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The Oaks Overlook

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Looking north-west from The Oaks Overlook. Terrain at true elevation.

The Oaks Overlook sits at 3,113 feet on Skyline Drive, facing 300 degrees toward the west-northwest, with the land dropping 657 feet within 600 meters of the edge. The view takes in a series of peaks across the Shenandoah Valley, including Pine Mountain 1.6 miles away, Abrams Mountain at 2.8 miles, Feldy Mountain at 3.1 miles, and Huckleberry Mountain at 3.7 miles, along with more distant summits such as Grindstone Mountain, Smith Mountain, and Devils Tanyard, each 4.9 to 6.3 miles out. Elkton Spring, Bear Lithia Spring, and Stonewall Memorial Park lie to the west at distances of 6.3 to 7.2 miles. Because the overlook faces close to sunset direction, it offers late-day light across the valley; sunset times range from 16:57 in December to 20:42 in June. Harrisonburg is 20.7 miles west, Charlottesville is 27.0 miles south, and Staunton is 36.8 miles to the west-southwest. The Point Overlook precedes this stop on the drive, and Baldface Mountain Overlook follows it.

Access
On the byway
Elevation
3,113 ft
View
Northwest · 300°
Light
Best at sunset
Relief
657 ft drop
In view
12 named features
What's the view from The Oaks Overlook?
National Park Service · Public domain (NPS) · NPS
View south along Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive just south of The Oaks Overlook in Rockingham County, Virginia
Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
View west from The Oaks Overlook along Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive in Rockingham County, Virginia
Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
View west-northwest from The Oaks Overlook along Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive in Rockingham County, Virginia
Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
View north along Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive just north of The Oaks Overlook in Rockingham County, Virginia
Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Sign for The Oaks Overlook along Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive in Rockingham County, Virginia
Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

What you’re looking at

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

  • Pine Mountain2,014 ftwest-northwest · 1.6 mi
  • Abrams Mountain2,018 ftwest · 2.8 mi
  • Feldy Mountain1,894 ftnorthwest · 3.1 mi
  • Huckleberry Mountain2,132 ftwest-southwest · 3.7 mi
  • Grindstone Mountain2,850 ftnorthwest · 4.9 mi
  • Dollys Knob1,536 ftwest-southwest · 5.7 mi
  • Smith Mountain2,660 ftnorth-northwest · 6.3 mi
  • Elkton Spring1,033 ftwest · 6.3 mi
  • Devils Tanyard2,823 ftnorth-northwest · 6.3 mi
  • Hanse Mountain2,122 ftwest-southwest · 7.0 mi
  • Bear Lithia Spring955 ftwest · 7.1 mi
  • Stonewall Memorial Park983 ftwest · 7.2 mi

Light

This overlook faces sunset — 30° off square to it.

DateSunriseSunsetGolden hour
March equinox07:1819:2618:51
June solstice05:5120:4220:02
September equinox07:0219:1318:38
December solstice07:2816:5716:16

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

Where it is

  • Harrisonburg20.7 mi west
  • Charlottesville27.0 mi south
  • Staunton36.8 mi west-southwest
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The Oaks Overlook · National Park Service

Facing west from an elevation of 3,125 ft (952 m), The Oaks Overlook view is a narrow window into the Shenandoah Valley below. The man-made landscape of the Shenandoah Valley provides a stark contrast from the wilderness in Shenandoah National Park. For hundreds of years American Indians cultivated the land and grew corn, squash, and beans. Later European settlers established permanent farms. While agriculture expanded in the valley, the mountains provided land for smaller homesteads and livestock grazing. With the establishment of the Park, those families that resided in the mountains were forced out of their homes in favor of cultivating the wild nature of the mountains.

Maintenance of this view funded by Rockingham County Tourism through the Shenandoah National Park Trust Adopt an Overlook program.

Read it at National Park Service →

How high is The Oaks Overlook?

The Oaks Overlook sits at about 3,113 feet (949 m).

What can you see from The Oaks Overlook?

From The Oaks Overlook: Pine Mountain (WNW, 1.6 mi); Abrams Mountain (W, 2.8 mi); Feldy Mountain (NW, 3.1 mi); Huckleberry Mountain (WSW, 3.7 mi).

Is The Oaks Overlook better at sunrise or sunset?

Sunset. The land falls away from The Oaks Overlook toward the sunset, so at sunrise the light is behind you. Exact times shift through the year; the page shows the current window.

What is the nearest town to The Oaks Overlook?

Harrisonburg, 21 miles W of The Oaks Overlook.

What is the next lookout after The Oaks Overlook?

Baldface Mountain Overlook is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after The Oaks Overlook.

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The Oaks 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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