Skyline Drive-Central District: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Shenandoah National Park
Crosbie A. 2025. Skyline Drive-Central District: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Shenandoah National Park. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 975552. National Park Service. NPS Northeast Regional Office, Boston, Massachusetts / CRIS-CL Database
Skyline Drive is a 105.5‑mile, two‑lane scenic park road entirely within the boundaries of Shenandoah National Park (NP) in Virginia. The drive is accessible from four entrances. The drive traces the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which form a natural boundary between the Shenandoah Valley, or the “Great Valley of Virginia,” to the west, and the Piedmont Plain to the east. Skyline Drive was constructed in three phases, namely North District, Central District, and South District. The Central District portion of Skyline Drive extends thirty‑four miles from Thornton Gap to Swift Run Gap, Mile 31.5 to Mile 65.5. Skyline Drive–Central District follows the crest of the Blue Ridge, providing park visitors the opportunity to observe the surrounding scenery from a vantage point typically ranging from 2,500 to 3,000 feet above the valley, with the highest peak at Mile 41.7 near Skyland at 3,680 feet. Along the drive are wayside stations, parking overlooks which provide scenic views and access to trails and site features, picnic grounds, campgrounds, overnight accommodations, and other services. The Central District provides access to several developed areas including Pinnacles, Skyland, Big Meadows, and Lewis Mountain. Well established plantings of mountain laurel, rhododendrons, ferns, and azaleas exist along the road. Since the 1930s, forests have matured and changed the appearance of views from some of the Central District’s twenty‑two named overlooks. Along the drive, forests of oak, maple, and hickory have also replaced many of the fields and pastures that were present in the 1930s.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Crosbie, Allison
- Date of Issue
- 2025
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- NER , SHEN
- Keywords
- Architecture, carriage roads, Civilian Conservation Corps, Comfort Station, community planning, Concession, Conservation of Natural resources, Engineering, Entertainment, hiking trail, Historic Designed Landscape, Landscape architecture, Leisure, parkway, Scenic Landscape, Skyline Drive, Social History, The 1930s: Era of Public Works, The Great Depression, Touring Roads, Transportation, Virginia