Camping at Grayson Highlands State Park, Virginia

Grayson Highlands is our family's favorite place to camp/hike.  It is one of the most scenic places we have been.  It is a place to truly appreciate nature.  We will definitely stay there again!

 

Grayson Highlands is located in the Jefferson National Forest.  It is between Independence and Damascus on US 58.  US 58 has a couple of very tight curves if you are hauling a long trailer (we saw a semi-truck having major difficulty getting through one).  Once inside the park, the roads are no problem. 

The campsites are dirt/gravel with picnic tables, a grill, and a fire ring. The roads through the campground are paved.  Most sites are wooded.  When we stayed there in August 2009 our site was fairly private with lots of trees on either side. The campground was clean and so was our site. There is a camp store at the entrance to the campground that has basic supplies and souvenirs (some nice t-shirts!).  There are no sewer hook-ups, but there is a dump station (37 sites are electric/water and 32 have no hookups).  We used the showers there and the bath house was very clean.

Things to do:

• There are 9 hiking trails that range from 0.75 miles to 3.7 miles.  The Appalachian Trail cuts through the park.  We hiked on 4 trails and part of the Appalachian Trail (followed it out of the park for a little while).  Two trails have waterfalls (we only hiked on one of those - Cabin Creek Trail).  There are also horse trails (and a horse camping area). 
• There is a herd of wild ponies that roam the park.  Though the rangers ask you not to get close to them, they will walk right up to you.  There is a pony auction every fall to reduce the herd number.
• There are trout streams within the park for fishing. 
• The visitor center showcases some of the area culture and has wildlife info. The trail heads for 2 trails are behind the center.  There are ranger programs for children, guided hikes, evening programs and demonstrations.
• Pick blueberries (in season)! 
  The Rhododendron Trail is loaded with blueberry bushes and people were out there on Sunday with buckets picking them.  There were plenty to go around.  Each bush we walked up to seemed to have plenty - we didn't have any buckets, but we ate our share!

 

The website (listed below) gives more details on area things to do and has park maps along with current camping rates.

Reservations can be made online or by calling (see website for info and phone number).

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/gra.shtml

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