The Front Royal entrance is the northern start of Skyline Drive, the ridge-top road that runs the length of Shenandoah National Park. From town it takes only a few minutes to climb into the park, where the first overlooks already look back across the Shenandoah Valley.
If you have limited time, continue to Dickey Ridge Visitor Center and the nearby Fox Hollow Trail rather than trying to race too far down the drive. Autumn weekends can be slow at the gate, but on a clear weekday this is one of the easiest ways to get a Blue Ridge fix from northern Virginia.