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Lookout · Skyline Drive

Rockytop Overlook

National Park Service
Looking north-west from Rockytop Overlook. Terrain and imagery at true elevation.
Overview · Assembled from verified data

Rockytop Overlook sits at 2,857 feet on Skyline Drive, facing 330 degrees, with the land dropping 907 feet within 600 meters of the pullout. The view takes in the south district of Shenandoah National Park, with terrain features at varying distances: Brown Mountain Overlook to the north-northeast at 1.0 mile, Rocky Mountain to the north-northwest at 1.4 miles, and Rockytop itself farther west-northwest at 2.7 miles. Lewis Peak lies to the west at 3.6 miles, Rocky Mount to the north-northeast at 3.7 miles, and Longs Hill at 8.4 miles to the west-northwest, considerably lower in elevation than the closer peaks. Harrisonburg is 16.2 miles northwest, Charlottesville 20.0 miles south-southeast, and Staunton 23.9 miles west-southwest. On the June solstice, sunrise is at 5:52 and sunset at 8:42, giving the longest daylight window of the year at this stop; the December solstice offers the shortest, with sunrise at 7:29 and sunset at 4:58. This overlook follows Rocky Top Overlook and precedes Big Run Overlook along the drive.

Access
On the byway
Elevation
2,857 ft
View
Northwest · 330°
Relief
907 ft drop
In view
6 named features
Photos · Real imagery only
What's the view from Rockytop Overlook?
National Park Service · Public domain (NPS) · NPS
West from Rockytop Overlook in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
View south along Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive just south of the Rockytop Overlook in Rockingham County, Virginia
Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
View west-southwest from the Rockytop Overlook along Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive in Rockingham County, Virginia
Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
View west from the Rockytop Overlook along Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive in Rockingham County, Virginia
Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
View southwest from the Rockytop Overlook along Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive in Rockingham County, Virginia
Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
In view · Named features

What you’re looking at

Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.

  • Brown Mountain Overlook2,851 ftnorth-northeast · 1.0 mi
  • Rocky Mountain2,852 ftnorth-northwest · 1.4 mi
  • Rockytop2,848 ftwest-northwest · 2.7 mi
  • Lewis Peak2,742 ftwest · 3.6 mi
  • Rocky Mount2,743 ftnorth-northeast · 3.7 mi
  • Longs Hill1,381 ftwest-northwest · 8.4 mi
When to look · Sun at this latitude

Light

DateSunriseSunsetGolden hour
March equinox07:1919:2718:52
June solstice05:5220:4220:03
September equinox07:0319:1318:39
December solstice07:2916:5816:17

Local time (America/New_York). Computed for this exact position.

Getting there · Position and access

Where it is

  • Harrisonburg16.2 mi northwest
  • Charlottesville20.0 mi south-southeast
  • Staunton23.9 mi west-southwest
← Before it: Rocky Top OverlookAfter it: Big Run Overlook →
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From the source · Verbatim

Rockytop Overlook · National Park Service

Looking west-northwest at Rockytop Overlook from an elevation of 2,860 ft (871 m), you will see the more rugged south district of Shenandoah National Park. Lewis Mountain is far in the distance, while Loft Mountain is on the right. Loft Mountain is not the location of the Loft Mountain Campground. Rather, the campground is located on Big Flat Mountain. Due to the unappealing nature of the name Big Flat Mountain Campground, park officials decided to use Loft Mountain as the campground's namesake instead.

Read it at National Park Service →
Common questions

How high is Rockytop Overlook?

Rockytop Overlook sits at about 2,857 feet (871 m).

What can you see from Rockytop Overlook?

From Rockytop Overlook: Brown Mountain Overlook (NNE, 1.0 mi); Rocky Mountain (NNW, 1.4 mi); Rockytop (WNW, 2.7 mi); Lewis Peak (W, 3.6 mi).

What is the nearest town to Rockytop Overlook?

Harrisonburg, 16 miles NW of Rockytop Overlook.

What is the next lookout after Rockytop Overlook?

Big Run Overlook is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Rockytop Overlook.

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Rockytop Overlook — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.

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