Posted August 11, 2016 | Updated July 9, 2018

Exciting cell phone camera tips have arrived and right in the nick of time, capturing the magnificent scenery and wildlife at Grayson Highlands State Park.

We just returned from the most amazing 5 day Virginia State Park visit ever. It was the one place on the planet I chose to celebrate the last birthday in my 40's. After a disappointing visit to see the Chincoteague ponies once, where they were far away dots off in the marshes.

Hiking the beautiful vistas of Grayson Highlands State Park and seeing these ponies made for a trip we will remember the rest of our lives.

Families with excited children were all over the park, and you could tell that it doesn't take a beach to make for a memorable trip for kids, especially when wild ponies are involved.

Through serendipity, we ended up with a campsite in the horseback rider campground and stable area. We had a young first-time tent camper with us that was delighted to be surrounded by so many horses. He felt like he got to go to a dude ranch. The stable accommodations were very nice for the vacationing equines who all seemed happy for the chance to stretch their legs on real mountain riding trails.

Since we were in that area, and it's an almost 5000 acre park, we hiked the convenient horse trails right at our toe tips. They are wide and well maintained, and I can see why the horseback camping area was entirely full by the weekend. Just be courteous when hiking horse trails, and move aside when the riders come through.

The Views

The Blue Ridge Mountains hold so many breathtaking views, and this park's hiking trails take you to some fantastic ones. You are up almost in the clouds in places, so the landscapes were always stunning. The mild summer temperatures and constant breezes spoiled us, and we didn't want to leave. For late July, it never got past 82, and some evenings and mornings required sweatshirts.

Also worth noting: our group of 8 people, ranging in ages 6 to 62, never once had to apply any form of bug spray. Even on long hikes that followed waterfalls, they're just wasn't a biting insect problem, period. So all you folks out there who don't get out into nature because of the bugs, heat, and humidity, you now have no excuse. Grayson Highlands State Park is for you. 

Blueberry picking

Olivia giving us a history lesson on park and ponies before finding them

But just after blueberry picking

This park even has a ranger guided blueberry picking event paired with a pony hike in which you get a history background of both the park, and the wild ponies. We chose to pick just enough to make blueberry pancakes the next morning. The blueberry bushes are 4 to 8 feet high, making picking very easy.

Respect wildlife

Keep in mind the ponies I photographed are wild animals. The amazing shots I got did not involve feeding or petting them, which is prohibited and may get your kicked out of the park.

Be quiet and patient, and they will just go about their business all around. Plan on hiking up to the mountain tops where they like to hang out in summer for the excellent grazing. The hikes can vary in distance, as the pony herds vary in size, and go where they please.

As you hike up a particular mountain just ask the hikers coming down if they saw ponies, it's how I found the amazingly beautiful stallion named Fabio the day I hiked solo. Fabio is pictured below.

Cell phone photography

All the photography you are seeing was done on a cell phone. Shots were taken in HD mode for its great clarity and vibrant colors.

Remember to keep a safe distance of at least 10 feet from these wild ponies (use your zoom lens)

I don't use too many fancy modes other than sports mode when the lighting is bright and it is breezy out. Sports mode freezes moving objects like foliage blowing in the wind, and in this case moving ponies and their constantly swishing tails. Keep in mind sports mode uses very fast shutter speeds, so it does poorly in low light conditions. Low light includes very cloudy and overcast days, as well as very early in the morning and late in the evening. When we weren't using sports mode, it was just in autofocus, which gives great results with today's cell phone camera technology.

I will admit some of the pictures you are seeing are the very best of over 4,000 we took. The ponies moved around a lot and good angles changed to bad angles in fractions of a second.

BOB'S TOP HINT:

Remember, get down level or even lower than the subject you are photographing. It's an angle that made average photos into potentially iconic shots.

The park is horse heaven in so many ways, but also has amazing waterfall hikes, and some of our party hiked Mount Rogers while I went off on my own to immerse myself in the mountain peaks searching for more wild pony herds.

Nature lover's paradise

This park is a nature lover’s paradise. There are tons hikes in the park and the Appalachian Trail goes through the park which could lead you on many adventures through the mountains to scenic views that are spectacular. We would definitely encourage you to take the Mount Rogers hike for the high altitude views, as they are breathtaking. Mount Rogers is the highest point in Virginia.

If you want to get unplugged from the world and its stresses, come here! We want to go back soon, maybe in the fall to see the amazing foliage colors.

Visit our Facebook page "Virginia Through Our Eyes," and I will give some photo by photo commentary on how we got a few of the more spectacular shots, both landscape and the wild ponies and more from Grayson Highlands State Park.

Stay tuned to Bob and Kevin's series on Virginia State Parks to learn more cell phone photography tips, these images were all taken with a cell phone camera, and we are excited to have them get to know Virginia one park at a time.

*Editor's note: To stay in the horse campground you need to reserve with a horse up until 30 days before, you have to book a stall with a site. However, within the 30 days before the arrival, we will let anyone reserve if there are still sites available.

Did you know you can visit any Virginia State Park for free using a pass obtained at your local library? Go here for the details. Learn more about overnight accommodations at Grayson Highlands State Park by clicking here, or calling 800-933-7275.

Posted August 11, 2016 | Updated July 9, 2018