a 35 mph speed limit. The drive runs 105 miles from Front Royal in the north to Rockfish Gap in the south.
Transport
Blue Ridge Parkway has zero traffic lights, zero billboards, and zero commercial trucks. Travel at 35 mph through 469 miles with Virginia claiming 219 miles.
Tip
Mabry Mill at Milepost 176 on Blue Ridge Parkway is the most photographed location on the entire parkway. Visit to see a 1910 gristmill beside a reflecting pool.
Where to stay
Peaks of Otter Lodge at Milepost 86 on Blue Ridge Parkway has welcomed travelers since 1964 with rooms offering unchanged century-old views of Sharp Top Mountain.
Transport
Colonial Parkway connects three historical sites over 23 miles: Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown. No commercial development is visible along the route.
Tip
Meems Bottom Covered Bridge, built in 1893, is 204 feet long and spans the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. It's Virginia's longest covered bridge still open to traffic.
Timing
Blue Ridge Music Center near Virginia-North Carolina border hosts summer evening concerts celebrating Appalachian music traditions in an amphitheater.
Tip
Mount Rogers Scenic Byway features over 120 wild ponies roaming Grayson Highlands State Park meadows at 5,000+ feet elevation. They approach hikers without fear.
Transport
Back of the Dragon (Route 16) has 438 curves over 32 miles through Tazewell County, climbing to 3,500 feet. This challenging road is popular with motorcycle enthusiasts.
Tip
Route 11 passes through historic towns established roughly 20 miles apart along the 18th-century Great Wagon Road: Winchester, Strasburg, Woodstock, New Market, Harrisonburg, Staunton, Lexington.
Tip
Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway runs 180 miles connecting Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Monticello in Charlottesville, passing five presidential homes and Civil War battlefields.

Video on this route

Virginia's Timeless Drives: Where Mountains Touch History

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