Need Advice on Campgrounds and Activies on Skyline Drive...

[poppatello]

Wife and I are planning a trip to Skyline Drive for 7 to 8 days around July 20th for our anniversary. Neither of us have ever been and it will be an adult trip (just the two of us). We enjoy anything outdoors that doesn't require zip lines.

I will be towing a 28' TT with a pickup and require a 3 point hook up. We are looking for things to do, places to eat and drink, swim, hike, or ride our bikes. Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

[DSL417]

I'm going to assume you are talking Skyline Dr in Virginia with the following comments. If so,

1) It is a beautiful drive.
2) It is a drive and stop and view type of experience.
3) Generally, it other activities like swimming and camping come at the exits off of the Skyline Drive.
- From N to S, you have numerous vineyards,mostly on the east side of the drive in western Virginia (note not West Virginia). Search on "wine country" and "Virginia".
- I've ridden all over the area on a MC, and I don't remember that many campgrounds that have a lot of activities...maybe some else can help with that.
- Luray Caverns offers an interesting side excursion.
- There are a lot of opportunities for off road biking. Again just do a search on "off-road biking" and "western Virginia".

As far as driving Skyline, I see no real value in taking you TT, or any RV, on Skyline for the sake of driving the drive. My recommendation would be to park, take in a section of the drive and see what there is to see and return to your campsite on either the wine side or the Shenandoah Valley side. Then move to the next section, and repeat. All the way from front Royal VA to NC. Very few attractions other than the beauty to be observed from the views, which is enough.

JMHO

[MickBrennan]

We really like staying at Walnut Hill/Staunton KOA. They have always accommodated our needs for scheduling and service. The staff is friendly and the campground is very nice. A few sites have patios with furniture and a gas grill.

Besides Luray Caverns be sure to check out Endless Caverns for a little less commercial tour.

There are several great wineries and Breweries in that area. The food at the breweries is wonderful and moderately priced.

[mikebreeze]

Please note that the Marys Rock tunnel in SNP only has 12 feet 8 inches clearance. My RV is 13 feet tall so I wouldn't attempt it. I have seen RV's use both lanes of this tunnel because it is wider in the middle. But the tunnel is at least a couple hundred feet long and unless you get someone to halt traffic, you could cause an accident.

[poppatello]

Thanks for the tips and warnings. LOL, I'm now wondering if a week checking out Skyline Drive in Va. and NC. may not be a good idea. My wife and I love the outdoors and checking the views. But is there really a week worth of views? I wouldn't mind camping off the drive somewhere where many others have said so and take a few days to drive up and down it. I also wasn't planning on moving from site to site unless it's really that long. I have no idea what's it's like just that a lot of folks say it's wonderful.

I've tried briefly to look it up on line and came up with some place in AZ? That's why I figured I would try this site. Any place on Skyline Drive rent boats and things like that???

[DSL417]

So to see what your looking at go to google maps and Front Royal VA. Skyline Drive starts just south of Front Royal and is a national park's run drive. Travel down it on the maps in satellite view.

What you'll find is a road that travels close to the top of this series of peaks. To the best of my knowledge, there are no lakes.

There is beautiful country on either side in addition to the drive on Skyline. Camping in the Shenandoah can be beautiful in early summer. Jul and Aug can be pretty sultry.

I found this doing a preliminary search on Yahoo...there is more there (used "skyline drive and virginia";

Driving Skyline Drive - Shenandoah National Park

Good luck

[jrhartle]

I was just on Skyline Drive in the Asheville NC area last month. My impression is that it really was never intended for TT or MH travel. It is narrow, very twisty and though there are some great vistas, mostly it is driving through the woods. It is a great drive in a car but I would never think of doing it in at TT or MH. In a car 40 MPH is fast. You can get in to some really bad fog very quickly on those mountain tops and it turns into a white out. That happened to us last month and scared the crap out of me until I got to an exit at 10 MPH and got off of it (couldn’t see 50 feet) and down to the lower valley. If I was in my MH and that happened it could of been tragic. My advice would be the same as above. Find a good place to camp and travel in a car over sections. There is a good website about Skyline Drive you can look up.

Jim Hartle, 2002 Bounder 36S

[mikebreeze]

Originally Posted by jrhartle

I was just on Skyline Drive in the Asheville NC area last month.

I think you meant the Blue Ridge Parkway as Skyline Drive ends at Rockfish Gap, VA near Waynesboro, VA

[jrhartle]

Mikebreeze, you're correct I confused the two. Sorry! Please disregard my advice, it was for the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Jim H, 2002 Bounder 36S

[MickBrennan]

Actually you would be much better served by camping in a central location like Staunton, VA and exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway without your 28 foot trailer. The BRP was designed as a park with the roadway as a secondary consideration. Although it is difficult to discern, most of the landscaping and vegetation along the BRP was planned and planted as a park not a thoroughfare.
Link

[jollyjim]

Skyline Drive is beautiful and is not as steep as Blue Ridge Parkway. Big Meadows Campground is a great place to stay, with a nearby waterfall within walking distance. There is no hook-ups but they have water and a dump station available. You can go to the website for Shenandoah National Park to read about it and the other two campgrounds in the park. The Inn at Big Meadows has great meals and because of its location, is one of the best places in the east to view the sunset.

[DGBPokes]

I drove the Blu Ridge Parkway North from Ashville 3 years ago. I had a 38' motorhome, and toad. I drove about half of it, then got off and found better highway. It is a wonderful scenic drive , and I recommend it highly. But I would NOT attempt it again in my RV. We made it just fine, but it was a stressful drive, and truthfully, I didn't get to see much, I was too busy driving, and my wife is afraid of heights so I know she didn't see much either. At one point one lane of the road had slid down the mountain, so it was blocked off and I was stopped on a down grade at about a 10% incline for half an hour while they worked on the road a while, and let traffic pass on the one lane that was left.

[JohnBoyToo]

Agree no rv of any size...

We drive skyline for about 20 miles when I was 'visiting' Virginia for work...

we were in jeeps and able to get off the beaten path trusting the gps to get us back

thank goodness I had lifetime map updates as some place were 'off-road' !

but nice adventure...

would I do it again ? no, but touring the historic sites that we were surprised to find was pretty cool .

[olddog1943]

Take a look at Country Waye CG on Rte 340 just north of Luray. Very nice and clean.