Our trip to Grayson Highlands State Park was the kicking off point for a “6 parks in 6 days” mini-challenge.

Aspiring to visit all of the far western Virginia State Parks with limited days off work (Grayson Highlands, Wilderness Road, Natural Tunnel, Southwest Virginia Museum, Breaks Interstate, and Hungry Mother).

Enchanting scenery along the Twin Pinnacle Trail

July 7 Grayson Highlands State Park

Grayson Highlands State Park is a stunningly unique place situated high in the mountains and near to Mt. Rodgers, the highest peak in Virginia. Right off the bat this park offered some incredible views, we didn’t even have to leave our car to have our breath taken away. We decided to start with the 0.5 mile Rhododendron trail, which we were told would be the best bet to see those famous wild ponies! This trail was fairly easy, however you do have to walk on some large gravel rocks and we were happy we decided to bring our hiking sticks along.

We walked along in awe of the scenery, much different than any park we’d been to yet, and being from the Tidewater region of Virginia were overall excited to be back in the mountains.

Hikers and horseback riders enjoy the Horse Trail North

A herd of wild ponies feeding along the Horse Trail North 

We wound up finding a herd of wild ponies with 2 young foals just off the Horse Trail North, which connects to the Rhododendron Trail and is also bisected by the Appalachian Trail. They were right along the path and didn’t even take a second to notice us, although we gratefully respected their presence and kept our distance while appreciating the view from the trail! 

Another pony enjoying his time in the Massie Gap clearing of the park

Ecstatic that we actually found the ponies, and they weren’t as allusive as we expected, we made our way on hike number two of the day, the Cabin Creek Trail, a 1.8 mile difficult trail that definitely lived up to its classification. We hiked this trail commenting that we felt like we were in a fantasy. The beginning took us through the densest grove of rhododendron shrubs we’d ever come across, and surprise another pony stumbled upon us!

A surprise encounter on the Cabin Creek Trail

We continued down the creek side path into the heart of the woods, a boreal forest with vegetation matching that found in Northeast US and Canada. This made us incredibly happy as it was reminiscent of a place near and dear to our Northern hearts, the Adirondacks of New York.

Our not-so-scenic foggy view on the Big Pinnacle summit

The climax of this hike was a series of waterfalls right along the trail and rocky cliffs integrated through the woods. We also experienced some quick weather changes on this hike, getting drenched by rain about 3/4 of the way through. There are a number of signs throughout the park indicating extreme weather changes, but there are also a lot of storm shelters scattered throughout to dip into. Don’t forget your rain coat if you plan to visit this park!

We set up camp for the night hoping to cook dinner and get a night hike in, but the afternoon’s rain got the best of us. In the morning we decided to get one last hike in before making the 3-hour trip to park #2, Wilderness Road State Park, so we packed up camp and drove to the visitors center on Haw Orchard Mountain at the start of the Twin Pinnacle Trail (1.6 mi) which takes you up to the two highest points in the park, Little Pinnacle (5,089 ft) and Big Pinnacle (5,068 ft.). This was an incredible trail and the change in vegetation as we climbed upwards offered endless views that we were quite fond of.

Up some very steep, rocky steps we found our way to the Big Pinnacle vantage point, but alas, the fog was thick and there wasn’t even a hint of a view. The winds were howling and we were still happy to see the fog pour over the top of the mountain as we were pushed around by the wind. The peak was visible the afternoon before from the Rhododendron Trail, so if you want to give this hike a go you might want to wait for the morning fog to burn off. 

This is a gorgeous park with a lot to offer and its uniqueness makes it a necessary stop to soak in all that Virginia has to offer.

If you would like to go on your own adventure to Grayson Highlands State Park and would like more information about this park, click here. 

Guest Bloggers Peter Radlowski and Sarah Sumoski plan to tackle all 36 Virginia State Parks in 2016 and they invite you to come along on the adventure with them.