BIKING THE SHENANDOAH SKYLINE DRIVE 

From July 7 to 9, 2009, I biked the Shenandoah Skyline Drive from Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro, Virginia, to Front Royal, Virginia, USA. The Skyline Drive is 105 miles (170 km) long but it is very hilly, as you can see from the altitude profile along the right edge of the map below. (1000 feet is about 300 meter.)
  Accommodations and shops near the Skyline Drive are few and far between. I stayed overnight at Waynesboro before the ride, at Swift Run (just west of Swift Run Gap) and Skyland on the Skyline Drive during the ride, then at Front Royal after the ride.
  In July 2011 I rode the Skyline Drive both ways self-supported, using my car as sag wagon and riding in loops of 10 to 20 miles each. Thus, starting from Front Royal, I biked 210 miles in 6 days.
  Here are pictures from the tours. Put the cursor over a thumbnail to see its caption, click the thumbnail to see a larger picture, and hit Back on your browser to return to this page. Thumbnails with borders are video clips.
  To hear "Oh, Shenandoah" click here.
 

"Shenandoah Skyline Drive map from National Park Service Julie singing Danny Boy (in Korean) at a Shenandoah Valley overlook Deer having a lunch snack at Byrd Visitor Center Leaving from Pinnacles Overlook on the third day Starting point at Rockfish Gap Old log cabin in downtown Front Royal Julie leaving the caboose of an old train that came to Front Royal The rotunda is the downtown gathering place in Front Royal End of the road at north end of Skyline Drive The Appalachian Trail (AT) often crosses the Skyline Drive Dawn from the Shenandoah Skyline Drive Deer abound in the Shenandoah National Park Halfway! It should be all downhill from here The highest point on the Skyline Drive is at Skyland Open ground at Big Meadows View from the Skyline Drive into Shenandoah National Park Native turkeys forage along the Skyline Drive Onward and upward on the Skyline Drive Shenandoah Valley can often be seen from the Skyline Drive Hills abound in the Shenandoah National Park It's time to get in the saddle and ride
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