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Skyline Drive: Swift Run Gap to Rockfish Gap, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Drives Virginia Shenandoah and the Virginia Blue Ridge

Skyline Drive: Swift Run Gap to Rockfish Gap

Skyline Drive · Swift Run Gap → Rockfish Gap

Twisty40 mi1 hr 10 min3,700 ft climbHigh point ≈ 3,000 ftOne way
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The drive

Skyline Drive is the only public road in Shenandoah National Park, 105 miles along the Blue Ridge crest, with 75 overlooks looking west over the Shenandoah Valley and east to the Piedmont. This drive covers the south end, from Swift Run Gap at US 33 (mile 65.5) to Rockfish Gap at US 250 (mile 104.6): 39.7 miles in about 1 hr 10 min.

At Rockfish Gap the road becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway. The drive is twisty, with mostly moderate curves and three twisty stretches.

Along the way

  1. Swift Run Gap (US-33)
  2. Skyline Drive
  3. Rockfish Gap (US-250)
Elevation
3,700 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 3,000 ft
Swift Run GapRockfish Gap
Curves
Mostly moderate, with three twisty stretches
Swift Run GapRockfish Gap
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Entrance is $30 per private vehicle, good for seven consecutive days, and the park takes only card or electronic payment.
  • The speed limit is 35 mph in most places, and deer, black bears and wild turkeys cross the road.
  • Weather can close the road at any time.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check Shenandoah National Park: alerts and conditions.

Questions about this drive

How long is the southern part of Skyline Drive?

Skyline Drive from Swift Run Gap to Rockfish Gap is 39.7 miles and takes about 1 hr 10 min.

Does Skyline Drive connect to the Blue Ridge Parkway?

Yes. At Rockfish Gap, where US 250 crosses, Skyline Drive becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway.

How much does it cost to drive Skyline Drive?

Entrance to Shenandoah National Park is $30 per private vehicle, valid for seven consecutive days.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
Preview it in 3DFly the whole drive over satellite and terrain before you go.
Drive it with no signalAPEXDownload the map and every turn before you go.
Live Group TrackingAPEXEveryone on the route, on the map, by name.
Road conditionsAPEXWet or dry, ice, fog and wind along the road before you go.
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More drives near here

All 17 drives in Virginia ›

Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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Map of Skyline Drive: Swift Run Gap to Rockfish Gap, from Swift Run Gap to Rockfish Gap