Skyline Drive - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 1025

some of the most splendid and serene scenery found anywhere. Shenandoah Valley Over-
look,oneofthefirstpointsofinterest alongthetwo-lanehighwayasyoutravelsouthfrom
Front Royal, provides a sweeping view of the valley, the Shenandoah River, and 40-mile-
long Massanutten Mountain, which rises between the river's two forks. Signal Knob, a
peak at the right-hand side of the mountain, was used during the protracted Civil War as a
communicationsbasebyboththeblue-coatUnionandgray-uniformedConfederatetroops.
2. Range View Overlook
Perched2,800feetabovesealevel,thisoverlookhasperhapsthebestvistasinthenorthern
part of the Drive. To the south, running as far as the eye can see, are the Blue Ridge Moun-
tains, named for the haze (a combination of tree vapors and, nowadays, smog) that con-
stantly hovers over their slopes.
3. Hogback Overlook
To get a full view from this overlook (the longest one in the park), you will have to stop
near the middle or once at each end. Either way, the scenery is sensational. On a clear day,
as many as six or more bends of the serpentine Shenandoah River can be seen.
4. Marys Rock Tunnel
At mile 32.2 you reach Marys Rock Tunnel, a 610-foot-long corridor carved through a
granite ridge. No one knows for sure how Marys Rock got its name, but legend has it that
whenFrancisThornton,alocallandowner,broughthisdaughtertothissummittoshowher
the vastness of his property, he christened it Marys Rock. At Meadow Spring parking area,
a two-mile trail of moderate difficulty leads to the summit, which is one of the few places
in the park that affords a 360-degree panorama.
5. Pinnacles Overlook
The Drive overlooks Virginia's rolling piedmont country as it snakes along the crest of the
Blue Ridge Mountains on its way to Pinnacles Overlook. The view of Old Rag Mountain,
to the south, is a bold reminder that nature favors constant change. When it was formed a
billion years ago, this mass of granite was bare. Later it was covered with lava and ocean
sediment, which have since worn away to reveal, once again, the stone's original surface.
In a similar way, the Shenandoah region has made a comeback of its own. Not so long
agothelandwaslargelydeforestedbyfarmers,loggers,andhunters.Intheearlypartofthis