motorcycle rides in front royal virginia

Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle rides in front royal virginia’

Explore Skyline Drive: A Must for Motorcycle Lovers

Posted: October 7, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring, motorcycle tourism
Tags: fall riding on skyline drive, front royal virginia, Harley, Harley Davidson, leaf peepers, loft mountain wayside, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle ride on skyline drive, motorcycle rides in front royal virginia, motorcycle riding, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring, motorcycles, photography, riding skyline drive in the fall, shenandoah national park, Skyline Drive, skyline drive wildlife, sport bike, Sportbike, touring skyline drive, travel

If you ride a motorcycle you need to add Skyline Drive to your Bucket List!

Skyline Drive, part of the Shenandoah National Park, is one of the jewels of the National Park system. It is 105 miles of vistas, twists, turns and occasional wildlife. It is possible you will see deer, turkeys, squirrels, or even bears!

This year we toured the entire length of Skyline Drive, south to north, a few weeks before peak fall color. Traffic was quite light, and the overlooks had few if any other travelers.

We stopped for lunch at the Loft Mountain Wayside. My wife and I shared a delish smash burger with a side of giant onion rings. We have traveled this road many times and have never had a bad meal at any of the restaurants.

Fall Colors on Skyline Drive

I have said it before, Skyline Drive proves that riding in a car is like watching a movie, riding a motorcycle is being in the movie. Riding this road in the fall will prove that to anyone.

One thing everyone should know is that during fall, when the leaves are at their most colorful, the road become packed with “leaf peepers”.

The 35 MPH speed limit becomes difficult to reach due to all the vehicles. I would avoid the area unless you are ok with spending the entire day on the parkway (emphasis on park).

Riding Skyline in the spring or fall can be cool experience. By cool I mean that the temperature can be 10-15 degrees cooler than the valleys below. Throw an extra shirt on just to be safe. Also, the road is not cleared of leaves, ride carefully especially in the mornings when the leaves are damp from dew.

Front Royal, Virginia

When you are at the northern terminus of the park you are in Front Royal, Virginia. There is a lot of great riding in that area as well, spend a couple days exploring the area and the town, Main Street is a must see.

When we arrived home, we had ridden about half the day and 251 miles. Another great day on a motorcycle.

Riding Front Royal

Fort Valley Road Ride Thrill and Chill Ride

Motorcycle Riding Around Front Royal: Thrill and Chill Ride

Posted: February 21, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring
Tags: front royal virginia, Harley, Harley Davidson, Laury virginia, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, motorcycle high crash area, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle ride in virgina, motorcycle rides in front royal virginia, motorcycle rides near skyline drive, motorcycle riding, motorcycle safety, motorcycle skyline drive, motorcycle touring, motorcycle touring blog, motorcycle touring in virginia, shenandoah national park, shenandoah river, Skyline Drive, sport bike, Sportbike

Front Royal, Virginia is the northern terminus of Skyline Drive, one of the premier byways of America. Ten thousand or more motorcyclists pass through Front Royal on their way to or from Skyline Drive each year.

What those motorcyclists don’t know is that the riding around Front Royal is amazing! If you are riding to or from Skyline Drive, you owe it to yourself to stop to visit Front Royal and ride our local roads.

Look for my other documented ride in the Front Royal area here.

Mountain Passes and Valley Riding

This “Thrill and Chill” ride gets its name from the Thrills of riding two mountain passes and the Chill of cruising through parts of the Shenandoah Valley.

Heading south out of town you will be cruising through local farmland, vineyards, and quaint small towns. During this part of the ride, you will have spectacular views of the steep, rugged tree-lined mountains to your west. If you are lucky, you will get glimpses of Skyline Drive high above you.

Before long you will see that same mountain in front of you growing larger and taller with each mile. The twists and turns on this pass are as good as any twisty road in America. For those that enjoy mountain riding here is a chance to drag your pegs and experience the fun of flipping your motorcycle through turns. But be careful, this is a high crash area and there is a sign at the bottom pointing out that fact.

Passing under Skyline Drive and down the other side puts you back in the valley and just a chill cruise to Luray, Virginia. Continuing south you will pass through more verdant farmland and more charming small-town America until you reach Elkton and turn east back towards the looming mountain.

As with the first mountain pass this is a mountain riding lovers heaven. Miles of climbing with tight right and left corners and a long-twisted descent will put a big smile on anyone’s face.

Before long you will be heading north again via the valley roads until you make it back to Front Royal again. This is a 3-hour(ish) ride covering 145 miles.