Grayson Highlands State Park
Encyclopedia
Grayson Highlands State Park is located in Virginia
, United States
, adjacent to Mount Rogers National Recreation Area
. The park lies within Jefferson National Forest. The park was established in 1965 and contains a total of 4,822 acres (19.51 km²). The park hosts a number of outdoor activities including fishing
/boating, hiking
, camping
, mountainbiking, horseback riding, and backpacking
. A 2.8 mile (4.5 km) portion of the Appalachian Trail
runs through the park in addition to a number of other hiking and horseback riding trails. The state park is musically notable as the home for the Grayson Highlands Fall Festival as well as weekly jam sessions by local folk music
ians, who draw upon the traditional styles of the Blue Ridge
area. The park is also home to the Wayne C. Henderson Festival and Guitar Competition, a regionally important festival and guitarist contest named for local notable guitar-maker Wayne Henderson
.
The park also has a campground cabin store with candies and ice cream inside.
The park hosts many forests like those present on nearby Mount Rogers
, as well as a number of high alpine meadows or balds
. These meadows provide excellent views of the surrounding area and present a striking change in scenery from the surrounding forests. The balds are dominated by large rocky outcroppings clear of vegetation excepting the occasional windswept tree and low grasses.
The ponies are managed by the Wilburn Ridge Pony Association.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, adjacent to Mount Rogers National Recreation Area
Mount Rogers National Recreation Area
Mount Rogers National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in southwestern Virginia near the border with Tennessee and North Carolina. The centerpiece of the recreation area is Mount Rogers, the highest point in the state of Virginia with a summit elevation of 5,729...
. The park lies within Jefferson National Forest. The park was established in 1965 and contains a total of 4,822 acres (19.51 km²). The park hosts a number of outdoor activities including fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
/boating, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, mountainbiking, horseback riding, and backpacking
Backpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
. A 2.8 mile (4.5 km) portion of the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
runs through the park in addition to a number of other hiking and horseback riding trails. The state park is musically notable as the home for the Grayson Highlands Fall Festival as well as weekly jam sessions by local folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
ians, who draw upon the traditional styles of the Blue Ridge
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
area. The park is also home to the Wayne C. Henderson Festival and Guitar Competition, a regionally important festival and guitarist contest named for local notable guitar-maker Wayne Henderson
Wayne Henderson (luthier)
Wayne C. Henderson is an American guitar maker who specializes in the crafting of handmade, custom acoustic guitars. He also occasionally makes other stringed instruments, such as mandolins and banjos. He is based in Rugby, Virginia, population 7, in Grayson County.Henderson's guitars are inspired...
.
The park also has a campground cabin store with candies and ice cream inside.
The park hosts many forests like those present on nearby Mount Rogers
Mount Rogers
Mount Rogers is the highest natural point in the state of Virginia, USA, with a summit elevation of above mean sea level. It lies in Grayson County and Smyth County, Virginia, about WSW of Troutdale, Virginia, within the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and Jefferson National Forest.The...
, as well as a number of high alpine meadows or balds
Appalachian balds
In the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, balds are mountain summits or crests covered primarily by thick vegetation of native grasses or shrubs occurring in areas where heavy forest growth would be expected....
. These meadows provide excellent views of the surrounding area and present a striking change in scenery from the surrounding forests. The balds are dominated by large rocky outcroppings clear of vegetation excepting the occasional windswept tree and low grasses.
Ponies
The balds are inhabited by a herd of introduced ponies allowed to run wild within the confines of the park. The ponies are very accustomed to humans and rarely halt their grazing as hikers pass close by. Many locals touch and feed the ponies, though this practice is frowned upon and against park policy. Each year, park officials round up the herd and check for health problems in addition to reducing the herd size if necessary; the excess colts are sold at auction.Festivals
The Grayson Highlands Fall Festival is an annual event held at the park during the fall. The festival hosts a variety of entertainment including live bluegrass and traditional music, molasses making, and demonstrations focusing on pioneer-living. The festival is also home to a local crafts fair and auctions for the selling of the excess colts from the "wild" pony herd.The ponies are managed by the Wilburn Ridge Pony Association.
Trails
Hiking trails
- Rhododendron Trail: 1.0 mile (1.6 km)
- Cabin Creek Trail: 1.9 miles (3.1 km) loop
- Big Pinnacle Trail: 0.4 mile (0.6 km)
- Twin Pinnacles Trail: 1.6 miles (2.6 km)
- Listening Rock Trail: 2.0 mile (3.2 km) loop
- Wilson Creek Trail: 1.8 miles (2.9 km)
- Stampers Branch Trail: 2.0 miles (3.2 km)
- Rock House Ridge Trail: 1.2 miles (1.9 km) loop
- Appalachian Trail: 2.8 miles (4.5 km)
- Horse Trail (east): 1.7 miles (2.7 km)
- Horse Trail (north): 1.0 mile (1.6 km)
- Seed Orchard Road: 1.3 miles (2.1 km)
- Old Upchurch Road: 3.7 (6.0 km)
- Service Road: 0.5 mile (0.8 km)
- Appalachian Spur Trail: 0.75 mile (1.2 km)
- Wilburn Branch Trail: 0.8 mile (1.3 km)
Horseback riding trails
- Horse Trail (east): 1.7 miles (2.7 km)
- Horse Trail (north): 1.0 mile (1.6 km)
- Seed Orchard Road: 1.3 miles (2.1 km)
- Old Upchurch Road: 3.7 miles (6.0 km)
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within 30 miles (48 km) of Grayson Highlands State Park:- Elk Knob State ParkElk Knob State ParkElk Knob State Park is an North Carolina state park in Watauga County, North Carolina, in the United States. Opened in 2003, it is one of North Carolina's newest state parks. Elk Knob State Park was established to preserve the natural state of Elk Knob, the second highest peak in Watauga County...
, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte... - New River State ParkNew River State ParkNew River State Park is a North Carolina state park in Ashe County, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Jefferson, North Carolina, it covers over 2,200 acres in the protected New River watershed. The New River is, ironically, one of the oldest rivers in the United States...
, North Carolina - Mount Jefferson State Natural AreaMount Jefferson State Natural AreaMount Jefferson State Natural Area is a North Carolina state park in Ashe County, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Jefferson, North Carolina, it includes the peak of Mount Jefferson, named for Thomas Jefferson, who owned land nearby.-History:...
, North Carolina - Stone Mountain State ParkStone Mountain State ParkStone Mountain State Park is a North Carolina state park in Alleghany and Wilkes Counties, North Carolina in the United States.-Size and location:Located in Wilkes and Alleghany counties of North Carolina, it covers 13,747 acres ....
, North Carolina
External links
- http://www.dcr.state.va.us/parks/graysonh.htm
- http://sherpaguides.com/virginia/mountains/blue_ridge/grayson_highlands.html
- http://hikingthecarolinas.com/Mt%20Rogers1.php
- http://www.ghfallfestival.50megs.com/