Rustburg, Virginia

If you love everything outdoors, the Hydaway Outdoor Recreation Center is the place for you! You can do almost any activity you can think of here. If you aren't affiliated with Liberty University, you can't rent their equipment, but you can bring you own to use. The main attraction is the lake wh...

Starting at the James River Footbridge, which is the longest foot traffic only bridge on the entire Appalachian Trail. Head north on the Appalachian Trail.  You will quickly cross over Rt. 501. After a mile of hiking through the woods skirting the Rocky Row Run stream, you will cross over Forest ...

From the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center, travel north up the Blue Ridge Parkway for about 3 miles, where you will come to small parking area for the Flat Top Trailhead. The parking area is quite tiny, and probably holds around 10 vehicles, but there was only one other car there when I went. It's p...

The trailhead for this hike is at the same parking area for the Flat Top Trail. From the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center, travel north up the Blue Ridge Parkway for about 3 miles, where you will come to small parking area. It is quite tiny, and probably holds around 10 vehicles, but there was only ...

Want to scale the side of a rock face? If you do, I highly suggest adding this adventure to your list. Hiking to the marbleyard and back to the parking lot will have you at a 3 mile journey. How many hours will it take to hike the trail and tackle Antietam Quartzite boulders larger than cars you ...

There are a few different ways that you can do this hike. One way is to start at the North Creek campground (37.54244, -79.58531) and do a loop hike that's about 6 miles, which will take you to the falls up along a stream with some swimming holes and nice campsites. I did it the other way, which ...

Once thought to be the highest peak in Virginia, this 2.5 hour hike is one that will leave you speechless at the top. Park at the Peaks of Otter Nature Center (which is now closed). The trailhead is located to the right of the building. You will cross over a paved bus road soon after beginning th...

From Lexington or Buena Vista, Virginia, take Rt. 60 east for several miles. As soon as you pass under the Blue Ridge Parkway, look for a gravel road on your right marked Panther Falls Road. This is a fairly bumpy gravel road, so take it easy. Follow Panther Falls Road down the mountain for just ...

From the Mount Pleasant Parking Area, take the blue blazed Pompey Mountain Trail that is just beyond the horse gate. As it's a loop, you can start at either entrance, but I prefer heading left to get the longer leg of the hike before the summit (always better to have an easy journey down in the a...

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...

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.

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...

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...

Put in at the Horseshoe Bend Boat Ramp near Buchanan, VA. The pin on the map will take you right there. Takeout will be at the boat ramp in downtown Buchanan, approximately 9 miles down river. This ramp is located just above the Rt. 11 bridge.Twin River Outfitters uses this ramp also, so there's ...

We don't get a ton of snow here in Virginia, but when we do, the Blue Ridge Parkway can be a great place to get out and enjoy a day of snowshoeing or cross country skiing. It's also a great opportunity to get your pup out and let him work out some energy as the chances of running into anyone are ...

Starting at a great spot to picnic, fish, or put in a kayak, this casual hike meanders along the Roanoke River. Along the trail you can enjoy views of some small river rapids and the beautiful trees surrounding along the river.The trail begins at a parking lot at the end of Rutrough Road.  There ...