Fairystone, VA State Park is my 32nd VA State Park. This is one 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. read more

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No obvious etymology for this fancifully named park appeared during my visit. It isn't among the top VA state parks in terms of natural splendor, but it has several trails, a lake, abundant camping facilities, and plenty to offer for one who is in the area. Like most VA state parks, they do a cash self-pay entrance, so you would either want to have an annual pass or some small bills. Cell reception was quite limited for me in this remote area, which may be what you want out of coming to a park. read more

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My best friend and I are local. We have been to the swimming area a couple of times a week since July. We love it. Large yard area. Large beach and swim area. If you are handicapped there is no entry fee. Also, no fee for swimming but they don't provide a lifeguard any longer. Beautiful lake and scenery. The entire property is a tucked away gemstone. read more

Absolutely gorgeous park! The cabins are immaculate. The beach was beautifully raked every morning. 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! read more

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What a beautiful tucked away nature spot. We came just for the day to wrap up the summer. Parking is $7 and it gets you into the park where there is a swimming beach, playgrounds, hiking trails and picnic shelters. The park was exceptionally clean. The beach was immaculate and we were the only ones there. None of the shops were open but that was fine. The beach is a short walk from the parking lot downhill, if bringing chairs and other supplies I would recommend bringing a wagon. It is shallow and roped off so perfect for my small children who are inexperienced swimmers. No lifeguard on duty so keep a watchful eye. There are sand showers for when you leave your shower off the sand. The area is beautiful and it is private. Two playgrounds, cabins and yurts for rent. A perfect way to spend the last day of summer. read more

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Just a great place to unplug! We rented a cabin ! Every thing was perfect except the bed was excruciating hard ! Cabin 19 ! Ranger Martin was a great story teller! We went in October so not really beach time! We didn't see any wildlife but loved bed the screen in porch and rocking chairs! Great staff! read more

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What a beautiful spot!! I stayed in Cabin 22, and it was recently redone with beautiful features. I had a lovely view of the lake from my porch, and still could see water from the screened in section. The road to get up to the cabin was steep and gravel, but the parking was fine. Some of the others may do better with better horsepower than my sedan. If you go after a rain, your fairy stone hunting will be more successful! The park wasn't terribly busy during the week, and I had a trail access right across from the cabin, so hiking was easy! You're about 40 minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway give or take, and can get on near Mabry Mill, the most photographed spot on the parkway, or Chateau Morrissette for a dog-friendly wine flight experience, maybe with live music! read more

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Fairy Stone State Park is a hidden treasure! It offers gorgeous views, a peaceful atmosphere and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking -- from the peaceful lake to the winding trails. Deer are everywhere. read more

This review will apply to the summer seasons as I have been most familiar with growing up practically in the Park's backyard. I recall the bright beige sandy Beach riddled with all the fun features for guests to experience and explore the Fairystone Lake. The beach is relaxed with the sunny breezes that blow swimmers dry with the sun reflecting off the ripples of the streaming Lake that constantly moves toward a spillway into the Philpott Lake. There are plenty of activities for kids to adults to enjoy while spending a warm or hot summer day. From the playgrounds steeped in the shallow parts of the beach for young children to the diving board that sets out distanced in the swimming area on a dock for those older and who can swim for the ages of anyone. The Park employees licensed lifeguards who are on duty the entire 9 hours that the beach is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 7 days a week Sun. Thru Sun. Memorial Day weekend to Labor day. There are paddleboats, canoes and kayaks for rental use by the hour at the far right side of the beach with weekly programs for guests and campers to enjoy Fairystone hunts and narrated boat trips with history and story tours weekly. The concession stand and gift shop is located on the beach for the convenience of snacks and lunch items. The gift shop carries memorabilia and souvenirs for guests to shop and take home memories of their Fairystone Park experiences. read more

We own a cabin just down the road and have been coming to Fairystone for 14 years now to hike the trails, swim in the lake, enjoy the frequent programs the park puts on. Clean and well kept, if you come once you will become a regular. Cabins are being overhauled at the moment but there are still yurts and the campground. We love Fairystone! read more

Fairy Stone State Park - So many fawns this trip up! - Hiking Near Me - Stuart, Virginia

It's a beautiful place to camp It has swimming, fishing, boating and the campsites are shaded, it's clean and the patrons are respectful.

