If you took a glance at the cover picture, you may think I took a quick trip to the Scottish highlands. But no, this is Virginia, southern Virginia, right on the line with Tennessee and North Carolina. Located 30 minutes east of Damascus, this high-elevation area of Virginia is reminiscent of the moors of Scotland, England, and Ireland, complete with “wild” ponies and longhorn cattle. The area is comprised of a State Park, Grayson Highlands, and federal land, Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area and Lewis Fork Wilderness Area.
There are a couple options for exploring the area. The most popular, and easiest, is to enter Grayson Highlands State Park and pay the entrance fee ($7 weekdays, $10 weekends April to October, or $15 if you need to park overnight in the backpackers lot). There is also a campground suitable for RVs, tents and horseback riders. **The campground is not open due to renovations at the time of this post**
From the main day hiker parking lot, it is an easy walk to the Wilburn Ridge area of Grayson Highlands – the area with the high rocky crags and grassy balds. This area is also where you are most likely to see the ponies, though this is not guaranteed. I have been twice and only saw the ponies on my first visit. If you want to make a longer hike of it, you can head up the Appalachian trail towards Mt. Rogers, though I can’t recommend taking the time to summit the mountain since it is a bit of a letdown with no views apart from a pretty forest. There are several extended loops you can do in the area, such as passing by the scales, an old livestock corral.
If you prefer not to pay an entrance fee and you don’t mind walking a bit further you can park at Elk Garden Trailhead on the west side of Mt. Rogers. From the trailhead you head towards Mt. Rogers, either taking the Appalachian trail along the crest of the mountain or the Virginia Highland Horse Trail along the side. The Appalachian Trail has better views and is generally more recommended, however, the horse trail is very gradual and tends to have fewer rocks. Both will take you to the same places and you can take one out and the other back. It is about 5 miles one-way to Wilburn Ridge from the Elk Garden trailhead, but it is nothing strenuous and passes through multiple balds with extensive long-range views. There are tons of campsites all along the path as well as the Thomas Knob Shelter and privy. If you plan to camp, no permit is required, however, you will need a rope and a bag to hang your food and smelly items or you will need to camp near one of the bear boxes around Thomas Knob and Rhododendron Gap.
The Wilburn Ridge trail is rugged and rocky, but it has some of my favorite views in the southeast United States. Kids will love climbing the rocks and walking through the rhododendron tunnels which makes the trail seem like an obstacle course. Bring a picnic and enjoy the view from the top. If you are lucky there may even be ponies or longhorns grazing in the fields below.
