Grayson Highlands, Mouth of Wilson, VA **Bucket list Hike** For all you animal lovers who also enjoy a great hike with some beautiful views--this one is for you! Just about a 2.5 hour drive from Charlotte, NC, this hike boasts multiple trails of varying intensities--with most of them being on the easy to moderate scale--along with wild ponies that roam freely! The ponies graze on the grasses and berries and allow you to come up close--but remember these are wild ponies, so they should not be pet or fed. There are also some bouldering options along the way for those that enjoy climbing and like to add a little "play" to their hikes. Plenty of places to hang out and have a picnic or simply lie back and take in the beauty of the surroundings. There's even a small waterfall too. This hike is family friendly and one that you're not soon to forget! I highly recommend!

Hiked Mount Rogers in late September and started in Grayson Highlands. Great little visitors center and ample parking for trailhead access. We hiked with our two young children and they LOVED it. The wild ponies were incredible, and there were so many spots for them to get out and run around safely. The hike up Rogers did have some rock scrambling that was questionable with kids in carriers but otherwise highly recommend! You don't need to hike long for great views either if time and ability is a factor.

Very beautiful and easy place to "hike" most of the trails are flat which makes it easy. I would recommend staring the hike early so you can enjoy the place as much as you can. Even though the terrain is mostly flat, there are beautiful scenic views everywhere you look. It's hard to turn back around since it has several trails. We hope to come back here over the summer to check out the other trails.

I was only planning on drive the skyline drive and blue ridge park way and go for sightseeings closely along the way. It turned out it was so worth it to deviate off the blue ridge parkway and visited this park! Definitely loved the feeling of being on a high and flat open view land! Plus those wild ponies!

On our way to the park, we saw a black bear (not a full grown one) walking on the roadside during the drive. It ran into the woods with the sound of the car. We went to the park around 10.30 in the morning and started at the Massie gap parking lot. The fall colors were starting to pop up. We took the Rhododendron trail from the Massie gap parking and then followed the Appalachian trail and the Wilburn ridge trail. We did not see any ponies on our way until we passed the end of Rhododendron trail onto the Wilburn ridge trail. We saw like 6 ponies in the Wilburn ridge trail. The Wilburn ridge trail is a little hard trail with lot of rocks that requires a lot of climbing. But the views from the rock tops were breathtaking. On our way back, we took the Appalachian trail and saw like 12-15 ponies again in the Wilburn ridge. They were very beautiful and were so used to people. We also did the Cabin creek trail to see the water fall. It was not a very big waterfall but the 1.8 mile hike (around) was very calming with a lot of trees and cover.

Not a ton of things to do State Park side, but it has great access to mt. rogers wilderness area. Lots of great hiking access. Camping isn’t allowed in the park, but you can get a permit to park for backpacking and backpack in the wilderness areas.

Breath taking views and there were a lot of people walking around this area. The amount of people weren't too much were you're constantly shoulder to shoulder with people which was nice. A lot of the pet owners walking around would ask if they can touch my esa pet and they would ask if they want to socialize her with their dog (which I really appreciated). 1000% will try going back to visit again! There are even some bouldering routes you can try out in this area that aren't a super far hike in to it.

The ponies are always a treat to see, but there is SO much more to GHSP! Each hike offers different views, microclimates, flora and fauna. There's good bouldering, if that appeals to you, and a nice museum. Horse trails and amenities, camping, picnic areas round out the selection. My favorite VA State Park!