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    Marys Rock Tunnel

    4.3 (10 reviews)

    Marys Rock Tunnel Photos

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    The beautiful view is your reward!
    Sue A.

    We very much enjoyed this trail! With one of us having a bad ankle, the other one, having a bad knee and took about an hour and a half to get up in an hour and 15 minutes to come down! Highly recommend it is a walking sticks. The trail has a lot of rocks as you're walking up.! The view is breathtaking once you get up there.! 3 1/2 miles was absolutely beautiful!

    Start of trail
    Chris C.

    Mary's Rock is one of my favorite hikes in the park. Last time we started from a trailhead on route 211 so it was a longer trek to reach the top. This time started from the Panorama parking lot (just south of Thornton Gap entrance) so it was just under 4 miles out and back, a much easier and extremely rewarding short hike (however one benefit for hiking the longer way is free parking at the trailhead). It's a steady uphill all the way but the slope is pretty mild overall so not that hard if you go slowly. The view at the top is stunning, and best of all, there is an extensive amount of rock outcropping so if you like rock scrambling, it's possible to get away from the main area where most people congregate and find a more solitude perch to enjoy the view. Note the summit is super windy and can be chilly now it's no longer summer - so if you plan on staying for a bit be sure to bring something warm to wear.

    Neal E.

    Marys Rock Tunnel is the only tunnel on the Skyline Drive. Immediately past the tunnel (south of the tunnel), there is an overlook with some interpretive information about the tunnel, as well as some gorgeous views to the east. The tunnel is not very high - with approximately a 13 foot clearance. The National Park Service - Shenandoah National Park web site has this to say about Marys Rock Tunnel: "The tunnel, 670 feet long, was bored through the solid granite of Marys Rock in 1932. Although justified as avoiding the necessity of creating an expensive cut on the existing slope and filling the down slope areas, thus creating a massive man-made, visual feature, it has been suggested that the tunnel was built as a challenge to Bureau of Public Roads and National Park Service landscape architects. The tunnel was partially lined with concrete in 1958 to alleviate the formation of icicles in winter and water seepage in summer--a partially successful effort."

    Jodie C.

    Drove through this Tunnel tons of times. Never gets old. I'll probably see it again this weekend! lol. I love it.

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    Review Highlights - Marys Rock Tunnel

    Mary's Rock was our first hike upon arrival; it is popular as it is located right off of the Thornton Gap entrance.

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    Lake Arrowhead Recreation Park

    Lake Arrowhead Recreation Park

    4.0
    (22 reviews)
    4.3 mi

    What an incredibly beautiful gem! Revenue the ride out here is great! Beautiful lake surrounded by…read moremountains & trees. Nice pretty easy trail that loops around the lake (some parts are thin & steep, but made it through with the dog) . Absolutely loved this place on our vacation. Quite peaceful. I counted 6 shelters too so I imagine in spring /summer it gets used a lot. They have porta potties and a 2-stall bathroom for women & a bathroom for men too. Hand washing station outside. We came during the week of October 13th & the foliage was beautiful.

    Beautiful and I mean breathtakingly beautiful landscape! Mountains in the distance! Perfect sized…read morebody of water for light fishing, canoe, little beach area with lifeguard on duty for a family day with sand and sun, trail surround the park with benches to sit and awe at how beautiful nature can be. Prices are extremely affordable (coming from DC and being used to paying up to $40 for two people to paddle board for 30 mins, which is normal for me). For $3 or so you can take out a kayak per person per hour. If you're fishing make sure to bring all you need and purchase your license AND additional $5 permit to fish there. They sell small snacks and ice cream. Bathroom situation is dicey considering it's a porta-potty but hey honestly all in all I would come again and I would spend days on end here either by myself or with family.

    Photos
    Part of the walking trail
    Part of the walking trail
    Lake Arrowhead Recreation Park
    Lake Arrowhead Recreation Park

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    Front Royal Outdoors

    Front Royal Outdoors

    3.9
    (80 reviews)
    16.4 mi

    What a good HAWT time!…read more We came on a Saturday, mid August, and had a good, relaxing time. Besides the heat trying to take me out, I had absolutely no complaints. Front Royal Outdoors had their logistics in order from start (parking) to the brief bus ride, all the way to finish (exit). Our party all opted to do the deluxe tube (approximately $41 for the entire experience) that offered more support (a place to hold your beverage of choice) and the possibility to maximize on one's lazy river experience. As an FYI, every "order" of course came with a life jacket. The river itself was calm and effortless, for the most part. I think our experience was a little over 3.5 hours. My only recommendation would be to hydrate and find a time/date where the heat is not doing what it does best.... drains ya.

    Everyone seemed very nice and helpful, even tossed in a cooler float for us (not that we really…read moreneeded one). The river was slow and low from the lack of rain. But, still fun! Upon returning to the car, discovered the keys had fallen out of the wet bag and into the river. I went to the river landing to see if they fell on the beach when I lifted the cooler float to carry it up the hill. Didn't see them there and one of the staff members told me to check the office and gave me a number to a locksmith. No one had turned in any keys and was offered no further assistants from the office staff. So, called the locksmith, took him over an hour to get there and almost as long to reprogram the key (lack of cell reception or WiFi). But, met the nicest people next door! Laverne and her brothers were very hospitable and friendly, offering us food, water and a warm fire to dry ourselves. We noticed that Bob (owner of FRO) drove down the parking lot and saw our vehicle and gear, then drove off. He didn't bother to get out of the truck, just paused at the vehicle and kept going. Not what I would call the best service, hence the three star review. I would give the neighbors 4 stars for going above and beyond being neighborly!

    Photos
    The killer stairs we had to walk up at the end. Goodness.
    The killer stairs we had to walk up at the end. Goodness.
    Morning Coffee!
    Morning Coffee!
    Cooler float!

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    Cooler float!
    Carillon Pond Park

    Carillon Pond Park

    3.0
    (4 reviews)
    8.6 mi

    I award 3 stars here. The singing tower itself demands your attention and for good reason. Though…read morethe bells don't ring anymore, they did in 1937. Heaviest bell weighs 7,640 lbs!! Wow. It's beautiful backed by the mountains and our American flag riding the wind. They seem to hold events there also. They did add sheltered picnic tables around a small pond. Pond is a bit smelly. I saw some grocery bags and sandwich bags in the water. Torn fabrics on the ground in front of the stone wall. Not too bad, just needs a volunteer clean up day and maybe don't allow fishing in it.

    Government Pond…read more ±7-acre park located in Luray, VA, that doesn't have much in the way of features but has one very unique one. We were a bit early to check-into our AirBnB, so we were looking to kill time, and this place came upon our path. Pros: *Small pond with some shade. *Bethany Veney Remembrance Garden, which honors a former slave. *The famous 47-bell Luray Singing Tower (aka Belle Brown Northcott Memorial), which, to be honest, was what caught our eye and made us decide to kill time here. For performance dates and times go here: https://luraycaverns.com/explore/singing-tower/ The Meh: *No picnic tables *No BBQ pits *No Restrooms The Ugly: *Virginia summer weather... 0_o TLDR: Decent park but only plan to visit to catch a performance from the tower, as it's probably spectacular.

    Photos
    Beautiful duck.
    Beautiful duck.
    Carillon Pond Park
    Carillon Pond Park
    Impressive!

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    Impressive!

    Marys Rock Tunnel - parks - Updated July 2026

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