We stayed at FAIRYSTONE St. Park in the two bedroom cabins for 6 days. Nice beach area for kids . You can rent cabins, camp in a tent or cabin, or a yurt. Campsite for campers available too. We stayed in a cabin. Cabins recently renovated and very nicely done. Handicap accessible cabins are well set up. Check their website for more details. Don't come if you cannot live without phone service. We found it very peaceful. Beach area has available wi fi. Lots of wildlife and hiking trails. Park puts on programs on history and wildlife. I will go back! read more

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Beautiful park!!! The cabins are so cute and have everything you need to unplug and relax. read more

Fairy Stone State Park - Cabin #7 - Hiking Near Me - Stuart, Virginia

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We went to Fairy Stone State Park this past weekend for a family vacation. The park itself is very peaceful and quiet. It is gigantic (4500+ acres) with many hiking options. The beach area had a nice setup for swimming, plus that's where you can rent canoes, row boats, kayaks, and paddle boards. There are many programs held throughout the day (at least, there were while we were there). You can also rent the conference center for events. A wedding was being held the Saturday when we were there. Parking is free if you are staying at the park, otherwise there is a small fee. There are many options if you want to stay for multiple days (cabins, yurts, tents, campers, and the lodge). We chose to stay in a cabin down near the water. The view was fantastic! Each cabin has a good amount of space between the next so you have a lot of privacy. The cabins have an outdoor standing grill. Inside they vary with # of beds, but ours had a single queen bed, bathroom with shower, a couch, chair, fireplace, 4 person dinner table, refrigerator, stove, microwave, coffee maker, and a small number of utensils, plates, pots, pans, etc. We did nearly all of our cooking outside at the grill although it was nice to have a few modern luxuries inside the cabin. There are no TVs, you won't get cell service (if you're on AT&T anyway), and no wifi. It's fantastic. =) The fishing outside of our cabin is strictly float fishing. There are waaaaay too many submerged hazards to try anything other than that. The kids caught a number of panfish which they enjoyed, although they were all way too small so they were all released. There are plenty of boat rental options if you want to try for something larger. If you need to purchase any groceries, supplies, etc, it's a quick trip back down 57 (make a left out of the park). You'll find some local convenience stores and if you drive a few additional miles you'll find a family dollar. The nearest wal-mart is 30 minutes (or so?) away near Stuart, VA. There is a larger convenience store at the intersection of 8 and 58 (Howell's Grocery) which is closer and was pretty well stocked. While we were there we went to the Fairy Stone Hunt, which is just outside the park (3 miles away). It was a fun time. =) There are also two nearby wineries (30 - 45 minutes) away which are a nice diversion if the weather turns bad or you want to see what else is in the area. read more

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We went camping with our adult children and family members and we were listening to music enjoying the fire and a park ranger walked up and said it's an hour past quiet time you need to shut your music off, ok fine we shut the music off. We're sitting talking about stuff and the park ranger reappears and said I was standing up the way and you're talking to loud maybe you should go inside um nope I'm allowed to enjoy a campfire until at least midnight according to Virgina burn ban law so I'm sitting outside and talking and enjoying my fire. I know one thing I'm not staying here again and I'll talk anyone I know out of staying. read more

The rating on this park is way too low. Just got back from this SP and it was beautiful. Another reviewer posted pictures that do it justice. Very remote but only 2:15 from Raleigh. Only drawback is no WiFi and no cell service for 90% of the campsites. Sometimes it's good to disconnect read more

