Raphine, Virginia

Saint Mary's Wilderness is one of Virginia's largest designated wilderness areas and is an old iron ore mining area. There are two ways to get to Saint Mary's Falls and this Blue Ridge adventure will start you off at the parking area off Saint Mary's Road.  Once on Saint Mary's Road, you will dr...

Saint Mary's Wilderness is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a waterfall located near Vesuvius, Virginia.

The Yankee Horse Ridge Parking Area is located at milepost 34.4 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. From the parking area, follow the rock steps to the railroad tracks and turn right. Follow the tracks the stream and turn left. Proceed on the path to the bridge in front of the 30 ft. waterfall.

As stated, the campsites are free. They do not require reservations or permits and are on a first come, first served basis. Regardless of which direction you're coming from, you will be traveling on Crabtree Falls Highway until reaching Meadows Lane. This is a gravel access road that requires 4WD...

Park in The Slacks Overlook parking lot on the Blue Ridge Parkway, around milepost 20. From there exit the parking lot back onto the road and head left. About 300 feet from the parking lot there is the trail entrance. It isn't too hard to find if you are looking for it, but there aren't any marki...

Located at mile marker 19 along the Blue Ridge Parkway, 20 Minute Cliff Overlook is super easy to access and has an amazing 180 degree panoramic view. Looking West over the Blue Ridge Mountains, this 2,715 foot overlook has a great view of the Priest to the South, Maintop Mountain and Fork Mounta...

This is an approximately 3 mile roundtrip hike. It will usually take anywhere from 1-2 hours to get up, depending on your experience and who you have with you, and about an hour down. As you come off of route 56, you will come up to the trailhead where there is a large parking area with restroom...

White Rock Falls Trail is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a waterfall located near Montebello, Virginia.

The hike is part of the George Washington National Forest, and can easily be combined with nearby Crabtree Falls (300ft cascading waterfall with a hike to the top). The entire trip is 5.7 miles, and there are nice campsites at the base of the summit (no water source) if you want to add on this pr...

Starting at the Upper Crabtree Falls Parking area, continue up the "road" on Shoe Creek Trail for half a mile until you come to the intersection of the Appalachian Trail. That will be the steepest part of the hike. Look for two rocks on either side of the trail with white blazes on them. Take a l...

The fly fishing on the Maury River is one of a kind through the Goshen Pass. The Pass is littered with huge boulders, which actually makes it possible to fish without waders, although it's much easier and more enjoyable with waders.From Lexington, VA, take Route 39 towards Goshen for approximatel...

Goshen Pass is a beautiful area for kayaking and fishing in Bath County, Virginia near Lexington. But not as well known is the fact that there are a few places that are great for rock climbing. You'll want to park at the swinging bridge which is two miles past the picnic area on route 39 once you...

To view this waterfall, hiking is not necessarily involved since the top of it is next to a small parking area along CR-633. If you feel like scrambling and bushwhacking, it’s possible to make your way down either side to small pools and cascades with a total drop of about 100 feet. The terrain i...

Sherando Lake is a beautifully maintained dog/family friendly campground situated between two lakes. Upper Sherando Lake is available for fishing only but the larger, 25 acre, Lower Sherando Lake offers swimming, fishing, kayaking, and relaxing on the beach.  The campground is divided into three ...

The parking for the trailhead is down an unmarked gravel/dirt road about 1.5 miles upriver from the Virginia Wayside rest area on Route 39 West. You'll see the swing bridge out across the river and the road will be immediately after this on your right. The road goes back about 200 yards to the pa...

The large open meadow at the summit of Cole Mountain is a unique and breathtaking experience that is worth the 5.8 mile hike. Cole Mountain is frequently referred to as Cold Mountain, but the official name listed by the United States Geological Survey is the former. This hike is in the George W...