Hike the Grayson Highlands, Virginia, USA
WHAT MAKES THIS AREA UNIQUE?
If you love horses, this hike is for you! The Grayson Highlands are home to over one hundred wild ponies and a handful of longhorn cattle, the purpose of whom is to maintain the balds by eating invasive plant species! The path we recommend follows the Appalachian Trail and will take you through a corner of the Highlands and over Mount Rogers and Whitetop Mountain, the two tallest peaks in Virginia. Geologists will take interest in studying the rock in this area, much of which is said to be volcanic. Even if by some miracle you don't meet a pony, this windswept wilderness with its grassy balds, shadowy pine forest, curious quartz outcroppings, rushing streams and rhododendron-walled pathways is a delight to explore!
WHAT YOU’LL SEE: deciduous and evergreen forest, rhododendron, ponies, longhorn cattle, white-tailed deer, bobcat, bald eagle, otter, marten, weasel.
TERRAIN: grassy bald, mountain, forest
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Year round. Late May through June for peak rhododendron bloom. Typically low snowpack in winter.
ROUTE OPTIONS:
Y Day Trip
Y Weekend Trip
Y 4 to 7-Day Trip
N 7 to 14-Day Trip
Y Shuttle Service Nearby
POTENTIAL HAZARDS: Exposed sections of trail.
WHERE TO FIND MAPS/CHARTS: atctrailstore.org
PERMITS REQUIRED? No.
PETS ALLOWED? Yes. Rules apply.
GRAYSON HIGHLANDS, MT. ROGERS & WHITETOP MOUNTAIN 3-DAY ITINERARY: 31 MILES TOTAL
Day 1
Drive to US 58, Feathercamp Branch parking lot. Get a shuttle ride to The Scales.
Hike south on the Appalachian Trail, 3.2 miles to Wise Shelter.
Day 2
Hike 21.6 miles to camp at pond; if you see Beartree Gap Trail intersection, you've gone 0.1 mile too far.
Day 3
Hike 6.3 miles to your car at US 58.
NOTES
This area contains continuous rolling ascents and descents. Mileage shown is not ideal for first-timers. For a more laid-back trek, end your hike at VA 601 (18.3 miles total instead of 31 miles total).
SHOWERS & SHUTTLE SERVICE
Woodchuck Hostel, Damascus VA (406) 407-1272
Mt. Rogers Outfitters, Damascus VA (276) 475-5416
INFORMATION
Grayson Highland State Park, (276) 579-7092
OTHER ACTIVITIES IN THIS AREA
Fishing, kayaking and canoeing the New River, biking on the Creeper Trail, visit Damascus, VA, a nostalgic trail town built around hiking and biking which hosts the annual Appalachian Trail Days in May.