A nice little waterfall and hike in the small town of Christiansburg in Virginia just several miles…read moreoff I81. Once you get there the adventure starts when you have to cross a one car very narrow bridge, then cross the railroad tracks, then drive on a one car dirt road to the entrance. There is a small parking lot and information. The hike and waterfall is not very far but it was worth getting off the interstate to see.

Temporarily closed for maintenance and clean up due to people being disrespectful of the site…read more Will post when it reopens.

This is a beautiful trail that leads to a 250 ft waterfall, with some easy hiking, some steep…read morefootsteps. Was easy to moderate for little kids and adults alike. The total hike is 30 mins (to and fro) and has nice marked trees for identification, streams, creeks and bridges. There is some beautiful foliage and trees along the way. There are two sites (start of waterfall and midway) each making for a beautiful photo opportunity.

Paved, with packed gravel surface part of the way, then many steps to get to lower viewing area of…read morecascade falls. Some incline and decline (out and back trail).

This is a very unusual tree along the side of a rural residential road. There isn't much to see,…read morebut nobody will bother you if you stop to take pictures.

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

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.

Fred Clifton park is right next to Lovers Leap and actually has a superior view. It has a good…read moreparking lot, picnic tables (with grills, I think), paths through the woods and wooden overlooks. There are signs to beware of bear. There are black bear in this area. Hikers should be aware that there is also a trailhead for a hiking path over by the Lovers Leap parking. Look for a big boulder covered with grafitti.

Have been to Laurel Creek Falls (Trash Can Falls) many times and we love it. It's beautiful every…read moretime off year. I've came when it's crowed and when it's empty. The parking is off on a gravel area on the side of the road and it's limited. To get to the falls cross the street and follow the path through the woods. It's a super short and really easy path but once you get to the falls you do have to do some climbing and maneuvering so I don't recommend for anyone disabled, small children, or older folks who have issues getting around. We recently went post hurricane Helen and it looks a little different. The wood planks for crossing are gone but the straps remain to help you get out of the swimming hole. There is a fallen tree we had to climb over. Still many people there having a great time just as before!

This place is awesome to jump into a fresh spring & clean water as well, the rocks are a bit high…read morebut once the fear of heights is gone you'll have a blast!!!!! :)

One of the most beautiful areas on the Blue Ridge Parkway, The campground has so many sites that…read moreit's not hard to find a campsite. Plenty of hiking trails, Some that run into the Appalachian Trail. There is a restaurant and gift shop with nice little keepsakes.

This is the largest recreation area (7,000-acre) on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Currently the parkway…read moreis closed to through-way traffic but you can still enter the park and camp. It offers a lodge (Bluffs Lodge- not open all year round), campground, hiking trails, picnic areas.There is supposedly a cabin and homestead, exhibiting isolated mountain life but I didn't get a chance to see it. The use of trails is free, but camping is $16 per 2 person tent. It includes bathrooms but no showers. The view overlooking grassy gap is gorgeous at sunrise. It was much quieter than Julian Price, but probably because of the road construction. You must drive quite a bit inside of the park before you get to the camping area.

Don't let all my NJ posts fool you. I was born and raised in southwest Virginia and most of my…read morefamily still lives there. Although I am forever grateful that my parents moved us out of the area when we were younger - especially when I get a peek at the local electoral maps - my heart remains in the mountains. Can't say my brains remain here though because it took until today to realize Claytor Lake was 1) a state park and 2) gorgeous and amazing. All these years I just thought it was nowhere special that my cousins would go fishing. And to think I road trip all the way to NH and Maine every year and could have just driven 7 miles from my grandmother's for an equally rewarding experience. I had cabin fever today at my granny's and caught the local Outdoors magazine write up about Claytor Lake. There's camping?? Swimming?? Trails?? I watched a few videos on YouTube then got in the car to see for myself. Need to know: -There's a booth at the entrance - closed after 4pm. $7 parking fee for most paid by the honor system with cash or check or by card through the QR code during after hours. There are 4 campgrounds - I only saw Campground D open and it was overwhelmingly being used by those with RVs, teardrops, and campers. These are NOT wooded lots, rather gravel pull-ins and you'll likely be very close to your neighbor. A lil too close for me but I can see it not being a huge deal since everyone had campers to sleep in. I took a drive through this campground to see if I would feel comfortable and I didn't see any displays that would make me think I wouldn't (you picking up what I'm putting down?) Trails and paved paths galore. I saw one trail today but didn't get to explore much. Apparently the only shoes I packed for this trip were Crocs. Paved paths snake through the park and are accessible for those with mobility devices. The "lake" was created by damming the river. The water is clear by the shore. We love clean river water! Tons of shelters, grills, benches. There is something for everyone! Not sure if shelters are first come first serve or if you need to book them in high season - check the website. There's a gift shop but it was closed. I was bummed because you know I love stickers! I am counting down the days until I can return in the warmer weather. I would not be opposed to camping here or swimming once they reopen the beach for the season. I also look forward to exploring the trails. Fantastic solo outing. What a gem in my little country corner of the world.

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!!!

The bridge was looking a little wind damaged at rickety this morning so we opted not to make the…read moreclimb. However, the view from the ground here is still fantastic looking out at the mountains of Virginia. On a clear day, you can see quite some distance. There is a small gift shop here if you're looking for snacks or mementoes. A shaded picnic area is also nearby. The view is free. The climb up the 100 foot tower is not. It was built in 1947 and is still looking good. [Review 530 of 2025 - 1470 in Virginia - 24091 overall]

This place is the perfect example of how important location is in a business. The Big Walker…read moreLookout is located away from everything else in a gorgeous spot on the side of a mountain. The views are fantastic. I stopped for a drink and a snack before an off-roading trip. The inside of the store is full of souvenirs, knick-knacks, etc. I was able to pickup a drink and a snack and move on. The cashier was friendly. The outside is kind of run-down. There is a bridge from the tower over the parking lot that ends in broken boards and potential serious injury. I wouldn't walk on it. Overall, meh. It's in a great spot, but they could invest in their business a little more.