Crimora Lake Overlook

Crimora Lake Overlook is a roadside pullout on Skyline Drive, high above the Shenandoah Valley. It’s a short stop rather than a hike, and the view has an extra layer: the water and pale cut in the hills are remnants of a manganese mine. Stop if you like seeing how much history can hide in a mountain landscape; if you’re in a hurry for a string of ridge panoramas, this one is brief.

The overlook faces northwest. Turk Mountain is at the far left, Wildcat Ridge rises on the right, and Rocks Mountain sits beyond it with a small pale talus slope. Look below the ridges for two different colors of water: Crimora Lake is dark and just right of straight ahead, while a pale green flooded mine pit lies farther left. Include both waters and the ridgeline in a photo so the old workings are part of the scene, not just another distant valley.

Crimora was Shenandoah’s largest and most productive manganese mine, worked as an open cut. The small man-made lakes were part of processing the ore, and the filled cuts still show from the overlook. Mining ended in 1946. The deposit was among the largest in the country, but its ore carried enough silica and phosphorus to make it unsuitable for steelmaking. Accounts differ on the start year, so the safe takeaway is that the mine belongs to the late nineteenth-century mining era.

The pullout is at mile 92.6, between Swift Run Gap and Rockfish Gap. Skyline Drive has a 35 mph limit in most places, so leave time for the drive and stops. Inclement weather can close the road; check access before setting out.