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.

Beautiful park, well kept and quiet. And just across the street from the New River Trail State…read morePark. Creek views in the campground with deer everywhere. New River and Dam views across the street. Awesome.

Great RV park. We had site 16 - easy to get in and out. Very well cared for and it was very wooded…read more We were maybe a 1/2 mile from the New River Trail and road it several times. There is a nice little creek running next to some of the sites. It is a short walk to the New River. We saw several people enjoying the river just wading in and some fishing. WI-FI was great- best we have had in a park yet. The owner Tom was great helping people in and out of their spots if they needed it. If I had to pick a negative- no camp fires - but it was worth not having one to stay in this beautiful place with great scenery. We didn't do it but they have river rafting and kayak rentals down the road. Saw lots of people enjoy that.

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.

Great disc golf course! Very well marked out disc golf course trail. Great little hike as well.read more

I absolutely loved it here. The golf course is spectacular. On the first tee box I had to pause…read morefor a moment. The fairway is probably 60-70 feet below you and stretches out towards the tree line. The par 3 2nd comes back a little to your left, and then you see the third hole as it wraps around water just below. Absolutely stunning. It's a tough track and I would say is fun from every set of tees (black, blue, white, gold, and even the red tees). Water comes into play on about a dozen holes. Highlights are the first tee box/first hole (it's a reachable par 5), the third as it wraps around a pond, the second half of the par 5 5th hole, the eighth hole looks like it's on top of the world, the views from the 10th tee box, the thirteenth hole (a brute of a par 5), and some of the best par 4s in Virginia (holes 15, 16, and 18). I stayed in the smaller of the two lodges that overlook the 18th green. We had a suite with a master with a king and another room with two double beds. Lots of space, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a porch. It was also the cleanest room I may have ever stayed in. Some of the nicest views were from the porch that included the storm that rolled through at night and the fog that followed in the morning. There is only one restaurant on property and the food was excellent. Love that the dessert menu was never fixed. I had an ice cream cookie sandwich that was excellent. The people here truly make this place special. Whoever cleaned our room deserves a raise. Bo (the head pro) and Sherrie in the pro shop are maybe the nicest people I have met playing golf, and that is saying something. The wait staff and grounds crew were all extremely nice as well. I know there is a 5-star resort down the road that I visited for a bit, but I would much rather be here every day of the week. (Not saying I wouldn't turn down a free stay and play at the other place.) Needless to say this is now on my list for places to have a relaxing weekend getaway filled with great golf.

Really a nice golf course! Quite playable not tricked up. It seemed if memory serves me there was a…read morehuge difference between regular Mens and Senior tees. Would have liked something in between. Condo was quite fine. I got a little package and it was a good value for the money!

We needed some time in the mountains. I had visited here before but mostly for shorter trails. This…read moretime we needed some Appalachian Trail in our lives. We did a couple of short trails but the monster was the Appalachian Trail to Mount Rogers Loop. It's logged at 14.3 miles but we ended up logging around 15.2 miles with various trips off trail to check out. The first part of this trail is fine. You walk through areas where some of the wild ponies hangout. Sometimes you can catch wild cattle too(which we did, but not until we were on our way out). The off trail to Mount Rogers is also fairly easy. If you're coming down from Mount Rogers and taking the loop around the mountain, make sure you have plenty of water and maybe some kind of snack for energy. There is a little section from mile 8-12 that almost put me down. It reminded me of a dehydration episode I had in Montana a few years ago. This time I had all the water I needed, but I'm so glad I had food for energy. There's a little section where you gain so much elevation in such a short amount of time... those types of sections always make my legs want to give up. I powered through with some breaks, but it'd help if that section were at the beginning instead of near the end. If I ever do that loop again, I'll take it counter-clockwise. Grayson Highlands is an amazing place that stands on its own in the area. The AT runs through it, but the ponies and cattle and any other animal you might run into make the place magical. Being at the top is also nice. You can see mountains and landscape for miles. It's also a decent place to camp in my opinion since it's so wide open. It can be a bit windy at the top, though. On our trail, there was a fair bit of downed trees, so be aware that you might have to climb, walk around, or whack your way through portions if any storms have rolled through. Watch the weather because it can change fast, but honestly, just prepare for it. You're going to have a unique experience, whether you have to battle fog early in the morning or once the sun comes out. We also hit a patch of drizzly rain, but it didn't last long. We were able to see it coming and adjust our speed to let it pass. Grayson is a state park, so it doesn't have all the amenities that a national park has, but it does connect to some national forests/parks, and it's a beautiful/well-maintained place. Good job Virginia for keeping this place pristine. I realize that not everyone seeks out the long trails. The good thing about Grayson is that there are various trails. You can find 2-5 mile trails, 5-9 mile trails, 10-15 mile trails, and I think there are 1 or 2 that are even longer! There's something for everyone here.

What an incredible experience! I won't even comment on the pics because they speak for themselves!…read moreThis park has several hiking trails, some more challenging than others, mainly due to all the loose rock and gravel, but it made for a great workout on a gorgeous day! They also host overnight camping and are part of the Appalachian Trail as well. $10 to park isn't bad, but there wasn't an attendant when we first got there. I doubled back after we did the first trail so I wouldn't get fined or anything. We heard parking fills up fast so we got there early, but there were actually still plenty of spots by the time we were ready to leave in the early afternoon (we arrived at like 8am).

Great place for a birthday party! We had a private party for my daughter's party last night and it…read morewas perfect! Everyone was so nice and helpful with helping us set up and getting everything the way we wanted. We will definitely be doing parties here in the future.

We have had two birthdays here this year and had no issues with the staff or service, I felt they…read moredid well and were helpful, they were certainly busy but made sure we were taken care of. Everyone seemed to enjoy their time and the kids had fun. A fun place to go and skate around that area.

This passive park is at the corner of Main Street and Pine Street. It is a passive park with a…read moremarker that provides some context. It reads, "The park design pays tribute to the architecture of the Blue Ridge Hotel, which once stood on the very same corner where the park will be. Robertson recalls living in the Blue Ridge Hotel with Carlos Jones as they both lived and worked on Main Street. "Carlos was killed in 1945 during WWII while he was serving in the Navy. Before he left, he and I both worked downtown. Memories with Carlos were mainly from staying at the hotel had one room together. I don't know how we paid for it... I didn't make but $6 a week and he didn't make much more - hotels must have been right cheap in those days. "He was a nice and friendly person. We got along real well... he was easy to get along with. He came from a good family and had several brothers..." The park officially opened on September 20, 2014. "The Blue Ridge Hotel (Inn) once stood on this corner of Oak and Main Streets; actually four of them were located here throughout the years. The first one was built around 1823 (made of wood)and after several years, it burned to the ground. The second Blue Ridge Hotel (Inn) was rebuilt sometime between 1835 and 1840 and it stood until the 1880s. The coming of the railroad in 1888 catapulted the Blue Ridge Hotel (Inn) to great heights. Around 1891 the third Blue Ridge Hotel was rebuilt at the same location, but the Great Fire on New Years Day in 1892 destroyed the hotel and the whole city block. Shortly after, a group of business owners rebuilt the hotel, which was revered as one of the best in the state, serving the community and many visitors until around 1965. The park design was built to commemorate the unique architecture of this iconic, grand hotel that was a beacon in this region for nearly 150 years." There are some benches and some cover here but there isn't a playground or anything like that. There is street parking all around. [Review 1752 of 2024 - 3672 in North Carolina - 22775 overall]