We entered the trail in Farmville which was a great access point. We brought ebikes and rode 17…read moremiles the first day and 21 miles the second day. The trail is nice and flat, well manicured, and wide enough to ride side by side or have others pass without a problem. We stopped at the High Bridge to take in the scene and also at Three Roads Brewery which is along the trail. The next day we stopped at The Virginia Tasting Cellar which is just off of the trail in Farmville. There are restrooms along the trail and plenty of shade for when you want to take a break. Bring your own water.

High Bridge Trail is such an asset to the local area and I miss walking, running, and hiking in the…read moreareas around it! I'm originally from the area and whenever I visit home, I find myself running or walking with my family on the trail. In high school, we used to do cross country runs here! High Bridge Trail is a rail trail and the main portion is flat, which is perfect for gentle walking or fast running. I also recently learned that there are plenty of offshoots from the trail that have some elevation gains and make for nice hikes! While you're there, try and check out the Smyth Trail and the Camp Paradise trail. I really enjoyed seeing the old bridges and being near the river. Don't forget your bug spray! When I go, I usually park in two places: 1) public free parking in Farmville, and take the trail portion going back towards the river, or 2) park at the River Road parking lot, which is $2 self-pay/honor system, or free if you have the Virginia Adventure Pass. What I love about this trail is that there is something for everyone. I always see families with people of all ages (including babies in strollers), dog walkers, and people cycling! As the main trail is a bit gravelly, you will need a bigger tire for this trail. Side note: I would love to see is a small investment to make some of the trail wheelchair accessible. It's such a lovely park and would be wonderful if truly everybody could enjoy it. I will definitely be back to High Bridge and I really look forward to my next visit there.

The John H. Kerr Dam impounds the Roanoke River, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between…read more1947 and 1953 for the purposes of flood control, and hydropower. It produces over 426 gigawatts of power annually. It is named for John H. Kerr (1873-1958), a Congressman from North Carolina who was instrumental in authorizing the construction. The hydropower is produced by seven "Francis turbines" that work by combining radial and axial flows. The viewpoint I selected was below the dam. I was joined by about two dozen people doing some fishing and a few actually caught some. [Review 2146 of 2024 - 1457 in Virginia - 23165 overall]

My friend & I located this place without knowing what to expect. We were so excited when we found…read morethis beautiful waterfall with a mill. If it hadn't been 37°F we would have stayed longer. This would be a fun place to visit in the spring or summer!

Can't wait to return next year. This place was awesome. Came here for a nice relaxing weekend at…read morethe end of the summer. We had a tent site right on the water. Every day we would eat drink and swim all day and had a blast. There was no place to buy wood at this park. So make sure that you have some wood for fires. We bought some from a 7-11 prior to coming. But we also found a tree that fell over that someone at the park cut up and let us take to burn. The bathrooms were not the best. Only one of the toilets door would close In-N-Out bathroom. But if you walked a little there was another bathroom. The showers didn't allow for much privacy. But we were swimming every day and got a quick shower in when no one else was there. Some of the sites have these cement areas near the water that are not comfortable to lay in. But I saw a few younger purple on them. I didn't even like sitting in them. Also near the water they get slippery. Make sure you are bringing some type of water shoes. There were a lot of people that had campers and boats near us. Lots of kids and many dogs. A great family destination.

The big lakes have never really been my favorite state parks in NC. Not that that makes them…read moreinherently boring. In fact this one has quite a lot going on. With several access points, hiking, camping, swimming, fishing and boat slips there's no end to summer time enjoyment out here. And lemme tell you, this lake is huge. I wasn't quite aware of Kerr Lake until this stop through. As it seems most of the lake is in Virginia, it's not really heard of as much in NC, I feel like. But it's significant to the history of the area and of course for the energy infrastructure of this part of the country. I took a scenic drive along the expanse of the lake and drove into VA where I crossed the dam "just to say I did". The sheer size of the lake makes for incredible views. While it isn't a park that I see myself going back to anytime soon, I know it would be enjoyable in particular for families going on summer trips to camp and enjoy the water.

A hidden gem of a park! What a beautiful setting!…read more Ventured out to this park and brought my sidekick, Bo, with me. This is a lovely park, complete with trail options, restrooms, bbq grill, benches, play area for kiddos and a really nice butterfly park! The views are gorgeous! I took a lot of photos but honestly, my pics don't do this area justice. I was the only person here on a Saturday morning, the birds were chirping, the weather was perfect and it was a really nice day for the mile walk. The facilities are very well kept, the grounds were immaculate as well. Plenty of parking, too, with a few spots shaded by gorgeous trees. This park is fantastic!

Recommend this state park. The pictures you see here are C 32. It's right on the water. If you want…read moreto see the sunset get a camping site on the other side from this view you see the sunrise it's close to the restrooms and firewood. just a word to the wise when you're asleep at night and you hear things scrambling around outside it's probably only a squirrel or raccoon. Put your food up, but it's unavoidable. Don't try to convince yourself that it is a bear.

My Husband & I love camping at State Parks and Occoneechee has been the one we've returned to the…read moremost ever since we moved to the Commonwealth in 2001. If I had started doing yelp reviews 25 years ago you would have heard me rave about this park to everyone on line but as the years have passed I'm noticing some changes that no longer have me feeling the same as I did. The past several years I've noticed there have been camp hosts here which I'm not especially fond of as a taxpayer. I understand the rangers may not feel they should be spending their time cleaning restrooms or checking firepits for ashes but I've witnessed them sitting in the rather expensive vehicles our tax payer dollars furnish them with doing essentially nothing now that these hosts are here. Occasionally they patrol the area but I remember in years past when they were more engaging with the public precisely because they tended to these hosting responsibilities. It may be just me but I'd rather see the state employ a local who lives in the area to come in twice daily to check on & clean the restrooms than to hire an out of state couple who is going to park their unit in one of the rental spaces & set up camp here each season. Many of the state parks have already erected cabins & Yurts that I know don't have a 100% occupancy rate. Can they really afford to offer a retired couple an otherwise rentable space for the entire season? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe these out of state hosts are actually paying a reduced rate to enjoy our parks amenities rather than receiving a wage & in return they agree to act as dorm parents where cleaning restrooms is just part of the deal, idk but I'd much rather see the Division of Virginia State Parks director establish a young rangers in training program to do these menial tasks if the adult rangers feel their time is too valuable to be camp hosts. I want to see our beautiful state parks succeed & remain in operation for generations to come but having 24/7 out of state camp monitors takes away from fully enjoying the state park experience in my opinion. Having said all that the park itself has remain pretty much the same as it was 25 years ago with the exception of a new playground so it's as close to nature as you'll find if you enjoy a peaceful camping experience.

This is a beautiful park. Nice bathrooms at camp site…read more Cabins for rent also. People are so friendly. Nice peer to fish off of also.

Quiet park with great accomodations. The lake is clear and beautiful. Boating and fishing are…read moreenjoyed by many.

Husband loves this place for fishing and it's always clean and well maintained. One of the diamonds…read morein the rough located in Oxford

Loved Lake Devin. While visiting my mom in the area, I decided to bring an early dinner and enjoy…read moreit lakeside. This is the perfect little quiet place to enjoy nature, and soak up the sun locally. It's a little difficult to find the entrance. Oxford is very rural and there is a lot of empty land. Look for the Lake Devin sign. Parking is available on the gravel providing easy access for those with mobility challenges. This was perfect for mom. We sat under the sheltered picnic area which kept us cool from the sun. There were families fishing for catfish on the docks and the weather was perfect. I've found a sweet little escape on sunny days.