Skyline Drive Virginia: Been looking for a good place for a fall trip not to far from my home and decided on skyline drive ,Shenandoah National Park Virginia . I wanted a mix of...

crappiefever Loc: Central Pa

Been looking for a good place for a fall trip not to far from my home and decided on skyline drive ,Shenandoah National Park Virginia . I wanted a mix of wildlife and scenery so I made reservations for the second week of October . Any thoughts , ideas ,tips ?? Primary goals are Deer , Bear , Waterfalls and fall colors .For me this would only be about 150 miles .

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

crappiefever wrote:

Been looking for a good place for a fall trip not to far from my home and decided on skyline drive ,Shenandoah National Park Virginia . I wanted a mix of wildlife and scenery so I made reservations for the second week of October . Any thoughts , ideas ,tips ?? Primary goals are Deer , Bear , Waterfalls and fall colors .For me this would only be about 150 miles .

http://www.guidetosnp.com/web/Information/AboutBearsandOtherAnimals.aspx

http://www.visitskylinedrive.org/What-To-See.aspx

http://www.skylinedriveoverlooks.com/shenandoah-national-park-skyline-drive-blog/top-5-best-overlooks-on-the-skyline-drive/

https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/driving-skyline-drive.htm

Have fun!!!

hcmcdole

It's a beautiful drive - nice and cool in summer compared to the valley floor - we actually rolled the windows down and turned the AC off. The deer came up close and personal at one of our stops but I do not remember where that stop was -no fear of people for sure. The twisty roads to the top and back down can cause car-sickness at least for kids though just in case.

Fall colors should be great in October (we only saw it in June the few times we got of I-81 on our way to southern PA for a family reunion). Seems like one place had a lot of dead oaks from the gypsy moth infestation which was kind of eerie looking. There is a bald on Skyline Drive (Big Meadows with lodging) which would be great to see it when the rhododendrons bloom - I think the park service keeps it that way to preserve history (theory is the Native Americans cleared the land for camps/rituals).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Meadows
http://www.skylinedriveoverlooks.com/
http://books.google.com/books?id=iAoLpRCErdkC&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=dead+oaks+on+skyline+drive&source=bl&ots=3npeQOPvO1&sig=8TaShSaKJ8ovxqeU6vn_6DXJg_Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiO4_3KvezOAhXLNx4KHdhBBu0Q6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=dead%20oaks%20on%20skyline%20drive&f=false
http://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/fhm/fhh/fhh_10/va_fhh_10.pdf
http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=77
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/cede_forests/903

J-SPEIGHT Loc: Akron, Ohio

crappiefever wrote:

Been looking for a good place for a fall trip not to far from my home and decided on skyline drive ,Shenandoah National Park Virginia . I wanted a mix of wildlife and scenery so I made reservations for the second week of October . Any thoughts , ideas ,tips ?? Primary goals are Deer , Bear , Waterfalls and fall colors .For me this would only be about 150 miles .

Did this about 10 years ago very nice scenic drive saw deer bear beautiful scenery. Looking forward to your images.

Clemens Loc: Maryland

You will have a great trip. However try to avoid the weekends that time of the year. It is just crazy.

crappiefever wrote:

Been looking for a good place for a fall trip not to far from my home and decided on skyline drive ,Shenandoah National Park Virginia . I wanted a mix of wildlife and scenery so I made reservations for the second week of October . Any thoughts , ideas ,tips ?? Primary goals are Deer , Bear , Waterfalls and fall colors .For me this would only be about 150 miles .

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

crappiefever wrote:

Been looking for a good place for a fall trip not to far from my home and decided on skyline drive ,Shenandoah National Park Virginia . I wanted a mix of wildlife and scenery so I made reservations for the second week of October . Any thoughts , ideas ,tips ?? Primary goals are Deer , Bear , Waterfalls and fall colors .For me this would only be about 150 miles .

Check out Peaks of Otter. When driving in the morning be careful if it is a cold night, you can get ice on the shadow side of a bend....

Photocraig

Especially busy on University of Virginia Football weekends.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

Don't forget Mabrey Mill.

crappiefever Loc: Central Pa

crappiefever wrote:

Been looking for a good place for a fall trip not to far from my home and decided on skyline drive ,Shenandoah National Park Virginia . I wanted a mix of wildlife and scenery so I made reservations for the second week of October . Any thoughts , ideas ,tips ?? Primary goals are Deer , Bear , Waterfalls and fall colors .For me this would only be about 150 miles .

Thank you all for taking the time to respond and all the great information . Very much appreciated . Now I,m counting the day's . Have my trip all planned and rooms booked . And I also realized a benefit of being a senior . Lifetime National park pass for $10.00 . What a deal . I'll be making use of that !!

MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

Go during the week. Be prepared to stop frequently, the Drive has many spots to pull over and make some unbelievable images. Good luck.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

Drive slowly, enjoy it all, use all of the viewpoints and take many of the short walks down either side. You'll not be disappointed.
Get someone to take photo's of the tunnels inc. the names as this will help place your shots afterwards.

leftyD500 Loc: Ocala, Florida

crappiefever wrote:

Been looking for a good place for a fall trip not to far from my home and decided on skyline drive ,Shenandoah National Park Virginia . I wanted a mix of wildlife and scenery so I made reservations for the second week of October . Any thoughts , ideas ,tips ?? Primary goals are Deer , Bear , Waterfalls and fall colors .For me this would only be about 150 miles .

You might want to consider a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway also.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

crappiefever wrote:

Been looking for a good place for a fall trip not to far from my home and decided on skyline drive ,Shenandoah National Park Virginia . I wanted a mix of wildlife and scenery so I made reservations for the second week of October . Any thoughts , ideas ,tips ?? Primary goals are Deer , Bear , Waterfalls and fall colors .For me this would only be about 150 miles .

The first time I drove there, the fog was so thick I couldn't see the end of the hood on my car - had to pull over for a while. I hope you have better luck.

DavidT Loc: Maryland

Yes, I second the above recommendation to drive along Blue Ridge Parkway. Personally, I think it's much more scenic than Skyline Drive. The Parkway is the southern extension of Skyline Drive starting at I-64 and going south for 469 miles. The best scenic stop at the northern end is Raven's Roost (Milepost 10) so it's not far from the northern starting point.

Clemens Loc: Maryland

Don't forget to stop and visit the Luray Caverns