Tony Vanoy and I went hiking today at Cascade Falls in Pembroke, VA. Started out really great, we…read morethought it was 1.5 or 2 mile loop hike but OMG it turned out to be 5.57 miles roundtrip!! It cost a $3 per car to park and if you have America the Beautiful Card its free!! It was a beautiful day, but it was so long and so many stairs!! Over 1,000 stairs!!

The provenance of this site is somewhat unclear, but I think it falls under the federal government…read moreand putting up my national parks pass was successful in getting me through a visit without paying any additional parking fee. The main falls are two miles uphill from the parking lot, but the entire journey is a series of eminently worthwhile sights and sounds. Signs warned of challenging currents for anyone taking a dip in the water, which some people did. I would note that when I arrived a rescue operation was underway and emergency services did drive someone by me with what thankfully appeared okay. There are trails on one elevated bank and one closer to the water, as well as some offshoots and extensions. It's a great stretch of forest where you could easily spend more time than the couple of hours I did.

I hiked the hanging rock trail, window falls and hidden falls…read more The window waterfall was so fun! I almost missed the window; even though there was a sign that pointed in that direction. From the sign/arrow that points at window rock, climb down and you will see the window in the rock to your right. Through the window, you can see a waterfall! Visitor center has nice and clean restrooms. Their water refill station was not working when I went.

Hanging rock is absolutely beautiful for a day trip or even a weekend camping trip. They have many…read moredifferent hiking trails and waterfalls and in the summertime they have a lake you can go swimming in. Such a fun place!!

My husband and I like to hike so on our recent visit to Roanoke we started exploring options. We…read morelearned that McAfees Knob is the most photographed spot on Appalachian trail. We were a bit nervous about an 8 mile hike, but decided we were going to take it on. That hike was no joke, it kicked my butt. However, I did it and I am not someone in amazing shape by any means. There were some very steep/uphill parts and some stretches that were mostly flat. Trail was well marked. I was happy for the variation and we stopped as needed. It is doable, its just long. They say it takes you about 4 hours, which was accurate for us as we arrived around 10am, finished about 2pm. We did the AT trial up and decided to go for the fire road (runs basically parallel but isn't as strenuous) back as we were already tried. I highly recommend this if you not a serious hiker. Most everything I read kept saying you need to get their early as it gets so busy. That wasn't our experience, but it was an unseasonably colder, windy day so that probably deterred people. We also went on a Thursday to help reduce crowd as recommended. Note there are no bathrooms near parking. We found an outhouse near one of the camping sites about 2/3 way up, which we were grateful for. I am not sure it is being maintained regularly, so bring your own TP and hand sanitizer. Now, the view once you get to the top is absolutely beautiful. You can see out so far while you sit/stand on the rocky overlook. I even slowly inched my way out to the very tip of the rock to get the full 360 view. Breathtaking! We brought some snacks to eat up there to replenish (do this) and enjoy the views. We didn't stay up there as long as I would have liked as it was quite cold with the wind when we no longer had the tree cover. Dress appropriately! After we finished the hike, we took a long nap at our Airb&B. I am not sure I would choose to do it again, but I feel very accomplished that we completed this trail and enjoyed the views and our picutres very much.

What an awesome hike. Our new Thanksgiving tradition has been to go on a hike and this was our pick…read morethis year. We got there around 10am since it's a 3 hour drive from Charlotte. I thought it would be empty on Thanksgiving, but it was pretty crowded. We got a parking spot just fine, but the lot was fairly full. The hike is rated as strenuous, but I thought it was moderate. It's about 4 miles to Mcafee Knob from the parking lot making it 8 miles round trip. We took the Appalachian Trail on the way there and the fire road on the way back. The fire road is flatter and wider--an easier hike overall. Parts of the AT were covered in leaves making it a bit hard to hike. Everyone says the last mile is hard. It's uphill but I didn't find it to be too steep. The views at the end are gorgeous. Luckily it wasn't too crowded and we didn't have to wait to get our picture. We didn't stay at the top long because it was incredibly windy which made it pretty cold even though the rest of the hike was comfortable. The whole hike with stops took us just under 4 hours. With views and difficulty combined, we thought it was a great hike!

Went here for a guided fishing session and it was amazing! Ranger reynolds was great in showing us…read morehow to fish and introduced me to a great activity. I caught a boue gill and i am awesome! There is so mych more here and i am looking forward to exploring more

Lovely spot for a two mile hike. Gentle path, a little rooted, but no steep hills. Lots of shade.read more

This is a great walking trail in the heart of rockingham county, Wentworth. It's right next door to…read morethe old Chinqua Penn mansion, which is now closed. The parking lot is semi well lighted but they do close the trail at night. Not officially like with a gate or anything, but I wouldn'r stay out there after dark because there is no lighting on the trail. During the walk, you'll get to see a pond, koi pond, cows, water fall and most likely a lot of critters. Dogs are always welcome there leashed. We take our German Shepherd on walks there and she loves it. We let her play in the creek during the hike. I believe it's 1.5 miles total. I wouldn't say it's a hard hike by any means, but there are some hills throughout. They do have benches in case you need to take a break. Very pretty and a great place to relax and get some steps in.

Talk about a hidden gem in Reidsville! This trail was absolutely beautiful. Over a mile and a half…read morewalk that completes the trail. We stumbled across some birds and cows. Everything appeared well maintained and clean which was lovely. There are benches throughout the pathway where you may enjoy some sightseeing. Do stay hydrated during the hotter days, there are no shortcuts back to the parking lot. It is one way in and one way out that loops for roughly 1.6 miles. Overall a great experience. Dog-friendliness: Doggies are allowed.

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.

Came back again and stayed in a waterfront cabin this time, and it's well worth the upgrade! The…read moreview was great and the bedroom faced the water with a picturesque double window complete with blinds to limit or highlight the scene! Osprey were nesting, which was amazing!! Trails were beautiful, and since we were just weeks from peak season, it was still quiet and peaceful, but with gorgeous spring weather!

Smith Mountain Lake is my 33rd VA State Park. Its not one of my Favorites because, after my…read morechildren are grown, I really dont play in the water. I may swim in a pool but I dont jet ski, or boat, or fish. I dont like to buy food from the food shacks and it seemed to me, the space allotted for swimming was small anyway. They did have hiking trails. I took a two mile trail hike, took pictures and started on my way to James River SP.

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!!