Franklin Cliffs Overlook

Franklin Cliffs Overlook is a roadside viewpoint on Skyline Drive at 3,140 feet, looking northwest down a narrow hollow toward Stanley and the Shenandoah Valley. You can get the main view without a hike. It makes a worthwhile short stop for the valley and for the unusual rocks at the overlook. Expect a focused view rather than a sweeping cliff panorama; trees can screen parts of it.

The hollow opens toward Stanley, with the patchwork of the Shenandoah Valley and Massanutten Mountain on the far side. The view is more about tracing the ridges and valley floor than looking straight at a dramatic cliff face. On a clear day, the layers carry well into the distance.

Franklin Cliffs is one of the best places in Shenandoah to see volcanic breccia from the Catoctin Formation. About 570 million years ago, later lava flows tore fragments from older, cooled lava and carried them along; the mixed pieces hardened into rock. At the overlook, some fragments show up as pale, dark-purple, or green patches. Take a close look at the exposed rock as well as the distant view.

Aim northwest through the hollow and keep some of the valley floor with the far ridges in your frame. If nearby rock naturally enters the foreground, include it: the contrast between the close breccia and the long valley view is what makes a photo here feel like Franklin Cliffs.