Tony and I went to Roaring Run Furnace In the Jefferson National Forest. This is a stone Built Pig…read moreIron Furnace built in 1830. This 192 yr old construction is still standing and looks like they could just start using it again today The park was easy to find with GPS. It is free to enjoy. Plenty of parking and restrooms. Well marked trails. The Furnace is located about 500 feet from the parking lot and bathrooms. There is plenty of picnic tables and a creek for fishing and cooling off in warmer weather. There is also a waterfall to hike to!! Nice park and highly recommend especially for the historic value! Great day trip or field trip for home schooling!!

The waterfall was gorgeous and listening to the water flow was so tranquil. I could've spent all…read moreday there just relaxing by the water. The hike was short and easy.

Yes its beautiful definitely highly recommend beautiful weather yes people there's bugs bring bug…read morespray worth it though

Great trail to hike while visiting Roanoke! A little strenuous because of its length but mostly…read moreshaded and a great overall trail. Well kept and part of the AT so you'll see a variety of people. Amenity wise, there are port a potties at the main lotbut no trash bins. The main lot is pretty small but there's a shuttle that will carry you for a different parking lot since the main lot only has about 20 spots and can fill up pretty quick. I came on a Saturday in mid July at 8AM and it only had about 5 spots left. As I was leaving, a group was celebrating someone finishing their leg of the AT, so seems also like a good meet point. Trail was great but a little strenuous because length, but the incline actually wasn't horrible. The heat is real in July, so pack your water and some snacks for energy so you can make it back to the parking lot.

There is a national forest area gravel parking lot, which gives way to a trail through a…read morerainforest-y ravine, at the top of which one joins the Appalachian Trail. Some of the longer distance hikers were complaining that they thought Virginia was going to be flat, which it most certainly is not in this area. To get from the parking lot to the actual dragon's tooth is about 2.5 miles, and the last 0.5 probably took me as long as the 2, as there is a lot of rock and not a lot of trail. The blazes combined with the twists and turns are somewhat confusing. It's a challenging area, but the reward is some nice views. The first time I tried it, I made it the first two miles and turned around because it was getting dark, which was probably a wise decision.

Incredibly, This is Such a beautiful, majestic and unique…read moretrail located just outside of Roanoke/Blacksburg VA. I accidentally found this place by randomly driving The Virginia byway outside from Blacksburg whilst doing a scenic drive. The Dragon Tooth trail is equipped with Glorious views, Moderate-High Terrain and a trail suitable for Moderate to Advanced Hikers. Strongly recommend! I'm glad I got this Virginia Trail of my bucket list of nature trail Wanders and hope you do too!! The views & Hike are worth it!!

Douthat is my 35th Virginia State park visit. Saturday I hiked 13 miles, just under 30,000 steps! I…read moreended up on trails that still had fog coverage! I started at Stony run and linked some trails together so I would circle back to the car. The trail started with ground rock, and after 7 creek crossings and some elevation, it turned into rocks and roots. Once I got up higher to the switchbacks, I'd been hiking two hours. It just kept going! At some places (Tuscarora point and Blue Suck) the path is on the edge of the mountain. If you trip, you're gone! I was happy to see each Route Marker Helped me to know my plan was working. Im going the right way. At one junction I asked Gemini the elevation I've claimed from Stony run trail head to the sign Im at right now. The answer was 1,740 feet. They had 2 waterfalls. I saw one on my way up and another on my way down. It was a tricke of water but it helped notate where I was on the map. From there, it was only were big large rocks to navigate for a good mile. Takes your energy away. I was so happy to see my car at the end! What an adventure. I did drive through the park before hiking and stopped at the camp store for a t-shirt for my grandson. I walked in shouted good morning. No response. Maybe she didn't hear me. I looked around and her younger, co worker came in. This woman started massive gossip about the girl who finally just quit. She dogged this girl the whole time I was there. Checked me out when buying my shirt and never said a word. I asked the younger girl if there was still a restaurant here and she was answering to say yes but its take out but that other woman snapped, "Its closed!" She needs to find happiness. Clearly she's not a happy person, at least, at work. I thanked the young girl and left. Super awesome park! I loved it!

Well-maintained and updated campgrounds! The friendliest and most helpful rangers! Simple…read moreamenities, yet so many options to relax and use the park Do not leave without watching Ranger Shelly perform her tricks!

Joined the trail by crossing into "downtown" hot springs to the left of the Spa. Look for the…read morestairs to the right of the corner restaurant caddy corner to the Homestead property. We walked up a short but steep path to a sign for "sunset overlook". Another short walk brought us to a a few benches in a clearing with a beautiful overlook of the Homestead. Overall, a nice relaxed 20 minute roundtrip walk for a great vista.

This trail starts on the grounds of The Homestead. From the valet entrance take a left on a side…read moreroad that winds behind the kid's pool and water slides. Runs left by the golf course and across the grounds of The Homestead then crosses Sam Sneed Parkway into the woods behind the town. See my pics from Sunset Overlook.

