Friendly dogs and people usually frequent this park. Seems fairly clean as far as pet waste (which…read moremostly comes back to irresponsible pet owners) over all good place to visit. I do wish they had more permanent fixtures on site for dogs (agility, climbing tunnels, etc) I frequent this park often with my two dogs.

This park is great. Wish there were more dogs that came to the park though. From time to time there…read moreare some kind hearted people in the community that will bring new tennis balls and toys for the companions to play with. There is also a concrete trail within the park in which you can walk on when playing with your dog, so you don't have to stay on your toes at all times wondering if you are going to step in any dog poo. Overall, it's a great park to bring your dog if they don't get along to well with others too well, or if this is your new companions first time at a dog park.

I suppose if it is impossible or unable to walk a dog this is a nice solution. Tried to take mine,…read morebut felt it smelled, was dirty, with people not cleaning up after their dogs. The gravel seems dusty on dry days and smelly on wet days. Not worth the time. There is not a place for a medium sized dog, either tiny or big dogs seemed to be there. I have two dogs that are right in the middle.

I moved to Virginia from the San Francisco Bay Area, where I had visited numerous dog parks with my…read morepup. I have to say, this is one of the nicest, in part because there is such an active community of dog lovers invested in making and keeping this an outstanding site for doggy adventures. The site has fenced areas for small and large dogs, both of which have grass (a rarity in the Bay Area). The large dog side recently had new sod placed after the grass had been decimated by a year of four pawed madness; unfortunately it did not take particularly well, but it is certainly better than a dust bowl. There are several trees offering plenty of shade on those sweltering summer days with fireflys dancing around the grounds on warm summer nights keeping the human and canine patrons entertained alike. It is generally very well attended, particularly in the evening and on weekends of the spring and summer months. Of course, only the hardcore enthusiasts partake on those cold winter days. There is also plenty of seating for those that are weary after chasing their canine companion, who refuses to leave its favorite location, around the park. The only down sides from my perspective are: 1) One will regularly run across unclaimed piles of dog excrement , probably because the park is large and on a hill which can make keeping a track of a dog challenging. 2) When the grass dies (and I'm sure it will again) the dust and mud (when raining) become problematic. 3) There is a silly fake fire hydrant that only serves to butcher playing dogs as they careen into the object while gallivanting around the park. All around it is one of the best dog parks I have attended, and the number is considerable.

I came to this campground after I looked on line to see if I could fish during the night for…read morecatfish. The answer came back that registered campers could but not general public. Park day use areas close down at 10 PM. According to the Internet, they only close these fishing areas at 10 PM for daytime visitors but last registered campers fish all night. At 10PM, we were asked to leave the fishing pier. I mentioned what the Internet said and the ranger seemed baffled and said that it's not true so we had to leave. He did say he would look into it because it was important to him that people had the right info. Problem is, during the summer, in this part of the country, the water gets hot and the fish go deep. Being a bank angler, it's impossible to catch any catfish during the day, they only come shallow at night. The bass fishing is the same. Fishermen and hunters pay for the bulk of what it costs to keep these parks operational yet when we would like to use them, we get the shaft. This quote is from the VA Outdoors Management : A lot of our funding to help conserve wildlife and habitat comes from public spending on things like fishing and hunting licenses, tags, or stamps, boat registrations, and via a federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition. Those sources of financial support have helped us protect hundreds of species and their habitat for over 100 years, but there's always more we can do for Virginia's wildlife. That's where you come in. You too can become a steward of the outdoors by supporting our work or working with us -- whether you hunt, fish, and boat or simply enjoy the outdoors. So, you can see what I'm saying. It is not right or fair that everyone else gets to do what they want but we flip the bill for it. Then our rights keep getting tanked. They put hiking trails and bike trails and beaches for swimming, but keep taking away hunting and fishing rights and they keep raising the prices. Hunters and fishermen are always on the bottom of the list of whom these people cater to. It's not fair or just. At the very least, we should be able to fish when we want especially when that is the only time those fish will bite!!!

This park is one of those ones that feels like a private to public site; the majestic house at the…read morelakefront has been turned into a visitor center. The visitor center has a room or two of exhibitions on hydrology and wildlife but is not anything big. I came seeking a New Year's hike and expecting some scenery while being unsure if the amount of trails available would be enough. I managed to spend a solid two hours circumnavigating the place. In summer, swimming and boating are more likely the activities du jour, and it appears to be an excellent place for such activities. While the park looks close to the highway on the map, it feels like being at a park and there isn't any road noise. Like most VA state parks, they do charge for parking (waived for New Year's Day).

An open space that is in Roanoke county, rather than the city or in Salem. It offers impressive…read moreviews of the mountains and the water. A short greenway trail is not linked in with the rest of the river greenway. However, at least this is an area that really feels like a park and the people here feel like they're going to the park. There are some significant sporting facilities, equestrian buildings, and a lot of people brought dogs as well. There's no charge to get in.

