Skyline Drive in the fall, North District around mile 12.
NPS / N. Lewis · Public domain

Skyline Drive: Skyland to Big Meadows

Waterfalls, summits and the park lodges along the high ridge.

Page and Madison counties

Park lodges close for the season in November

Skyland and Lewis Mountain Cabins close November 8, 2026. Big Meadows Lodge closes November 29.

Source: National Park Service, checked Oct 29, 2026

The central stretch of Skyline Drive, from Thornton Gap past Skyland to Big Meadows, holds most of the park's famous short hikes: Stony Man, Hawksbill, Dark Hollow Falls, the Rose River loop and the top of Whiteoak Canyon. Nearby are the park's three lodging areas, from Skyland to Lewis Mountain just south of Big Meadows, and the Big Meadows campground.

Everything up here requires a park entrance pass. Distances between trailheads are short, but the Drive is slow, with a 35 mph limit, and closes in bad weather.

Hikes

Stony Man in autumn.
Easiest

Stony Man

1.6 mi · 340 ft gain · 1 hr

Stony Man lot, mile 41.7

Hawksbill summit, the highest point in the park.
Easiest Dogs OK

Hawksbill Summit

2.1 mi · 520 ft gain · 1 hr 30 min

Upper Hawksbill lot, mile 46.5

Early fall at Dark Hollow Falls.
Moderate

Dark Hollow Falls

1.4 mi · 440 ft gain · 1 hr 15 min

Dark Hollow Falls lot, mile 50.7

Lewis Falls, an 81-foot drop on Hawksbill Creek, in autumn.
Moderate Dogs OK

Lewis Falls

3.3 mi · 990 ft gain · 4 hr

Big Meadows, mile 51.2

President and Mrs. Hoover on the bridge over Mill Prong at Rapidan Camp.
Moderate Dogs OK

Rapidan Camp

4 mi · 870 ft gain · 2 hr 45 min

Milam Gap lot, mile 52.8

Places to stay

Drive time to Skyland. Open a stay for drive times to every trailhead.

Exterior of the Skyland dining room and taproom.
Unclaimed

Skyland

Lodge rooms and cabins inside the park · Skyline Drive, mile 41.7

0min to Skyland

0 mi by road

Sunrise over Big Meadows.
Unclaimed

Big Meadows Campground

National park campground (reservation only) · Skyline Drive, mile 51

26min to Skyland

10.2 mi by road

Exterior of Big Meadows Lodge.
Unclaimed

Big Meadows Lodge

Lodge rooms and cabins inside the park · Skyline Drive, mile 51

27min to Skyland

10.4 mi by road

Moss phlox on the rocks at Crescent Rock Overlook in spring.
Unclaimed

Lewis Mountain Cabins

Rustic cabins inside the park · Skyline Drive, mile 57.5

36min to Skyland

15.6 mi by road

Places

Enter opens the page. Shift+Enter shows it on the map.