An amazing set of Falls. See the Lower falls if you can…read more This is one of the best sights along the entire drive. There are 3 different sights to see at this stop. There are upper, middle and lower falls. Let's start at the beginning. There is a parking lot for about 30 cars directly off the road. There is a set of restrooms in the parking lot across from the trailhead. The trailhead has a solid pathway of switchbacks that leads to an observation point to the upper falls viewpoint. For people that want to shortcut the windy path, there is a straighter trail that goes directly down the hill to the first viewpoint. From there, there is a boardwalk with lots of steps that leads down the a bridge that crosses the river. Then more boardwalk and a steel set of stair to two platforms to view the middle falls. More boardwalk along the river and a large wooden stair platform leads to the lower falls. If you get a chance, you should see all three as each is unique and all are beautiful as much as the walk is enjoyable. Just remember, walking down is easy and you have to walk back up to return to the parking lot. Well worth the walk. Enjoy.

This was an unexpected find on my trip to WV. The trail was nice, if a little strenuous for this…read morefatman, and the water falls (plural) were lovely. It is a well developed trail with lots of stairs, including an actual stairwell to get you to the bottom of the falls. If you are mobile and in the area you should visit, just give yourself some time on the hike back if your a big person like myself.

Lake Robertson is a hidden gem in a magical mountain landscape. Makes a great little hike. Pool and…read morecamping area is also nice.

So pretty and so quiet. My boyfriend and I came here to the Natural Bridge area and decided to go…read moreon and see this lake that was nearby. The drive was very windy and pretty, and also surrounded by gorgeous mountains and streams. Once we got to the lake it was just amazingly pretty, it was kind of crazy how clear it was. It really drowned everything else out. Definitely would go again honestly for that lake. Coming from NOVA definitely a nice change of scenery.

This trail, not quite finished as of this writing, has highs and lows. A rail to trail that runs…read morealong a small river, it does deliver some fantastic views and is a flat and wide path that is amenable to biking and walking. It is free and has multiple entry points. On the downside, Covington is dominated by a cardboard manufacturer. I just moved from another place that had a similar factory, but for those without such experience, something involved in this industry smells strongly of wet dog, and the smell spreads widely. So at least on part of this trail, you've got that to contend with as well as a surprising number of flying insects for being up in the mountains. And while the trail runs by the river, everywhere you look there are signs saying that if you step off the trail, including trying to get closer to the river, it's private property and you can't. I don't begrudge whoever actually owns the land for owning it, but I wish some arrangement could have been worked out that involved more access and less passive-aggressive hostility. So I have a mix of nice pictures from a wonderful fall evening as well as a sense that some things could be better.

We were headed to spend a weekend night in Hot Springs and decided to stop in Covington to take a…read morehike, so we stopped at the Jackson River Trail... Wish we would have done more research on this place before stopping here to know that it's really not a "hike" and more of a walk. It's an old railroad bed, which is nice, but nothing fun and exciting about a truly "off-road" hike to this place. Also, the first ¾ of a mile is nasty and it's through houses, etc and nothing exciting. But after that, really from just before the Petticoat Junction to the north is beautiful and we were happy to finally come upon this area. The Jackson River is closer to the trail in this area and a beautiful stream to walk along. The banks of the trail in the first part, from the parking area in Covington to the Petticoat area are nasty and loaded with trash and pollution, the town of Covington or some volunteers really should clean it up and force the local residents to "police" their back yards better! Overall, we did it... won't waste time with it again.

Beautiful outdoor natural waterfall and swimming hole. My only regret is that I didn't bring my…read moreswimming suit! I can't wait to go back. The hike is easy compared to others in the area. It's about a mile to the swimming hole. Be sure to bring, all the outdoors stuff: bug stray, sun block, etc. Also, you are in nature so, be on the look out for snacks - we came into contact with a black snack, it was harmless but definitely pay attention. Wear shoes unless rocks don't bother you. It's honestly a beautiful place! Here's an article that provides more info: https://gohikevirginia.com/sugar-hollow-reservoir/. I almost forgot. There's no cell phone service. No bars baby.

Directions are past the third goat ridge on the right (open maps) and it's a 40 min walk but you…read morecan get there quicker if you speed walk/run.

The residential streets you have to maneuver through to get to the parking lot are a bit of a drag,…read morebut the mountain itself is majestic. The trails are extensive and took several hours for me to traverse, and the views of the valley were expansive. There is no charge to get in and not a ton to interrupt you on the trails.

This is a really great park tucked in the back of a neighborhood. It is pretty accessible from most…read moreof Roanoke and a great option for hiking if you're not looking for something that is extremely long and strenuous! They have maps available and it was easy to follow the trail colors. We went to Buzzard Rocks and enjoyed an amazing view of the city below. The trails were well-maintained.