Woodstock Tower

Woodstock, VA

A stone lookout tower on Massanutten Mountain's First Peak provides one of the most dramatic views in the Shenandoah Valley - the river curves in an oxbow visible from the 2,600-foot summit.

Photography Guide

Best Time: golden hour
Crowds: Quiet
Shot Types: panoramiclandscapewide
Best Seasons: fallspring

Practical Tips

The oxbow bend of the Shenandoah River below is one of the valley's most iconic views. The tower is a 4-mile round trip hike. Fall color from this height is extraordinary.

Nearby Places

Waterfronts

Woodstock, VA

Seven Bends State Park

Named for the seven serpentine bends of the North Fork Shenandoah River visible from the park's ridgeline trail, this recently opened state park preserves extraordinary river meadow habitat and elevated valley perspectives.

morningfall · spring

Overlooks

Woodstock, VA

Shenandoah Valley Floor

The Woodstock Tower on Massanutten Mountain gives a bird's-eye view of the Shenandoah River's seven oxbow bends - a geological and photographic spectacle unique in the eastern US.

golden hourfall · spring

Architecture

Luray, VA

Luray Caverns

The largest cavern system in the eastern US features towering stalactites, massive columns, and the world's only stalacpipe organ - a cathedral of geology underground.

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