Work on Skyline Drive began in 1933, but the envisioned extension connecting the scenic roadway to the planned Blue Ridge Parkway was not completed until 1939, when the final section from Jarman Gap to Rockfish Gap was finished. At Shenandoah's southern entrance, rangers greeted visitors from a small rustic building in the median just across the southbound lane of Skyline Drive. The Rockfish Gap Entrance Station was built by the boys of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the newly established style of Parkitecture, which combined native wood and stone with native styles to create visually appealing structures that fit naturally within their landscapes. The first entrance station had a wood frame, board-and-batten exterior walls, and a roof of fire-resistant concrete shingles developed for remote park buildings far from local fire departments. As entrance station requirements and the role of rangers changed over the years, the classic station was removed in 2010 and replaced by a new building about a mile south.

Photo: Craig Swain

Photo: Craig Swain

Photo: Craig Swain

Photo: Craig Swain

Photo: Craig Swain

Photo: Larry Gertner

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Afton, Virginia · USA