Came here to kill some time by walking the path along the river. It was a beautiful sunny day and…read morewhile it started chilly, it warmed quickly. We parked at the playground - plenty of parking spots at 11ish on a Sunday - and got going. The trail is paved and wide, nice and smooth for two miles with marked posts about every 0.5 miles. At the end of two miles the pavement stops and turns to an actual trail. We didn't go past that point so turned around and headed home. There were plenty of people out - runners, bikers, walkers, families. There are a few spots where the edge of the path is close to a drop off/ledge at the riverbed so if you have small kids just be careful. The trail has a few areas that connect back to a nearby road which is nice too. Wish we had more places like this back home I could go run! Loved traveling right along the river and it's little rapids the whole time.

Great paved path, well maintained, that runs along the river. Couple of notes that they have some…read moreoff leash areas for dogs and many owners allowed their dogs to approach our without recall. Additionally there are some homeless encampments along the path.

Undoubtedly the best park in town! Unfortunately, there's often no one else there. Hopefully,…read morethat will change and this will help the word get out. Here, you get it all--shade sail covering the adult area with many picnic tables, a separate patio area for adults with chairs, a giant playpen-like structure with a bouncy ball in it and lined with garage tiles for safe falls for younger toddlers. There is a play set for younger kids and for older. I would say about age 3 to about 8 or 10. There is a car on a spring that rocks; a big, spiral slide, straight slights, a fake climbing mountain with seats on top, and tons and tons of options to climb and swing, including a jungle gym and even spiral-style monkey bars (they go in circle, rather than just in a straight line. There's a balance beam, different types of swings, and really everything you could possibly want. All that's missing is the kids, really. Absolutely amazing place. The greatest likelihood to catch other kids to play with is before lunchtime. The only downside is that there is zero shade on the actual playground itself. Very important note: This place is public and at the back of a church parking lot. Turn in right beside the blue library sign, and drive alllll the way back. You cannot see the playground from the street at all, not even upon turning into the lot.

My girls loved this playground and they are older too. We happened upon a Fall event there when we…read morevisited this time. Everyone was super sweet, the forgot was going, lights were hung, bathrooms were very clean. Great all around.

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.

We have come to the state park before and enjoyed it. We are in cabin 11. when we got here we were…read morepleasantly surprised with the upgrades and a new fireplace. Lots of walking trails. The staff are friendly.

I stay here frequently for tent camping but decided to try a cabin during off season which only…read morerequired a 2 night stay. We had a 2 bedroom which can sleep 6/bunk beds at site 10. The lake view cabins go very very quickly. Since we are all adult we can appreciate the quiet. Open plan with a lovely fireplace and outdoor fire pit. They provided a bundle of wood - but there is wood for sale at specific hours near the camp store. About the wood..... it's a cross between tree cut and saw mill. I paid $7.00 a bundle. Our cabin had a lovely wrap around porch/deck with both a front and back door. Great view as every room had a window including the bathroom. A slight "ick" factor is that the bed had crumbs. They offer everything you could want minus the linen. Side note I have allergies so be aware that a past guest may have had pets. We used sheets as couch covers. We are planning on staying there again. Standing shower, furnished kitchen. No WiFi. I would come back again but only strictly doing off season as it's much quieter.

There was only one other car in the parking lot when we arrived on a Wednesday in June around 1:30…read more The first impression is that it is very neat and tidy. The parking lot is nicely paved. There is a kiosk with a picture of the trails, and a couple of picnic tables. There is also a place to put non-motorized boats into the reservoir. The bathrooms are "real" and clean but there is only one toilet. The hardest part was finding the beginning of the trails. There is a sign pointing to the right of the bathrooms but it's hard to see the actual post where the trail starts when the trees are in full bloom. It's there up by the tree line so be persistent! We did the outer loop which is a little over 2 miles. It took about and hour and 30 minutes but we stopped a lot. It's not the most exciting hike but it is an easy loop with some views of the reservoir. Mostly, it's a nice traipse through the woods. There are plenty of signs along the trails so no worries about getting lost. Oddly, there were a ton of downed trees. As far as bugs, the flies were the worst but they would come and go. We had on bug spray, so if there were mosquitoes they left us alone. One thing to keep in mind is that there is no cell service. Recommend for some quite time with nature.

