Tunnel Parking Overlook

Tunnel Parking Overlook is a roadside viewpoint on Skyline Drive, just south of Marys Rock Tunnel near mile 32.2. At 2,510 feet, it gives you a broad east-facing view without a hike. This is an easy pullout for a few minutes of scenery, especially if you like pairing a valley view with a bit of road history.

The overlook has a sizeable parking area. Tall vehicles should check the tunnel's 12-foot-8-inch clearance in both lanes before driving through. Skyline Drive can close in bad weather, so check road status before setting out.

Look east: Skinner Ridge is on the right, Oventop Mountain sits farther away on the left, and Sperryville lies beyond where the ridges meet. The classic view is right at the pullout. Sunrise is a common reason people stop; cloud and foliage conditions can change how much of the valley you see, and fall color varies from year to year.

Marys Rock Tunnel is the only tunnel on Skyline Drive. Civilian Conservation Corps crews began blasting through the ridge in 1931 and broke through in January 1932. Three eight-hour shifts of 15 workers kept the job moving. A road cut would have meant carving at least 1,000 feet back into the ridge and leaving a slope about 500 feet high; the tunnel floor sits roughly 200 feet below Marys Rock's summit.

Rockslides at the north portal led to slope work and stone retaining walls in 1934. The tunnel was widened that December to 27 feet overall. Springs seep through the ridge, so ice was a recurring winter problem; crews lined the tunnel in 1958–59, but icicles up to ten feet still form above its north portal.