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).

Pit stop on our trip out west! We were traveling out I-81 South and decided to break up the trip…read morewith a stop at Claytor Lake. Researching online, I found Mountain 2 Island and ended up booking a 10:30am Tiki Tour boat ride of the lake. It ended up being a private tour with just me & my boyfriend. Jimmy was our captain, and he was super friendly and knowledgeable about the area. We had a great tour of the lake and a nice lunch at the Tiki Hut afterwards! Highly recommend this company...they also do boat, kayak and paddleboard rentals as well.

We found Mountain 2 Island Paddleboarding through Claytor Lake State Park (exit 101 off I-81)and…read morechecked out their website. They offer lessons and paddleboard rentals. Lessons are cheaper when you bring more people with you. When we gave them a call no one answered, but someone called right back. The man was extremely nice and answered all of my questions. They were also pretty flexible with reservations days and times which I thought was great. Mtn2Island is next to the Claytor Lake State Park visitor center. You have to pay the $5 dollar Park entrance fee (for park maintenance people, totally worth it!) Transactions were completed through Square using iPads (love that). They fitted us for a paddle, gave us a lifejacket (he said VA law requires you have one with you), and then we got to it. They had the paddleboards down by the dock, and the Mtn2Island people put them in the water for us. The instructor, Issac, was very calm and extremely patient while my younger sister (who is in her 30s by the way) was in hysterics about getting in the water. Another young lady, Rachel, came down to help coax her into giving it a try. It took them about 30 minutes to get her to get in the water, but she did. It was definitely harder than I thought it would be and I don't recommend doing squats the day before because my legs were killing me after, but it was a lot of fun and I would do it again. The waves from the nearby boat made it difficult for me to keep my balance and about that time my sister fell in (she was wearing her life jacket and was totally fine), but she got back on her board and we made it back to the docks.

The New River is apparently quite long, because this is nowhere near the more reputed New River…read moreGorge National Park. However, even in Virginia it is quite majestic. The main park office lies in a historic hamlet surrounded by farms. A parking charge applied, and if you parked somewhere else along the extensive trail perhaps you could get by without it, but the sights were certainly well worth seeing. I made it maybe a mile down the trail to a riverbend overlooked by a bluff ideally suited for sunsets, but there was a lot more to explore. Some boating was available, and a horse seemed interested to meet me as I departed.

See my Review for Shot Tower. It's the same. I wish I was a cyclist. But I am a hiker and I can't…read morehike a gravel road for miles. All good. Beautiful area!! River is so nice.

The park itself is beautiful and I enjoy the beach park. Although, the staff does the park a…read moredisservice. Park rangers don't do anything, it's a very uncomfortable environment when the park rangers are barking orders without having any work done themselves, at least through my observations. The maintenance crew also seems to slack off on occasion on the bathrooms with the lifeguards cleaning the stalls?? I will be returning but I don't expect the staff will to be very helpful.

We enjoyed a visit to the campground this week. Many activities to enjoy. Campground facilities…read morewere well maintained. Camp Host Patrick and Amy could not have been more helpful and friendly. They definitely made everyone feel at home. Hope to visit this park again

The visitors center has a mini museum about the local Native history, animals, and plants. I got…read moresome cute stickers, a patch, and a t-shirt at the gift shop. The young brunette at the front desk was very helpful, recommending which trails to prioritize based on what I wanted to see, and clarifying the difficulty levels of the trails. I chatted with a local regular who was also very friendly. Free parking, clean restrooms, water fountains, and clear signage to all the trails; this is a perfect rally point to make a full day out of exploring Hanging Rock. Don't skip the deck at the back--beautiful view with tables, would make a good picnic spot!

I hiked the hanging rock trail, window falls and hidden falls…read more The window waterfall was so fun! I almost missed the window; even though there was a sign that pointed in that direction. From the sign/arrow that points at window rock, climb down and you will see the window in the rock to your right. Through the window, you can see a waterfall! Visitor center has nice and clean restrooms. Their water refill station was not working when I went.

