Travelers on the Blue Ridge Parkway will enjoy some of the 30 miles of scenery along this stretch within Carroll County, Virginia. The county offers an easy access to the parkway at Fancy Gap from I-77 (Exit 8). Travelers on the parkway may wish to travel south from Fancy Gap to Milepost 203.8 for an elevated perspective (2,980 ft)of the Carolina Piedmont below at an elevation of 1,000 feet. The overlook typifies the grandeur of what make...
There are many unique and interesting things to see along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Carroll County. In addition to overlooks and historic and scenic waysides, are geological aspects of the landscape. The Orchard Gap location presents the visitor with an interesting panorama of a "mountain gap." One usually associates a mountain with a narrow, deep pass through the mountains. Here in the Blue Ridge Plateau region, a gap is a somewhat large bowl landform. Historically, the gaps...
The Narrows Town Park, or “The Boom”, is located on five acres situated between Wolf Creek and Park Drive in Narrows. Many of the locals call the park “The Boom” because loggers used to float logs down to the Mill Pond, located a small distance from the park, to be cut into boards. As the logs arrived at the pond, they banged against other logs already in the water, producing a loud boom. The area...
Enjoy a variety of scenic curves and interesting changes in the terrain as you follow either of the two sections of this byway.The first section begins at Troutdale, VA. You will drive west for 13.2 miles over Virginia Route 603 to Konnarock. VA. You will traverse the heart of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Highway 603 is a two-lane paved road.The second section of the byway leads you 32.5 miles east from Damascus, VA...
The Mountain Lake Conservancy was founded to manage and protect the 2,600 pristine acres of Mountain Lake Lodge. Designated a "Virginia Green" destination by the state's Green tourism initiative because of its environmentally friendly practices, Mountain Lake provides a wide array of nature-based opportunities that are managed by the Mountain Lake Conservancy, including: 20 hiking and birding trails, a wetland area, boating, and various programs and activities in which guests at Mountain Lake's hotel...
This short trail hike leaves the Big Walker Lookout parking lot and leads to a large rock outcrop. Monster Rock is an outstanding vista of the Stony Fork watershed which includes beautiful Wythe and Bland County farmscapes and historic Garden Mountain to the north. It is a nice side trip of the Big Walker Mountain Scenic Byway. The trail starts at an elevation of 3466' and rises over 200' in less than 0.5 miles to Monster...
Come see nature at its best as you ride from Hemlock Cove up to Buzzards Roost, adjacent to the Big Survey Wildlife Management Area. Our 4.5 miles ride takes approx 90 minutes and you will make stops for photo opps and learning about the history and natural history of this amazing area. Travel the old wagon road from Austinville to Wytheville and see where they made charcoal during the civil war. Learn about Horse Heaven...
The Huckleberry Trail has deep roots and a long history in providing transportation between Blacksburg and Christiansburg. It began as the Virginia Anthracite Coal and Rail Company in 1902 to transport coal, and soon extended to Blacksburg. On September 15, 1904, the first passenger train rolled into Blacksburg. It was soon nicknamed “Huckleberry Crossing” because when the train would stall, passengers could step off the train and pass time picking the abundance of huckleberries along the route....
Grassy Hill is a prominent landmark on the west side of the Town of Rocky Mount. The site is characterized by rocky slopes forested with hardwood species and scattered patches of Virginia pine. Shallow, basic, heavy-clay soils predominate and outcrops of magnesium-rich bedrock are common. These unusual soil and rock substrates provide habitat for rare woodland communities. Several rare plants grow in small grassy openings near the hill's summit. As suggested by its name, there...
Carroll County offers 30 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway with easy access at Fancy Gap from I-77. Travelers to the parkway may wish to travel south from Fancy Gap to Milepost 202.9 to view the spectacular scenery of the Carolina Piedmont featuring a view of the Mt. Airy Granite quarry. From an elevation of 3,015 ft, much can be seen on a clear day. This is the highest rated parkway view...
