Skyline Drive
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Skyline Drive | |
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Route information | |
Maintained by NPS | |
Length: | 109.00 mi[1] (175.42 km) |
Existed: | 1939 – present |
Major junctions | |
North end: | US 340 in Warren County |
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South end: | US 250 in Rockfish Gap |
Highway system | |
Skyline Drive Historic District
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File:Skyline Drive near Big Meadow.jpg | |
Skyline Drive near Big Meadows
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Nearest city | Front Royal, Virginia |
Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Built | 1931 |
Architect | multiple |
Architectural style | Other |
MPS | Historic Park Landscapes in National and State Parks MPS |
NRHP Reference # | 97000375[2] |
VLR # | 069-0234 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | April 28, 1997 |
Designated NHLD | October 6, 2008[4] |
Designated VLR | December 4, 2006; July 2, 1997; June 18, 2003[3] |
Skyline Drive is a 109-mile (175 km)[5] road that runs the entire length of the National Park Service's Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, generally along the ridge of the mountains. The scenic drive is particularly popular in the fall when the leaves are changing colors. Annually, over two million people visit the Skyline Drive, which has been designated a National Scenic Byway.
Contents
Entry
Major entry points to Skyline Drive are as follows:
- Front Royal, Virginia (U.S. Route 340), the northern terminus
- Thornton Gap (U.S. Route 211)
- Swift Run Gap (U.S. Route 33)
- Rockfish Gap (Interstate 64, U.S. Route 250), the southern terminus.
Fees are collected at the Skyline Drive's access points. The fee varies based on the season. Passes, which are valid for unlimited entries within a seven-day period, are issued. Since user fees are charged at entry points along the Skyline Drive, the Drive is sometimes mistaken[who?] for a toll road. The fee, however, is not a toll charged to drive on the road, but rather an entry fee for the park itself. A $20.00 pass is valid for up to seven days and $40.00 for a year-long pass.
Mileposts
On the west side (right when traveling from north to south) of the drive, mileposts are present. They are numbered from 0 to 105 (north to south). These are the reference points to directions in the drive.[6]
Driving precautions
The speed limit is 35 miles per hour (56 km/h), due to curves, wildlife and tourists. Bicycles, motor vehicles, and pedestrians share the road. There are also deer, bears, and other wildlife, which may appear and cross the road without warning. These all require extra precaution. The speed limit within the park is strictly enforced by park rangers.
Experience
The road takes a winding path along the mountaintops of the Blue Ridge Mountains east of the Shenandoah River. There are nearly seventy-five overlooks throughout the drive, providing views of the surrounding valleys. During the drive (especially in early morning and late evening) wildlife can be seen on the road; Shenandoah National Park has one of the densest populations of black bears documented within the U.S.[7]
Numerous trails can be accessed along the drive, including a portion of the Appalachian Trail, which follows the road's path. Biking and horseback riding are other recreational activities that are allowed on the road. The southern end of the Skyline Drive is located in Rockfish Gap, where it connects to the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a free-access road that continues southward along the Blue Ridge Mountains.
History
- Further information:History of Shenandoah National Park
Begun as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depression, construction of the Skyline Drive was both difficult and dangerous. Large cuts were made into the sides of knolls and peaks to allow for a road wide enough to handle traffic. The work began in 1931, and the final section (from Swift Run Gap to Rockfish Gap) was completed and opened in 1939. The Civilian Conservation Corps also had a hand in the construction of Skyline Drive. The CCC graded the slopes on both sides of the roadway, built guardrails, constructed overlooks, and planted thousands of trees and shrubs along the parkway.[8] It has 75 overlooks.
Already a National Scenic Byway and on the National Register of Historic Places, the Skyline Drive was designated a National Historic Landmark in October 2008.[9]
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Skyline Drive - Map 1 - North District.jpg
North district, Skyline Drive
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Skyline Drive - Map 2 - Central District.jpg
Central district, Skyline Drive
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Skyline Drive - Map 3 - South District.jpg
South district, Skyline Drive
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
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Warren | | 0.00 | 0.00 | US 340 to I‑66 – Skyline Caverns, Luray, Front Royal | |
Page | Thornton Gap | 31.46 | 50.63 | US 211 – Washington, DC, Luray | interchange |
Rockingham | Swift Run Gap | 65.60 | 105.57 | US 33 – Richmond, Harrisonburg | interchange |
Augusta | Rockfish Gap | 105.57 | 169.90 | US 250 / Blue Ridge Parkway south to I‑64 – Charlottesville, Waynesboro | interchange |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Virginia Department of Transportation, 2012 Traffic Data
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- ↑ Shenandoah National Park - Driving Skyline Drive (U.S. National Park Service)
- ↑ Shenandoah National Park - Mammals (U.S. National Park Service)
- ↑ http://www.nps.gov/archive/shen/3b2a3.htm
- ↑ [1][dead link]
External links
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- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. VA-119, "Skyline Drive, From Front Royal, VA to Rockfish Gap, VA , Luray, Page County, VA", 117 photos, 18 measured drawings, 11 photo caption pages
- Official website
- Skyline Drive Historic District
- The Ground Beneath Our Feet online exhibit of the Virginia Historical Society regarding creation of the Shenandoah National Park
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Skyline Drive (Virginia). |
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles with dead external links from August 2013
- Infobox road temporary tracking category 1
- All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases
- Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from July 2014
- Jctint template tracking category
- Official website not in Wikidata
- Commons category link is locally defined
- National Scenic Byways
- Transportation in Augusta County, Virginia
- Transportation in Albemarle County, Virginia
- Transportation in Rockingham County, Virginia
- Transportation in Greene County, Virginia
- Transportation in Page County, Virginia
- Transportation in Madison County, Virginia
- Transportation in Rappahannock County, Virginia
- Transportation in Warren County, Virginia
- Shenandoah National Park
- Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
- Blue Ridge Mountains
- Civilian Conservation Corps in Virginia
- Works Progress Administration in Virginia
- Visitor attractions in Augusta County, Virginia
- Visitor attractions in Albemarle County, Virginia
- Visitor attractions in Rockingham County, Virginia
- Visitor attractions in Greene County, Virginia
- Visitor attractions in Page County, Virginia
- Visitor attractions in Madison County, Virginia
- Visitor attractions in Rappahannock County, Virginia
- Visitor attractions in Warren County, Virginia
- Historic American Engineering Record in Virginia
- National Historic Landmarks in Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places in Madison County, Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places in Warren County, Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places in Rappahannock County, Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places in Rockingham County, Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places in Augusta County, Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places in Albemarle County, Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places in Page County, Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places in Greene County, Virginia
- 1931 establishments in Virginia
- Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia