Traveling Skyline Drive in VA

[urnmor]

Can anyone tell me how difficult it is to pull an AS on Skyline Drive. Our TV is a 2007 yukon with 4WD

[Skatiero]

I was born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley, and my parents still live here. Skyiine drive is just beautiful! I can't attest to how it is for towing because we have never towed there. I hope you get to go!

[RTurnConn]

Originally Posted by urnmor

Can anyone tell me how difficult it is to pull an AS on Skyline Drive. Our TV is a 2007 yukon with 4WD

I think it depends on what you are pulling. I drove through a lot of the Skyline Drive a number of years ago pulling a 34' triaxle Avion, with a 2500 Suburban with no problems. "Some" of the corners are a little tight but nothing you can't handle. Generally speaking the grades are reasonable with nothing real long. Careful with the pull offs, many are dead ended and would be difficult with a trailer; you can usually tell that as you approach them. It is a beautiful ride.....pay attention to the road and not the scenery.

[TouringDan]

urnmor

I regularly drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just south of The Skyline Drive, towing my 24 ft. Tradewind and have no problems at all. My only caution to you is to downshift on the downhill inclines to control your speed and save your brakes. Enjoy the drive. It is one of the best.

There are several nice campgrounds on the Skyline drive. Our favorite is Loft mountain. The Appalacian Trail skirts the edge of it and there are great places to watch the sunset from some rock outcroppings along the AT.

Dan

[hickory]

We drove skyline from North to South this summer. 30 ft. Classic, towed with Dodge pickup. No problems at all. Beautiful drive and lots of good pulloffs. Take your time and enjoy.
Hickory

[crazeevw]

I too can attest to the beauty of the Skyline Drive. Don't plan too much driving of miles on a daily basis. Give yourself plenty of time for 'sudden' stops. Waterfalls, Overlooks, Nature Areas and such.
Spent too summers on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Guess we had it figured to be about 70 miles of driving per day. Left camp around 9am, and tried to be at next campground by 4pm. Plenty of time for hiking, stopping, and just generally enjoying nature. Sure you'll have a wonderful time on the Skyline. Why not leave the Skyline and continue south on the Blue Ridge Parkway. That's my plan, just in reverse next summer.
Thanks, Derek

[TWaugh]

It's a beautiful location and towing is very easy for a short rig.

Skyline Drive 2010.mov - YouTube

[sandlapper]

I agree also, should be no problem. It will be hard on the brakes, so let the tranny help. Enjoy yourself. Safe & happy travels. John

[urnmor]

My thanks to all. I will have to look carefully at the various campsites to see their availability and book ahead of time.

[NoMoSOBs]

Originally Posted by urnmor

My thanks to all. I will have to look carefully at the various campsites to see their availability and book ahead of time.

Probably too late to book anything if you are talking about fall, at least on the weekends...

[Ahab]

Originally Posted by urnmor

Can anyone tell me how difficult it is to pull an AS on Skyline Drive. Our TV is a 2007 yukon with 4WD

You won't need 4WD. You won't have any problems.

[waltero]

Much of Skyline drive has been repaved this year, it will not require use of 4wd....speed limits are 35mph....Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

[Skatiero]

I miss Virginia! My folks still live in Staunton. I went to college in Lynchburg.

[crazeevw]

Was in the Skyline Drive around the Big Meadows area after July 4th this past summer. Can attest to the repaving, thank goodness it was for the other lane. Folks were backed up a bit. Beautiful area, don't miss it!

[Eric H]

I live right by Skyline and The Blueridge Parkway, and it's a great place for sure. If everything is booked I would just say to pop down to one of the small towns that are near some of the entrances to the drive. There are some cute, out of the way towns that will most likely have campgrounds or if you like to rough it I'm sure you could find a quiet pull off and hope the locals are friendly :-) I have a V6 Tacoma and although I would feel safe, I wouldn't personally find pleasant to tow my Safari a long way on the drive. The Yukon is a V8 though if I recall, so should be fine. Watch out for bicyclists and motorcycles.

