Mile zero of Skyline Drive is just outside Front Royal, and from here the road climbs onto the crest of the Blue Ridge and stays there for a hundred and five miles. This northern end is where you pay at the entrance station, pick up a map, check the speed limit, which is thirty-five miles per hour for the whole length of the drive, and accept that you are here for the views, not the pace. The first few miles climb quickly through oak and hickory forest to the first overlooks, with the Shenandoah Valley spreading out below to the west and the Piedmont rolling away to the east.
Front Royal is a small town of about fifteen thousand at the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Shenandoah River. During the Civil War, it was the scene of a battle in 1862, part of Stonewall Jackson's famous Valley Campaign, and the Confederate spy Belle Boyd, who passed information to Jackson, lived in the town. Today it is a gateway town for the park, with motels, restaurants, outfitters for canoeing on the river and a historic main street. The Skyline Caverns, just south of town, are known for their rare white crystal formations.
Skyline Drive was built in the 1930s, largely by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal programme that employed young men during the Depression. It was a scenic road designed for motorists, with gentle curves, stone walls and seventy-odd overlooks. The creation of the park had a darker side: hundreds of families who lived in the mountains were moved out, some by force, and their homes were demolished. The remains of their farms, stone walls and old orchards can still be found in the forest.
The riding is gentle, scenic and slow. The asphalt is well kept, and the curves are smooth and flowing, but the speed limit is strictly enforced, and there are plenty of hazards: deer, bears, wild turkeys, cyclists, and tourists stopping suddenly at overlooks. Fog is common in the mornings, and the road can be closed in winter because of snow and ice. The best times to ride are spring, when the wildflowers bloom, and autumn, when the leaves turn red and gold, usually in mid to late October, although that is also when the traffic is heaviest. Front Royal has fuel, food and everything else, so fill up here before heading into the park, as services along the drive are limited.