In August 2016, my wife and I did a bike tour from Charlottesville VA to Strasburg VA, via Waynesboro and Skyline Drive. The stretch on Skyline Drive felt really safe to me -- far safer than the bits outside the park. Checking my notes, I was in the park only on weekdays, not weekends. Maybe that's key? There is no shoulder, as you say.. Biking Where Bikes Are Allowed Mountain bikes, road bikes, and e-bikes (all classifications) are permitted along Skyline Drive and on all paved areas in Shenandoah National Park. Biking is also permitted on Rapidan Fire Road, a gravel road in the Big Meadows area, for approximately one mile, where a sign will indicate the turnaround point.
SKYLINE DRIVE Spanning the entire length of Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive offers 75 stunning overlooks and provides an opportunity for road cyclists to soak in the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mountain bikes, road bikes and e-bikes are permitted along all of Skyline Drive and on all paved areas in Shenandoah National Park.. There are only four entrance points onto the drive. The north entrance is just out side of Front Royal, VA. The south entrance is near Waynesboro, VA. The middle two access points, Route 211 and 33, are very treacherous switch backing roads (not sure I would want to try biking on these bad boys!). As you might notice from the following elevation summary, Skyline Drive has some truly massive.