[gsmithii]

Originally Posted by urnmor

Can anyone tell me how difficult it is to pull an AS on Skyline Drive. Our TV is a 2007 yukon with 4WD

We just got back yesterday from our first visit to Skyline Drive. Our tow vehicle/trailer combination were well within any limits for mountains and curves. Our entry point was Swift Run Gap and our destination was north to Big Meadows Campground. That run was moderate in its grades and curves although as above, do let the tranny do the work.

Check the National Park Service Web site for reservations. There also were first-come, first served camp sites that required no reservation. That said, with the height of leaf season just arriving there may be few available. Check it out.

We found that our twenty-five foot trailer and crew cab pickup barely fit the site and only if I backed the trailer to the curb and parked the truck sideways on the pavement. If your rig doesn't fit the alternative is to explore the first-come sites and move - the rangers don't mind at all - or park the tow vehicle in overflow parking located quite a way from the camp sites.

At Big Meadows check out the blackberry cobler at the lodge. My! Oh, my.

[SeeMore]

You might want to try this place: Highland Haven

[gsmithii]

The other part about our trip on Skyline Drive. We had driven about twelve miles from Big Meadows on our way south to Swift Run Gap. Although we were in moderate rain we were taking our time at or below the thirty-five MPH speed limit when - I heard a little noise.

Turning to my trusty navigator/DW I said (quietly), "I think I'll take the next pull-off to check that out." She said, "What's that noise?"

As luck would have it the next overlook was right around the corner and there was no fuss to gear down and stop. Just as the rig rolled to a stop the engine shuddered and died and the "check engine" light came on.

"Hm!" (or something like that) Sez I. After a few checks for obvious problems I said a short prayer for cellular service and fired up the roadside assist plan.

Cutting to the chase, everybody involved did a great job and we were down the mountain and home (just a little over two-hundred miles away) the same day. We were also very very happy.

Why? We were able to pull off the road before the engine quit. We were not sitting in the travel lane in the rain with emergency flashers warning of our problem - did I mention in the rain? We were in no risk at all of a motorcycle doing a face-plant in the back of the Airstream.

All together it was a great weekend with a pretty doggone fine outcome.

The truck is in the shop. The trailer is parked on a locked and fenced lot. We're home.

Life is at least above average.

[pmclemore]

Glad you made it home, Skip. What happened to your truck? Which roadside assistance company was it? Did the Rangers have to approve before that tow truck was allowed to help?

Also glad you were in an area that had cell service. Real spotty up there. But Shenandoah is our favorite and most-often-used park.

Pat

[gsmithii]

Originally Posted by pmclemore

Glad you made it home, Skip. What happened to your truck? Which roadside assistance company was it? Did the Rangers have to approve before that tow truck was allowed to help?

Also glad you were in an area that had cell service. Real spotty up there. But Shenandoah is our favorite and most-often-used park.

Pat

Apologies for hijacking the thread. This will probably put gasoline on the oil fire of "which tow vehicle is best" but the truck is still in the shop with no diagnosis yet.

We use the AAA/RV roadside assistance more by default than any smartnness on my part. Others may do a better job but our experience was decent. The person taking the call seemed awfully focused on asking what town I was in. After persuading her that I was in a National Park broken down at an overlook she wanted to know what mile marker. "Six-point-four GPS miles from Swift Run Gap" just didn't seem to be adequate. DW walked back to the start of the overlook and found a mile marker that seemed to solve everything.

The promise was for a tow vehicle on site in forty-five minutes, unrealistic IMHO. The crew arrived in about two hours having traveled from Luray. Steve's Auto - the owner drove - and his helper were prepared, properly equipped and did a careful and professional job. The truck went on the rollback. The trailer was towed behind. What a circus! We had no interaction with any Rangers - or anybody else but some really tired hikers.

Without cellular service we could have spent several hours just getting somewhere with a phone.

We took the truck to Charlottesville and Colonial Auto where we were allowed to park the A/S in a locked and fenced lot where it waits for us today. (Snif!) The service department was cheerfully helpful and responsive, although they were fully loaded up with diesel work. They had a rental car reserved for us before we got off the mountain. After transferring essentials to the car we were home by 8pm after a harrowing drive in thunderstorms and crashing lightening.

We hope to get a diagnosis in a day or do. If necessary the dealer where I bought the truck offered to loan us a tow vehicle to get the trailer home, if necessary.

All things considered we were very fortunate. Everything else will work out just fine - whenever it is to happen.