Scenic pullout · Shenandoah National Park
A quick Skyline Drive view with a story in the rocks.
Overview
Map
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 area
A Trail for Time Away“The Appalachian Trail began as a proposal to help working people escape the strain of industrial life.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from Horsehead 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
Horsehead Overlook is a roadside viewpoint at mile 88.6, about 2,580 feet up, looking northwest across the Shenandoah Valley into Augusta County. It makes an easy break when you want a valley view without setting aside time for a trail.
From the north end, look up Paine Run hollow, with Rocks Mountain on the left and Trayfoot Mountain on the right. Trees can screen part of the view, so the panorama isn't equally open across the pullout; take a moment to find the clear gap before taking your photo.
The roadcut and rock outcrops beside the overlook expose layers of phyllite and sandstone from the Hampton Formation. Look at the gray stone in the overlook wall too: it was brought up from the Shenandoah Valley and isn't natural bedrock here.
You're looking into Augusta County, formed in 1738 and named for Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Princess of Wales and mother of the future King George III. It's a small piece of colonial history attached to the view.
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
ModeratePaine Run Trail7.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 1 mi awayA shaded creekside descent past an 1830s springs hotel site.
ChallengingTrayfoot Mountain–Paine Run Loop9.4 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayBlackrock’s boulder summit is the payoff on a long wooded loop.
ChallengingWildcat Hollow and North Fork Moormans River Loop21.5 mi · 18 hr · 1.1 mi awayA three-day backcountry loop with river crossings and rocky overlooks.ModerateChimney Rock Hike3.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayTwo rocky overlooks reward a rolling climb from Riprap.
ChallengingRiprap and Wildcat Ridge Loop9.8 mi · 8.3 hr · 1.1 mi awayA full day of rocky overlooks, stream crossings, and a steep climb.ChallengingPaine Run, Riprap, and Moormans River Loop28.9 mi · 22 hr · 2.1 mi awayA three-day loop links Paine Run, Riprap, and Moormans River.EasyBlackrock Summit Loop1 mi · 1 hr · 2.5 mi awayA one-mile circuit to a boulder slope and Shenandoah views.
ModerateJones Run Falls Hike3.2 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.1 mi awayA wooded descent to a 42-foot cascade, then an uphill return.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayCalvary RocksPale ledges and open valley views, earned on a real hike.
Scenic pullout · 1.1 mi awayTrayfoot Mountain OverlookA quick Skyline Drive pullout for layered mountain views.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayChimney RockA 3.4-mile hike ends at flat-topped rock with valley views.Sight · 2.1 mi awayBlackrock SummitA short loop to a boulder summit and a wide Shenandoah view.
Scenic pullout · 2.4 mi awayRiprap OverlookA west-facing overlook with a 1930s fire-tower story behind it.
Scenic pullout · 2.8 mi awayMoormans River OverlookA quick Skyline Drive stop above Sugar Hollow Reservoir.
Scenic pullout · 3.4 mi awayCrimora Lake OverlookA valley view with a manganese mine hiding in plain sight.
Scenic pullout · 3.5 mi awayDundo OverlookA quick pullout for Massanutten and the valley beyond.Parkwolf’s Shenandoah ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
