The 5 Best Overlooks on Skyline Drive

Facebook Tweet Pin

Planning a trip to Shenandoah National Park? These are the 5 best overlooks on Skyline Drive from my visit that I recommend you check out. The overlooks are endless, but if you don’t have time to check them all out, you can’t miss these ones.

When I went on my Shenandoah National Park trip, although we camped in the park, we spent little time at our campsite and cooked and prepared our meals at overlooks along Skyline Drive. And let me tell you, eating your meals with a mountain view is unmatched. The following overlooks are from our scenic drives in search of the perfect meal view.

Rockytop Overlook
Moormans River Overlook
The Point Overlook
Bacon Hollow Overlook
Bucks Hollow Overlook
Honorable Mentions

Rockytop Overlook

This overlook was our favorite of the the trip. It was further down on Skyline Drive for us, located at mile marker 77.8, but offers epic views that made us come back twice in the same day. Rockytop Overlook has a classic stone wall to sit on and offers a wide view of rocky peaks in the distance. With a west-facing view, Rockytop might be a good spot for sunset as well.

Moormans River Overlook

Moormans River Overlook is located at mile-marker 92 with an east-facing view. Many of the overlooks mention a river or lake, but most are misleading and don’t have a view of the water when there are leaves on the trees. This overlook actually does offer river views and sweeping views of the valley. We enjoyed our lunch at this overlook, especially since it was more secluded off of Skyline Drive.

The Point Overlook

The Point Overlook is said to be one of the best views in the park to catch sunset. This west-facing overlook is located at mile-marker 55.3 and is a convenient sunset overlook if you’re staying at Big Meadows or Lewis Mountain Campgrounds. Our sunset was a little too overcast at this overlook, but with the right conditions, a sunset here has the potential to be unforgettable.

Bacon Hollow Overlook

We caught both a late morning breakfast view and the last part of sunrise at this overlook. The sun comes up over the ridgeline to the left side of this east-facing overlook and casts a beautiful light over the valley. It’s located at mile-marker 68.9, a couple miles south of the Swift Run Gap Entrance Station. With a fun name and great views, you can’t miss this overlook.

Bucks Hollow Overlook

Bucks Hollow is one of the best in the park for sunrise according to multiple sources. We arrived a few minutes after the sun peaked over the mountain but the light over the valley here as the sun came up was breathtaking. This overlook faces east and is located further north on Skyline Drive at mile-marker 32.8.

Honorable Mentions

If Bucks Hollow is too busy at sunrise, try Tunnel Parking Overlook, less than a mile north at mile-marker 32.2 by Mary’s Rock Tunnel. This also offers stunning views of the valley at sunrise.

For an alternative to sunset at the Point Overlook, Hazeltop Ridge at mile-marker 54 also offers great views and an amazing sunset. And if you wait until dusk, you might see deer in the valley below the stone wall.

Even if you don’t tackle the infamous Old Rag hike, you have to stop at the Old Rag View Overlook at mile-marker 46.4 and see what all of the hype is about. While this doesn’t have the best view of the infamous rock scramble, it gives some perspective of what this epic summit is all about. And if you’ve hiked Old Rag, it’s amazing to see the mountain from the overlook and get the whole picture.

Other popular overlooks include Hogback, Baldface Mountain, Range View, and Shenandoah Valley Overlooks. I recommend getting a map at one of the entrance stations and marking all of the overlooks you want to see.

For a list of all overlooks and their mile-markers, visit Skyline Drive Overlooks here.

If you’re planning to camp while visiting Skyline Drive, subscribe to my newsletter for a FREE camping checklist here.

You can find all of my advice for planning your road trip to Shenandoah National Park in this blog post here.