Really awesome park to take a picnic lunch to and explore! My kids especially enjoyed scrambling…read morealong all the large, flat rocks along the large stream. Great outdoor option especially during the pandemic.

Our Charlottesville son has come here with his two young sons (5 and nearly 4 years of age) …read more Trails, marked by colors (eg, Red Trail, Blue Trail, etc.) are easy enough for the little guys & certainly easy enough for us as well. They are well maintained, go uphill in some areas, flat in others, skirt a small creek, a large pond with turtles, fish, ducks & geese, lots of marked trees & meadows, all good distractions for big & little hikers.

I was heretofore unfamiliar with this tract of land despite having spent plenty of time in the…read morearea. It seems I missed out, as a splendid variety of experiences were available for free. Traversing an overlook over the river, I went down into a valley, spotting majestic birds of prey, a large fish, energetic baby turtles, singing frogs, and a snake, all spotted in less than an hour. As wildlife preserves go, this one had a lot of wildlife. Conditions vary of course, but there were a couple more hours worth of trails I didn't get to. Near the entrance were some buildings, including a water station and primitive bathrooms. People seemed to come for a variety of reasons.

Sorry for the 1-star (you may change my "review" to 5-star when this is fixed). Often referred to…read moreas "Afton Mountain," Rockfish Gap is not in Bedford, VA. This is the intersection of the Appalachian Trail (abt mp 863.5), Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, I-64 exit 99 (I think), and US Rt 250. To the west is Waynesboro, Stuarts Draft, and Staunton. To the east is Afton, Crozet, and Charlottesville. How do I know? The gap is about 2 miles out my back window. Not much commerce at rhe gap itself, except the wonderful old-time "King's Gourmet Popcorn" stand which has much more than popcorn. There is a motel and a couple of B&Bs a mile or so West on Rt. 250 near the Western edit of the famous Blue Ridge Tunnel (check it out on YouTube), which then pops you out in the village of Afton on the east side of the Blue Ridge. A longer walk back to the Gap, but adequate parking is at either terminus. Afton is in an area rich with wineries, distilleries, and breweries. Blee BleesRockfishRetreat.com

I've been hiking the AT, section by section, for the past 20 years. I'm currently in the process of…read moremoving Stuarts Draft, just 20 minutes form Rockfish Gap. A great section with The Priest not far south of this road crossing

This is a substantial preserve that is free to enter. Some facilities without running water are…read moreavailable at the entrance. The topography varies, and the meadow near the parking lot is markedly distinct from the valley in which the actual creek lies. One suspension bridge crosses the creek and it was in quite good condition, but it could also be crossed on foot, or on hoof as this is a horse area. There were several miles of trails and I was worn out enough that I did only a fraction of them, but they were quite pleasant. Various signage suggested this parking lot was a spot for thieves despite the rural location; I suppose it is a highbrow crowd that would be parking here. It also suggests that anytime your shoe leaves a mark the trail is too wet to walk, which if taken literally is kind of ridiculous. Fortunately, if you lock your car and make your own decisions about mud, you can have a good experiences.

This is a great park we happen to find in the area. After spending the previous day at the winery,…read morewe needed to do a small hike. Unfortunately, it was extremely cold and windy and we didn't have bug spray, so we didn't get didn't get too adventurous. For these reasons, we tried the easiest trail--the Meadow Loop Trail. It was an easy loop around a grassy area, took maybe less than 10 minutes. There was a very detailed map at the entrance of the trails. This included all the available trails, the level of difficulty for each trail, basic etiquette, friendly reminders, etc. There was also a reminder that everyone needs to watch out for each other --hikers, bikers and horse riders. We didn't see any horses, but we did try to dodge the "presents" they left behind. We did see some bikers returning from the trail. There was a large parking lot, which most likely fills up when the weather is nicer. Cameras are watching the parking lot, but it's always best to lock cars and hide valuables :). There were bathrooms available, but not the type with running water....if you get what I mean! Would I return? Can't say for sure since it's pretty far.