Skyline Drive & Blue Ridge Parkway

I have driven through the Shenandoah Valley a few times now and say each time I really need to come back just for here! Next month is that time! I'll be coming in from the north and will overnight once in PA before starting the run. We're going to take our sweet time driving through and around the area.

Any POI's you suggest that should not be missed along this? 

The Parkway is over 400 miles to do the whole thing, roughly 15 hours of driving. And its a slow winding road but with lots of turnouts and viewpoints, 45 mph tops. The Shenendoah Valley only goes as far south as Roanoke, after that you have higher country and other rive valleys to the west of the Parkway. There are all sorts of attractions on or nearby, including wineries and restauants if you like that sort of thing. If you get tired of the winding way you can always jog over to I81 and shoot up or down and then back over to another section, I don't think there's anywhere the interstate is more than about 30 minutes from the Parkway.

If you want to do more rustic/dispersed camping then the Blue Ridge probably isn't the place. Just west of the Shenandoah Valley/81 you get into the true Appalachians and there are numerous nice undeveloped national forest campgrounds including some dispersed camping. Depends what you want to do and how much time you have.

Sounds good. For more dirt and less peeps also look further west at Monongahela NF and thereabouts. Getting further west puts you in higher country and further from the big East Coast cities. One place I really like is Dolly Sods Wilderness, nice little NF campground there, lots of hiking in the area. There are several nice dispersed camping areas in the general area around Elkins WV as well, and the altitude is around 3000 ft so it's usually nice and cool. Get paper copies of the NF maps of the area, they are very handy and there is zero cell signal in most of that country. Also WV has some very nice undeveloped state parks worth looking at. One I like is Kumbrabow SP. Plenty of dirt NF roads, but most of there run east west up and down the ridges. To make distance north south you will mostly be on two lanes in the valleys. Depends on how far West you are willing to go on your return leg.

You can order the NF paper maps here:

usgs

Whatever works for you. Call me old fashioned but I still like good ole reliable paper maps. Look for the dispersed camping areas in Monongahela NF, there are several and I've yet to find one I didn't like.