Our Favorite Hikes At Grayson Highlands State Park In Virginia

My family visits Grayson Highlands State Park in southwest Virginia every year. We love the hiking trails, wild ponies, mountain streams, 5000’ mountain peaks, and its expansive scenic views.

Located about 3 hours from Knoxville and 2.5 hours from Charlotte, NC, Grayson Highlands State Park has several terrific hiking trails ranging in both length and difficulty.

It is famous for its wild ponies and easy access to a beautiful section of the Appalachian Trail approaching Mt. Rogers. But you’ll also find plenty of amazingly scenic trails for those seeking shorter hikes.

Children especially enjoy the trails at Grayson Highlands, because some of the best trails are not only super short but all of them provide something fun along the trail like fun rock scrambling and typically lead to an incredible high elevation view or water feature.

Here’s a description of the hikes we took on our most recent trip. All of these trailheads are within a 5 minute drive of each other.

RHODODENDRON TRAIL

We always hike the popular Rhododendron Trail to Wilburn Ridge. It’s a super short hike (roughly 1.5 miles roundtrip) to some fun rock scrambling and amazing views. In early June, the rhododendrons bloom and it’s really beautiful.

And if you’re lucky, you’ll see some wild ponies grazing the highlands. We didn’t see any ponies this time, but my 10 year-old daughter had just as much fun scaling the rocks of Wilburn Ridge.

Park at Massey Gap Parking Area to access the Rhododendron Trail trailhead. If you can, arrive early on a weekday to ensure a parking spot and experience the hike with less people.

It’s a gentle uphill climb to Wilburn Ridge. You’ll eventually see the huge rocks in the distance. Take the short spur trail through the grass to reach it.

After some fun rock climbing and Instagram-worthy photos, you can return to the Rhododendron Trail and continue on to the Appalachian Trail if you’d like.

Keep in mind that this trail is not shaded, so it will be hot during the summer. On the bright side, the views are expansive!

TWIN PINNACLE TRAIL

The Twin Pinnacle Trail is another favorite hiking trail in Grayson Highlands State Park. It’s an easy 1.6 mile loop trail that starts behind the Visitor Center and leads to Little Pinnacle and Big Pinnacle, each a rocky outcrop with amazing views. Little Pinnacle at 5500’ elevation is ironically the highest in the park, beating out Big Pinnacle.

The views are simply awesome. And the trail is shady and offers some lovely sights along the way. You’ll encounter a really cool tree growing out of a rock near the beginning of the trail, stone steps, lots of ferns, and a mild elevation gain making it a really pleasant hike.

The clouds were darkening the afternoon we embarked, so we only hiked to Little Pinnacle which greets you at just 0.3 miles. What a view for such minimal effort! My daughter really liked it. So much in fact, we went back the next day after hiking the Rhododendron Trail.

Park at the Visitor Center parking area and walk up the steps to the Visitor Center. This is actually the steepest part of the hike! The trailhead is located behind the Visitor Center which is worth a brief stop as well. Along with the usual souvenirs and hiking information, they also have educational exhibits.

When you start the trail, you’ll quickly come to the intersection of the loop. Go left to complete the trail loop clockwise. This is also the fastest way to get to Little Pinnacle.

LISTENING ROCK TRAIL

We didn’t really “hike” this trail but heard that it had some great cave-like boulders so we went to check it out. As a bonus, there’s a nice overlook (Buzzard Rock Overlook) with good views near the start of the trail.

Our goal was not to complete the 1.28 mile loop hike to Listening Rock. We were simply looking for some fun bouldering along the trail.

To reach Listening Rock trailhead, park at the Visitor Center parking area and cross the road to the picnic area. You’ll see the picnic tables from the parking area. Take the sidewalk straight ahead to the boardwalk that leads to the Buzzard Rock Overlook for some sweeping views. Afterwards, walk towards the center of the picnic area to find the yellow post marking the trailhead.

We walked just a few minutes on the trail before encountering a winner. The huge rocks were better than any playground.

WILSON CREEK TRAIL

I had identified the Wilson Creek Trail as a fairly easy, water feature hike. It would be great for a hot day to cool off in its shallow pools and listen to the cascades. The trailhead is located within the park’s Hickory Ridge Campground. Sadly, the weather didn’t cooperate and it’s on our list for next time. Read Roadtrip & Coffee’s blog post for a good overview of this trail.

Hiking Tips

GO TO THE VISITOR CENTER FIRST

The Visitor Center is a good spot to find out trail conditions and weather reports before you head out on the trail.

KNOW THE WEATHER BEFORE YOU GO

The entrance of the park sits at an elevation of 3,698 feet and trail elevations can be 5000+, so the temperature is always a bit cooler and usually a bit windy. The weather can also change pretty quickly here. Be sure to check the weather forecast before your hikes.

You can check out the average monthly temperatures here. June 2020’s highs ranged from 81 to 52 degrees, and the lows ranged from 45 to 65 degrees. So with this wide disparity, make sure to check the forecast before your trip so you can pack appropriately.

WEAR APPROPRIATE SHOES

The trails are fairly rocky, so wear hiking shoes or sturdy running shoes.

BRING PLENTY OF WATER

As a general rule, always bring water on your hikes. You won’t regret it.

GET A MAP

For a list and map of the hikes in Grayson Highlands State Park, you can download their trail guide (PDF) or click the map below to enlarge it.

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