My favorite hike in Virginia!…read more I love the rock scrambling that this hike has. The view at the top is worth the hike! There are many spots with great views of the mountains around. Because it is a longer hike and the rock scrambling it makes it a harder hike than many others in Virginia. It's a hike you won't forget! Make sure to bring lots of water and snacks.

I've been wanting to tackle the Old Rag hike for quite some time. My friends from Outdoor Afro…read moreorganized a group hike. I couldn't resist! We began our hike at 0930. I've gotta say, I was surprised at our starting location. I didn't have to drive through the 'booth' and pay to actually enter the park. That was weird to me, but our hike leader explained that, during the busy season, rangers are on site to check for passes. So.... I assume you'd have to purchase a pass online and place it on your dashboard. I'm a Veteran so I have that pass so I couldn't tell you how that works. Right off the bat you're climbing. No easing into your hike, you're THERE, at elevation. Of course, the higher you climb the mountain the more elevation you gain, but at the start you're already gaining. There are a lot of false summits. You think you've made it to the top, but you're not there yet! Ha! Because it was January, the trees were barren, so I could see the vastness of the forest. There was a bit of ice, but nothing that impeded our climb. I had always planned to do the hike in fall, to see the colors, but this was great as well. It was a perfect day. And then there's the rock scramble-----AMAZING! I loved climbing over, under, and through the rocks. There are times you have to jump over a small gap or squeeze between rocks, but I was down for it all! I was on the trip with people who had done the hike before so that helped in a few situations where I could have gotten lost or didn't quite know how to get over a rock. Once we finally made it to the actual peak, the view was amazing! The entire hike was awesome! Some of the rock placements, like, how does a rock just sit in a certain spot, have you wondering HOW. It's that 'Awe' factor. We had some slower hikers and we didn't want to leave anybody behind. So, that brought us to the point where we were coming down in the dark. Luckily, I had my head lamp and so did many others. A quick note to be prepared for anything. Those worst case scenarios are possible. It's a GREAT hike and I'll definitely do it again with ONLY seasoned hikers.

Beautiful and I mean breathtakingly beautiful landscape! Mountains in the distance! Perfect sized…read morebody of water for light fishing, canoe, little beach area with lifeguard on duty for a family day with sand and sun, trail surround the park with benches to sit and awe at how beautiful nature can be. Prices are extremely affordable (coming from DC and being used to paying up to $40 for two people to paddle board for 30 mins, which is normal for me). For $3 or so you can take out a kayak per person per hour. If you're fishing make sure to bring all you need and purchase your license AND additional $5 permit to fish there. They sell small snacks and ice cream. Bathroom situation is dicey considering it's a porta-potty but hey honestly all in all I would come again and I would spend days on end here either by myself or with family.

Close to public swimming unknown reason beautiful beach nice picnic area would not recommend poor…read morefamilies unless for a picnic

This was my 4th half marathon and I loved it! I actually disagree with the other review that says…read moreonce you get past hospital hill you're golden. There is actually one more hill around mile 12 that is a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch. It's the overpass that goes over 95 leading into the home stretch. At that point I was like, oh the hell with it, and walked up that area. Overall I loved the run and plan to do it again in the future. It was very organized. Plenty of portapotties... Entertainment along the course... handsome Marines... beautiful finisher medal! Oh, and free beer at the finish :-)

Hands down, the most challenging, but also the most humbling half marathon course that I've ever…read moreran in the East Coast! The Blue Mile this year was a special reminder of our freedoms and those who died for America. Hospital Hill was challenging...if you were close to hitting "the wall" at mile 10, Hospital Hill will feel like the literal manifestation of the runner's wall. However, it's a baby hill compared to those who've ran Big Sur before. Any hill is a hill for me, no matter how small. This course definitely has its fair share. Ultimately, it's up to you to conquer it and say that you lived to see another day! I'll be running it again next year.

Nice park for John Marshall. First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, he was relatively…read moreaccomplished. All jokes aside, wish more signage for his life and work. There's enough room for a little more. It's still a decent park, but with some minor improvements, could be fascinating. There's a pleasant trail to walk. Also like the trees here. The open space and foliage are enjoyable sights. It's a good place, and am thankful for it. If in the area visit it. Don't drive too far out of the way.

Small park with a 1/2 trail to a monument for the birthplace of Chief Justice John Marshall. Trail…read moreis mowed and an easy walk through a wooded area. There are five parking spaces, a picnic bench. No facilities.

