Scenic pullout · Shenandoah National Park
Look north past Hensley Ridge toward Elkton.
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Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Shenandoah Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Shenandoah National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Shenandoah audio tourRecorded for this place
Hensley Hollow Overlook: Follow the Valley Toward Elkton“You're nearing Hensley Hollow Overlook, a quick roadside view north past Hensley Ridge toward Elkton. Look for the pale cleared strip crossing Lick Ridge: that's a power-line corridor cutting through the forest.”
Plays as you drive up to Hensley Hollow Overlook in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Hensley Hollow Overlook is a roadside pullout on Skyline Drive at mile 64.4, facing north across Shenandoah Valley. It’s a short stop for the panorama rather than a hike. Skyline Drive can close in inclement weather, so check its status before a long drive.
Look north past Hensley Ridge toward Elkton. The pale cleared strip crossing Lick Ridge is a power-line corridor, not a road. For a photo, keep one of the near ridges in frame; the layered view gives the valley its scale.
The nearby Skyline Drive road cut exposes Swift Run Formation phyllite. Fresh breaks can catch the light on thin mica scales, while weathered rock is darker under lichen. It’s a small detail to look for as you continue along the Drive.
Wildlife
325 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
21 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
1,036 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
167 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
93 sightingsTimber RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
24 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Shenandoah. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateSaddleback Mountain Loop5.8 mi · 3.3 hr · 0.8 mi awayA 5.8-mile wooded loop with a few seasonal valley glimpses.
ModerateLewis Mountain and Laurel Prong Traverse17.3 mi · 15 hr · 1.4 mi awayA three-day traverse through Rapidan Camp to Lewis Falls
ChallengingPocosin, Laurel Prong & Slaughter Loop28.9 mi · 22 hr · 1.4 mi awayA four-day loop links a tall waterfall, mission ruins, and Hoover's camp.
ModeratePocosin & Dry Run Backcountry Trip7.4 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayAn 83-foot waterfall anchors a flexible two-night backcountry loop.
ModerateSouth River Falls Base Loop4.6 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayGo beyond the overlook to stand beneath an 83-foot, two-chute waterfall.
ModerateSouth River Falls Circuit3.3 mi · 2.3 hr · 1.4 mi awayWaterfall overlook, then a loop back by fire road and the A.T.ModerateSouth River Falls Observation Point2.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayAn 83-foot waterfall overlook caps this 2.6-mile out-and-back.
ChallengingPocosin Hollow and Slaughter Ridge Loop19.3 mi · 14 hr · 1.4 mi awayThree-day loop past South River Falls, Pocosin ruins and a long ridge
Entrance station · 0.8 mi awaySwift Run EntranceChoose north for Big Meadows; south is quieter.
Picnic area · 1.4 mi awaySouth River Picnic GroundsA shaded picnic stop that doubles as a South River Falls trailhead.
Scenic pullout · 1.5 mi awaySouth River OverlookA field-framed southeast view, right on Skyline Drive.Sight · 2.1 mi awaySouth River FallsAn 83-foot waterfall, reached by a steep wooded loop.
Sight · 2.2 mi awaySwift Run OverlookA roadside orientation stop when the valley view opens up.
Sight · 2.3 mi awayHightop SummitA rocky ledge and layered ridges reward the uphill climb.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayBaldface Mountain OverlookA quick stop for a ledge view over the Shenandoah Valley.
Scenic pullout · 2.7 mi awaySandy Bottom OverlookA quick westward look over the Shenandoah ValleyParkwolf’s Shenandoah ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
