Skyline Drive - Rockfish Gap to Loft Mtn. Out & Back

This information has been field-checked and is final.

Today's venture in the Blue Ridge Mountains is a beautiful ride made for those looking for a hilly experience but nothing too steep.  If you are looking for steep, please ride next weekend!  This is an out-and-back ride, but the views are incredible, so you won't mind.  Today's ride features:

• 52 miles on the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park (SNP), from milepost 106 where I-64 crosses the Blue Ridge to the Loft Mountain Wayside about a half-mile beyond milepost 80 -- and then a return to the start
• 14 overlooks with great views, 10 overlooking the Shenandoah Valley to the west, and 4 overlooking Albemarle County to the east
• Smooth pavement, low traffic, and a 35-mph speed limit
• 4,761 feet of elevation gain, but the grades are gentle, with just one brief pitch at 10.7%.  However, the first few miles are a steady uphill.
• Forested the entire distance

SNP Entrance Fee.  Admission requires a lifetime senior/military pass or a cashless payment.  Each lifetime pass covers up to four people, so if we have enough of those, SNP admission should be free for all of us.

Today's ride is multi-pace. Due to the elevation gain, it is recommended you ride at your own pace and not push to keep pace with someone else.

The ride distance can be easily adjusted.  If you want more distance and elevation gain, start in Waynesboro and ride up U.S. 250 to the intersection with I-64 and the Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway.  That will add approximately six to eight miles round-trip and 600 feet of elevation gain.  If you want a shorter distance than 52 miles and less climbing, you can turn around wherever you want on the Skyline Drive.  For those who want longer or shorter, please contact the ride leader.  He will coordinate a Waynesboro start for those going longer and/or a refreshment sag for those who are turning around short of the Loft Mountain Wayside.

Food and Water:  The Loft Mountain Wayside about a half-mile past milepost 80 (exactly midway in the ride) offers restrooms, a restaurant, snacks, beverages, and a bike repair station!  What cyclist could ask for more?

RideWithGPS Route (if necessary, right click and open link):  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/51952925

Directions to Parking and the Starting Location:  It is about a two-hour and 15-minute drive from Williamsburg to Waynesboro.  Leave Williamsburg before 7:00 a.m. so you will be ready to ride at 9:30 a.m.  Where I-64 crosses the Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway, follow these directions.  (If you need a GPS destination for the long drive, use "Rockfish Gap," and when you approach the I-64 interchange with U.S. 250, follow these directions.)

If riding just the Skyline Drive:

• Exit I-64 to U.S. 250.  At the stop sign, turn R onto 250 East.  Drive slowly a couple hundred yards and, on your right, you will see a King's Gourmet Popcorn food truck and several abandoned buildings.  Pull into the parking area that serves the food truck and abandoned buildings.  Park facing the road with the double-yellow center line (Howardsville Turnpike).  A port-a-potty is available here.  
• After parking, get on your bike.  Turn R onto Howardsville Turnpike. In a very short distance, at the Y fork in the road, curve L to the stop sign.  (Do not make a slight R onto route 610.)  At the stop sign, turn L onto the Skyline Drive.  (A R turn will place you on the Blue Ridge Parkway.)
• In a hundred yards, pull into the Skyline Drive welcome kiosk on your R and meet the WAB group there.  There are six parking spots available there, but they may be full.

If riding from Waynesboro to the Skyline Drive (8 additional miles and an additional 600 feet of elevation gain):

• Park at the Arch Avenue Public Parking, 215 W. Main St., Waynesboro, VA 22980.
• Ride east on U.S. 250 (Main St.) up to the "top" where I-64/U.S. 250/Skyline/Blue Ridge all intersect.  Turn right onto Howardsville Turnpike, ride to the stop sign, turn L onto the Skyline Drive, and assemble at the welcome kiosk.

Post-Ride Social:  Pro Re Nata Brewery, 6135 Rockfish Gap Turnpike (U.S. 250), Crozet, VA 22932.  Head east on I-64.  Exit onto U.S. 250 east (Crozet exit).  Drive about 0.6 miles.

Registration, Weather, and Cancelation:  Please pre-register for the ride.  Any cancelation will be posted by 6:00 p.m. Friday evening, August 15.  Given the overhead to join the ride, the ride leader will err on the side of caution when determining whether to cancel the ride.  Wet pavement or a rainy forecast will lead to cancelation.  Note that because the Skyline Drive is located 140 miles west of -- and several thousand feet higher than -- Williamsburg, it will be cooler and much less humid.