Fairy Stone State Park - Hiking Near Me - Stuart, Virginia

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Had a wonderful two night stay at Fairy Stone State Park. We are traveling with friends and both had 25 foot travel trailers. We made a last minute reservation in the middle of summer and lucked out getting two spots side by side. The reservation attendant on the phone was so courteous and helpful which was a breath of fresh air. Once we got to the park and settled in, we were visited by Ranger Danny and his associate Sam. They came by to give us the rules of the park which was nice to hear instead of reading the flier and they were very courteous as well. Ranger Danny came by a couple of times throughout our stay with education on the various animals/reptiles in the area using flash cards and also gave us a flashcard demonstration/education on Moonshine stills which he had on a wagon (defunct) as a show and tell. They also had lectures in the different shelters throughout the park that you could attend if interested. There was a beach area for children if you wanted to get away from the camp for a few hours. Fairy Stones were found outside of the park as Ranger Danny said we would not find any here. I can't say anything bad about the park. It was lovely and we will be back. Thank you Ranger Danny & Sam for making our stay even more enjoyable. Two thumbs up! read more

Fairy Stone State Park - Thank you Ranger Danny & Sam - Hiking Near Me - Stuart, Virginia

Don't go to the park and expect to hunt for Fairy Stones. It's $4-$5 to get in the park and like $3-$4 per person to use the beach. To find the stones head south on 57 past the park and about 3 miles down on the left there is a service station. The Fairy Stone hunting area is to the left of the station, there are small signs. Have fun. read more

Fairy Stone State Park - These are some of the stones we found. - Hiking Near Me - Stuart, Virginia

It was good family fun. Lots of Park Rangers out and about keeping things under control. Very nice read more

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Had a good time on the paddle boat, but the good ends there. Went to the gift shop and between us and my aunt, spent well over $100. My cousin asked if you had to pay for water and was told it was 26 cents. Seeing as some people don't like the taste of certain water, she took a sip, was disgusted by the chlorinated mess, and tossed the cup (that had not been filled). After my dad checked out, we were accosted by a park ranger old enough to be my great grandmother and accused of stealing a drink. My aunt was then forced to pay for a water that my cousin didn't drink, while grandma moses park ranger had a tantrum. TDLR; spent a ton of money, then old woman ranger tried to accuse us of stealing and were forced to pay for a drink no one got. read more

My family and I go here every summer, the kids have a blast swimming with the water playground and it's very relaxing. We love it

I just went for 4 nights with my daughter and 4-year-old grandson. We had a wonderful time! The scenery was fantastic, the staff very friendly, and the surrounding area full of charm. We went on side trips to Philpott Lake/Dam, a magnificent spot, as well as the lovely town of Floyd, VA. At the park itself, we hiked, swam in the lake, paddleboated, etc. Our only problem was the cabin, while comfy, had a problem with big wolf spiders!! We had to get rid of 3, which made us very uneasy. Otherwise all was well, and we would recommend it. read more

This is a lovely state park with climate controlled cabins and tent and RV camping sites. There is also horse trailer parking and camping. There is a beach, boat rentals, fishing and swimming in the summer. We rented a cabin and made a gorgeous turkey dinner this Fall! We brought the dogs and everyone had a good time. Gorgeous for walks around the lake or on one of the many trails. They don't want you bringing in your own firewood, but they give you one free bundle and additional ones are $4 at the office. There are several tiny mom and pop stores/gas stations near the park so you can run to the store if you need some beer or whatever. Beautiful. We will go again. It is in the boondocks :) read more

One star to Fairy Stone Park and all other VA State parks for their absurd two night minimum policy. Public parks are supposed to be for everyone, and not everyone can afford to take three days off work and pay for two nights of $100+ lodging. My hard earned money will be much better spent at Shenandoah, or the Smoky Mountains, or anywhere else where they know what they are doing. read more