Scenic pullout · Shenandoah National Park
A small east-facing window across the Piedmont.
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
Flowers Before the Leaves“In early spring, look for flowers before the forest overhead turns green. Bloodroot and hepatica can push through the leaf litter from late March, while the trees are still bare.”
Plays on the road 0.2 mi from Jenkins Gap 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
Jenkins Gap Overlook is a roadside stop on Skyline Drive at mile 12.4, looking east across the Piedmont from 2,355 feet. The view opens through a small window above two meeting hills, so this is a quick change of perspective, not a wide-open panorama. The nearby Jenkins Gap trailhead parking is north of the overlook and serves Appalachian Trail access; keep it separate from the viewpoint when planning your stop.
The hollow below was formed by Bolton Branch of the Burgess River. For a photo, keep the wooded slope in the foreground and let the ridges and low country stack up beyond it; that gives this compact view a sense of depth.
Jenkins Gap is named for Jenkins families displaced from their homes within the boundaries of what became Shenandoah National Park.
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
ChallengingMount Marshall and Bluff Two-Night Loop15.2 mi · 12.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayA two-night ridge loop with rocky views from the Appalachian Trail.
ModerateCompton Peak2.4 mi · 1.8 hr · 1.4 mi awayA short ridge climb rewards you with views and ancient rock columns.
EasyFort Windham Rocks Hike0.8 mi · 1 hr · 1.4 mi awaySplit boulders and a hidden cleft just off the A.T.
ModerateHickerson Hollow Trail2.1 mi · 1.8 hr · 2 mi awayA short forest walk past old homesites in a quiet hollow.
EasyLands Run Falls Hike1.3 mi · 1.5 hr · 2 mi awayA quick gravel-road walk to falls that may run dry.
ModerateJordan River Trail2.8 mi · 1.8 hr · 2.6 mi awayA quiet, short climb along Jordan River to Thoroughfare Gap.
ChallengingAppalachian Trail through Shenandoah101.2 mi · 2.3 days · 3.3 mi awayA 101-mile walk on the white-blazed Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah.
ModerateBig Devils Stairs Trail5.2 mi · 3 hr · 3.8 mi awayTwo rocky rim overlooks face a steep, banded gorge.
Scenic pullout · 0.8 mi awayHogwallow Flats OverlookA southeast valley view that draws visitors at sunrise.Sight · 1 mi awayCompton PeakMountain views and 570-million-year-old rock columns reward a short hike.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayIndian Run OverlookWatch the hill Indian Run carved, then look out across the Piedmont.Sight · 1.7 mi awayLands Run FallsA short hike to an 80-foot cascade that can run dry.
Scenic pullout · 1.7 mi awayBrowntown Valley OverlookLook west over the valley that grew around Abraham Brown's mills.Sight · 1.7 mi awayFort Windham RocksA short hike to towering rocks split into narrow passages.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayNorth MarshallA short Appalachian Trail hike leads to two Blue Ridge ledges.
Scenic pullout · 2.5 mi awayGooney Manor OverlookA quick pullout for a Browntown Valley view and local history.Parkwolf’s Shenandoah ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