I'm going to update my review with raves and data. The WiFi was the best I have seen in a…read morecampground with the park full I still saw 20mb download. With the park emptying after Labor Day I saw 8ms ping, 107 mb download, 80 mb UPLOAD from my old iPhone SE. These numbers would impress my gamer grandson. My wife was impressed with the dog wash and laundry. If you plan to stay over a major holiday weekend make sure to get your reservation early because the campground was full.

This was a really nice area, In Tennessee. The people were really nice. We liked it here a lot…read more They're had nice showers, were really nice here, and they had a cool thing. KOA, I think it had bowling and stuff. So it looked really cool and they had a cool pool and everything. And this is the first place I saw. Fireflies. They also had a really nice place for the dogs for the dog park. We just did the night and drove to Maryland.

I checked in here at Mount Rogers National Recreation location because it was the only place…read moreresembling where I was going. I did actually stop here but the place was closed. They had bathrooms and pamphlets. Im posting my hike here. Mount Rogers is the highest peak in VA. And a good 20 min from here. From here to actual Mount Rogers was quite the experience . I have an Ecosport. The engine is about the size of a matchbox car. It was dicey getting there going around and up and down the mountains.. sheesh.. but it's worth it. I can say I have conquered the Mount Rogers! I hiked to the top. The highest peak in VA! Yay! I entered through Grayson Highland Park. (I've already reviewed that park) the hike to Mount Rogers was mostly via the Appalachian Trail and then spur to blue markers all the way up. The best part? There a beautiful forest near the top that has vibrant green moss all over the trees and ground and trail as well. One hiker I spoke with called it and Elf Forest and she's right. That's how it felt. Really beautiful and quiet and mysterious. I reached the top. I came back down The top was uneventful. Most of the scenery was on the way. A great adventure!

I'm not a camper (I don't like dirt or bugs) and I'm not a hiker (same), but I can appreciate a…read morebeautiful view and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area is chock full of scenery. Well managed forests and roadside pullouts and fantastic views of green valleys make my day. Plenty of opportunities for camping and hiking and maybe even fishing, if those are things that interest. [Review 20381 overall - 1440 in Virginia - 1359 of 2023.]

Elk River Falls is an open recreation area. As such it is not developed and the path is not…read moremaintained. Nevertheless the road into the parking lot is safe and easily passable by typical cars SUVs cans or trucks with either two or four wheel drive. There are no rest rooms or food so you must bring your own food and water. The path is firm and slopes upward gently becoming rocky with prominent tree roots. The 65 foot high big falls is spectacular. It is not a straight fall down. Many deaths have occurred as visitors attempt to dive from the top of the falls. Elk falls ranks in the top 3 waterfall related deaths. The rocks surrounding the first pool are beautiful but have a slippery surface. This park recently reopened after extensive restoration following Hurricane Helene. On the first day it opened there was a fatality of a falls jumper. Despite these challenges this park is a great example of the outdoors in nearly natural and breathtaking state.

The falls are closed as of late April 2026. Road is blocked about 2 miles out from town.read more

The park is pretty remote, with only occasional cell service (a good thing or a bad thing depending…read moreon one's needs). The parking really close to the mountain is handicap only, so the intention is for most people to walk a 4.5 mile loop that goes around the mountain and then up it on the way back. It is a substantial climb, both down into a gully with an impressive waterfall and up the mountain itself. The rock does offer wide-spanning views. The infrastructure was not in ideal shape at the time of my visit, with some water fountains down and other limitations in amenities. I also found the trail setup a bit confusing as following marks led me once to a dead end and in another case, I had to hike on a gravel road a bit to get back to the trail and that wasn't marked clearly as the right way to go. While these things could be improved, the park is an excellent resource and as is standard practice in NC (but not in SC or VA), is free to enter.

Great place to come hike. Lots to see & do. Downside is that kids are allowed to come here & make…read morenonstop noise.