Skyland Estates is a secluded mountainside community
The secluded community of Skyland Estates is perched on Blue Mountain in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. It's home to mountain retreats near the wineries and dining options in Front Royal as well as the vast Virginia wilderness. "When you get to the top of Blue Mountain, the elevation is above 1,800 feet," says Patty Jo Wright, a longtime Warren County resident and Realtor with Re/Max Real Estate Connections. "It can take 15 minutes to come off the mountain from that elevation." Residents can hike or hunt through vast forests or kayak, tube and fish in the Shenandoah River to the west.
Forests to hike and the Shenandoah River to fish or kayak
G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area is a few miles east of home and spans 4,000 acres of Virginia woodlands. There are hiking trails and campgrounds here and designated zones for turkey hunting, while anglers can fish at Thompson Lake. Locals can also access the Appalachian National Scenic Trail just east of the community. Often nicknamed "the footpath for the people," this trail stretches over 2,000 miles from Maine to Florida through the Appalachian Mountains. "For watersports, folks go into town; the community here is on the mountain, so there's only the creek nearby." Front Royal to the west has areas to access the Shenandoah River for fishing or paddling, and businesses like Front Royal River Adventures offer tube and kayak rentals. At Skyline Caverns, 11 miles west, visitors take self-guided tours through underground rock formations over 50 million years old.
Postwar homes and land lots for primary living or mountain retreats
Skyland Estates consists of winding country roads through thick trees and rolling hills. Buyers can find undeveloped land lots from around $10,000 to $90,000, while single-family homes run from around $125,000 to $500,000, varying by lot size and square footage. It can be a great community to build a mountain retreat or a primary residence. "Airbnb is popular with the smaller cabins here, but there's a mix of full-time residents there as well," says Wright. Styles include ramblers and raised ranch-style homes, some dating back to the 1950s, while new constructions from the last decade are also available. For buyers looking to build new homes on purchased lots, Wright says that "there's no public water and sewer; you must have your own wells and septic system when you go to build."
Neighboring Front Royal offers restaurants and retail
The Shenandoah Valley is part of Virginia Wine Country, and locals can explore several vineyards and wineries nearby. At Fox Meadow Vineyards and Winery, within a mile of Skyland Estates, patrons can enjoy charcuterie and wine flights on the patio overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. Front Royal hosts a wide variety of local restaurants on Main Street. Main Street Mill Restaurant offers burgers, brews and country-fried steaks, while Try Thai Restaurant has spicy curries and pad thai. There's also a Martin's along South Street for groceries.
Warren County public schools are nearby
Warren County Public Schools serves the community. Students can attend Hilda J. Barbour Elementary and Warren County Middle School, which both get B-minus ratings from Niche. There's also B-rated Warren County High School. Warren County High uses a 4x4 semester block schedule, meaning students take four classes per semester, which is intended to lower the workload on students and teachers and is unique in Virginia.
Connected to D.C. along I-66
Interstate 66 borders Skyland Estates to the south and leads to Washington, D.C., after a 65-mile drive east, which takes about an hour and a half. The bustling Dulles International Airport is 51 miles east and offers domestic and international flights.
Written By
Maxwell Olarinde