You will not be disappointed when you book with Shenandoah Mountain Guides!…read more My buddy and I were fortunate to have Andy Nichols (business owner) be our guide for the day and could not have been happier with the experience! Andy WILL BE one of the coolest people you will meet in your lifetime: Incredibly knowledgeable of the science behind the outdoors, has a vast history of the area you will explore/climb, a wonderful motivator/coach, a perfect story-teller, and overall great guy!

Andy, the owner, is truly an expert on the Shenandoahs. Highly knowledgeable, friendly, ready to…read morework with people at all ability levels. He worked with my two sons, ages 12 and 14, to teach them the basics of rockclimbing, and within a few hours, the boys -- and me, too! -- were scaling cliffs of a couple hundred feet. Don't worry, he has all the proper gear, and safety is a priority. I would definitely recommend him and his company, and we hope to book again with him soon. By the way, he is a former Eagle Scout and former Scoutmaster, and he is a Boy Scout Merit Badge Counselor for rockclimbing and probably a few other things.

The trail was cute and a good length for a city trail. It leads to a cute lake, a good amount of…read moreshade on a hot day, and nice people along the trail.

I like the trail though both times I have been on it thee was a noisy vehicle parked in the woods…read more This time it looked like a tree trimmer truck. They were idling in the vehicle for at least 30 minutes. Why can't they shut the engine off! They were not visibly working!!!! Ugh! The trail has been fixed up and one side has been recently paved. I hope to visit one day and have a quiet walk though. One mile around and back to the park. There is an extension up to Lake Pelham too - though it is closed for construction right now.

Seems like they're on Groupon all the time. Our horseback ride started about 1.5hours late. I…read morewasn't happy about this at all. Not simply because he was running late, but because the house (castle/waiting room/party room) was absolutely filthy. I was really taken aback by a business looking like this, even if it's a business that works w/ animals. When we got there, the owner and assistant were on a ride w/ another group. Then the group we were supposed to be riding with were an hour late, so we had to wait for them. It was just annoying, although Steven (owner) was friendly. When we walked into the empty house it looked like a construction space, a hen was walking around the inside and I even saw it poop IN THE KITCHEN! Things finally turned around when I hopped on Sherman (my white horse w/ black spots). He was a greedy little thing and ate up all the grass but he was a great horse. Steven immediately put ppl on the horses and taught us while we were riding. He was a straight to it teacher and I liked that. He definitely knows what he's doing when it comes to animals. He took a bunch of pictures and videos and sent them to everyone in the group. I'm thankful to have such awesome pictures that didn't cost us extra. I'm giving 4 stars despite the filth because Steven was friendly, welcoming, and I enjoyed the experience. Tip: -don't eat there if germs bug u -don't arrive early, there's no point -yes, you're in the right spot, even though it looks a little funky on the outside

It's funny this guy is trying to say we never went when we did - I'd love to see what evidence he…read morehas considering during our entire time there he never once asked for our names or checked that we even had a reservation. He also never redeemed our Groupon. He has repeatedly messaged me and begged me to remove this review and has even reported it to Yelp to try to get it removed. Not only do I stand by my review but this Steven Strasburg owner has proved himself to not only be completely unprofessional but also desperate and dishonest. My advice: TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY for your business instead of accusing people of posting fake reviews or saying "it must've been another place". This is the ONLY time where an owner has not only not apologized but tried to say I'm posting for the wrong Castle Strasburg. How many Castle Strasburg horseriding places are there in Midland, VA? SHAME ON YOU!

The course is challenging however VERY poorly maintained and managed. The greens were like putting…read morein a sand trap. Weeds throughout the greens and fairways were SO BAD. Management could use a course on being more friendly.... I played it, will never go back.

Absolutely the WORST golf experience I've ever had. I came here with three other friends, all of us…read moreactive-duty military, expecting a relaxing day of golf, but instead, we were treated with nothing but disrespect from the staff. While the course itself is in great condition, it was completely overshadowed by the rude and unprofessional behavior we encountered. We were on the 6th hole when a staff member came up to us and rudely accused us of taking too long. Excuse me? We paid for a full 18-hole round, and yet we were harassed mid-play as if we were doing something wrong. For reference, we were keeping a normal pace of play--absolutely no delays. This level of hostility from the staff is completely unacceptable. It was so bad that we left after the 9th hole because we couldn't tolerate their attitude any longer. We essentially wasted money on a full round that we didn't even finish because of how poorly we were treated. It's beyond frustrating to pay good money to play golf only to be harassed and disrespected. If you're considering this course, don't. Take your money elsewhere to a course where they actually value their customers. This place doesn't deserve your time or money. I would NEVER recommend this course to anyone, especially not fellow service members. Absolutely disgraceful.