Our recent trip to Shenandoah National Park was filled with amazing beauty. But there was one thing in particular you can get here better than anyplace I have ever been. Scenic vistas.
Do you love beautiful sunsets and sunrises? We were blessed with so many its hard to count during our trip. Much of this is luck. There is no way to know when you plan a trip if those scenic vistas will be full of dramatic colors and clouds of boring clear blue skies. But, what is key at Shenandoah is there sheer number and ease of access to scenic views.
Most scenic views and and dramatic vistas require some degree of hiking in order to see them. And there is plenty of that to be found at Shenandoah if you are seeking it. However, what sets Shenandoah apart from the crowd is the 100 mile long skyline drive. A park road with a 35 mph speed limit that runs the length of the park.
The Skyline Drive makes navigating the park a breeze. You can easily get from place to place and find what you are looking for. And if what you are looking for is a scenic vista where you can watch a sunrise or sunset you will not be disappointed.
As you drive the Skyline Drive every few miles or even less in some sections there is a pull over area where you can park your car and get out and enjoy the scenery. And as luck would have it for us that included plenty of beautiful skylines with bright colors.
When I did my research for this trip I discovered a couple of websites from photographers where they had discussions dedicated specifically to what were some of the best places along the Skyline Drive to watch sunrise or sunset. Armed with this information we made sure to check out at least a few of these locations.
We are not always early risers when we are on vacation. Especially not get up early and go unless we have a plan. And that plan rarely includes get up before sunrise. But with information recommending where we could be most likely to have a good opportunity to see a nice sunrise we decided we wanted to get up and watch the sunrise.
The added bonus was that one of the prime locations for watching sunrise was right near where we were camping. We were camping at the Loft Mountain campground. And one of the most highly recommended locations for watching sunrise was the Loft Mountain Overlook. Just a short drive away. And we were able to witness a beautiful sunrise from that location.
I hope you enjoy these photogrpahs as much as I did creating them.
If you enjoyed this article you can click the link below to support the work I do here or subscribe to my email so you don’t miss out in anything I share.