Great place to bring your dog. They have a dog park big dog or little dog plus a huge area to walk…read more There is also a playground for little ones and a disc gold park for a quick game. There is alot to offer here. Don't run out and miss this little slice if heaven in the center of our city.

AMAZING TIME and I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting that wants to float on the river…read more Now, you float for about an hour and then they pick u up and take u back to the beginning where u can do it all over again. They never once complained, and the driver even thanked me for coming- after I've soaked in the river and am now wet and sitting in HIS vehicle getting a ride back. THANK YOU! We had a great time - went down river 3 times for only $10 and that included the shuttle ride

Great setup if you're interested in tubing without all the hassle that other tubing businesses…read morerequire such as safety classes or life jackets, etc. $ cash to park, but accepts credit cards/debit cards to pay for tubing. Reasonable prices to tube and they offer a tube for cooler's. They have a small store where you can buy soda's, ice cream, and snacks. You can leave your cooler at the landing spot and they have grills set up there where they'll provide the charcoal and light the grill for you. Park, pay the tubing fee, take your receipt to pick up your tube's. They'll hold your driver's license and you can hang your keys at the gate. The River is clean and clear! It can take a good hour to get down to the landing spot or you can hang out in the river and relax. There's two landing spots. The first one is before the small rapids and that's where the grills are located. The second landing is shortly after the rapids. If you get out after the rapids you'll have to walk a short distance to the first landing where you can enjoy a picnic or grill out before boarding the buses to return to home base. Staff are professional and friendly! There's two bathrooms and a shower at home base where you can cleanup or change clothes. I've been three times and I've enjoyed each time. When the River is low the water depth is up to your knee in most place's and can go up to your waist in a few places. The depth of the River after the rapids is what I'd say requires swimming in some areas. If you can't swim or aren't wearing a life jacket I wouldn't go down the rapids. Their season goes until the end of September and during September they're only open on the weekends. They open at 10:00 a.m.

Smith Mountain Lake is my 33rd VA State Park. Its not one of my Favorites because, after my…read morechildren are grown, I really dont play in the water. I may swim in a pool but I dont jet ski, or boat, or fish. I dont like to buy food from the food shacks and it seemed to me, the space allotted for swimming was small anyway. They did have hiking trails. I took a two mile trail hike, took pictures and started on my way to James River SP.

Came back again and stayed in a waterfront cabin this time, and it's well worth the upgrade! The…read moreview was great and the bedroom faced the water with a picturesque double window complete with blinds to limit or highlight the scene! Osprey were nesting, which was amazing!! Trails were beautiful, and since we were just weeks from peak season, it was still quiet and peaceful, but with gorgeous spring weather!

This park is located behind the area where there is a McDonalds and Hampton Inn. It was nice to…read moretake a break here. There is a walking trail that I did not go on. I parked by a stream and watched some bluebirds. There are sports areas. I like the Halloween decorations.

Best park in the area, it's clean well-maintained and has bathrooms. It's got a creek to play in…read morethat shallow and safe. It's got outside exercise equipment. Plenty of parking and very nice covered picnic area. The Play ground it's self is very large and has something for kids of all ages. If you're in this area and looking for a playground this is the one you want to go to.

Absolutely gorgeous park! The cabins are immaculate. The beach was beautifully raked every morning…read more We enjoyed seeing the deer and their fawns. Even saw a turtle laying eggs. The milkshakes at the snack bar were the best I have in a while. All the Rangers were friendly and knowledgeable. The guided Moonshine Hike was highly entertaining. Ranger Danny wrote a book about moonshine called Corn Squeezins! We purchased one and had him sign it! We found a lot of Fairystones and our son did the Junior Ranger program! They swore him in and gave him a real metal badge! Only thing we would change is the length of our stay! We could have easily kept having fun!

Fairystone, VA State Park is my 32nd VA State Park. This is…read moreone of my favorites! I booked a really nice Yurt for two nights. Has outside electrical and outside water pump. Restroom is a short walk away. The whole backside was open land. The whole left side was wooded. There was a picnic table, fire ring and another water source there as well as a small 4 seat wooden table on my wrap around porch! It was perfect. The trails were quite strenuous at times. Its rocky and steep! I took a 9 mile trail, linking trails together to tackle the Little Mountain Falls Trail. Beautiful views. Sunday morning I was on top of the mountain by 10am! Wooo. My pictures won't show the beauty that it was...but I was in love. Sitting on the porch with my binoculars.. I spotted a big, red headed wood pecker just having a blast out there pecking around. So many birds out there. It was very relaxing. - I brought my iron skillet and cooked up some salmon, zucchini and the $0.97 small cup of mac and cheese from Walmart! Fabulous dinner the first night. - I didn't, however go the "beach" or kayak. The roped off beach section, isn't the same w/o kids but I should have gone kayaking. So much to do. This VA State Park is one of my top 4, so far.