Grayson Highlands State Park: Rhododendron and Appalachian Trails (Blog Hike #1126; Golden Staff Hike)

Trails: Rhododendron and Appalachian Trails
Hike Location: Grayson Highlands State Park
Geographic Location: east of Damascus, VA (36.63333, -81.50875)
Length: 2.3 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: April 2026
Overview: An out-and-back through prime wild pony habitat past craggy rock outcrops.
Park Information: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/grayson-highlands
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming June 11, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: From Damascus, take US 58 east 25.9 miles to the signed entrance for Grayson Highlands State Park on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, pay the park entrance fee, and drive the main park road 3.5 miles to the large roadside parking area for Massie Gap on the right.  Park here.

The hike: Spanning the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, Virginia has many fantastic state parks, including Douthat, Natural Bridge, Westmoreland, and Kiptopeke, but few of them are as fantastic as Grayson Highlands.  Perched on the southeast approach to Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia, Grayson Highlands State Park consists of 4502 acres of woods and meadows, most of which are above 4000 feet of elevation.  The high elevation keeps temperatures reasonable for most of the summer.  When I came here in late April, spring was well underway down in Wytheville, but the trees had not yet budded up here.

            Grayson Highlands State Park has some nice amenities including a 64-site developed campground.  Nevertheless, hiking and wildlife still take centerstage here.  The famous Appalachian Trail passes through the park, but this park's most intriguing attraction is its wild ponies, which were brought here from Assateague in 1974.  The ponies were not introduced just to fascinate hikers: their grazing helps keep the park's meadows from being invaded by trees.

            The wild ponies are wildlife, and like any wildlife there is no guarantee you will see the ponies on a particular visit or hike.  That said, the hike described here starts by taking the Rhododendron Trail to Massie Gap, which is the ponies' favorite spot in the entire park.  This hike then follows part of the Appalachian Trail past some of the park's huge rock outcrops.  Thus, this hike showcases both the wildlife and hiking highlights of Grayson Highlands State Park.

Massie Gap Trailhead, Rhododendron Trail

            From the west end of the roadside parking area, walk north across the grassy field and go through the swinging gate to begin the signed Rhododendron Trail.  A large information kiosk marks this trailhead.  The dirt/gravel Rhododendron Trail begins climbing a single switchback on a moderate grade.  A thin smattering of pine and broadleaf trees lines the trail, but most of the surroundings are meadows.  Therefore, this will be a warm and sunny hike in the summer.

View south across Haw Orchard Mountain

            After topping the switchback, a great view opens south across the park road to Haw Orchard Mountain and beyond.  Past this viewpoint, the trail continues climbing and curves left as the bridle trail enters from the right.  I did see plenty of horse manure on this trail, and I am unsure if it was from bridle trail users, wild ponies, or both.  Some rhododendron grows in the wetter areas beside the trail, but mostly the scenery maintains its meadow character with only patches of trees.

Wild ponies

More wild ponies

            At 0.6 miles, you reach Massie Gap.  When I arrived here on a sunny afternoon in late April, 5 ponies were grazing and awaiting my arrival.  They ranged in color from brown to black, solid to spotted, and they seemed more interested in grazing than anything anybody was doing.  Some people pet or feed the ponies, but they should be treated like any other wildlife: no petting and no feeding.  A bench makes a great place to watch the equine action in the foreground and the long-ranging vistas in the background.

Wild ponies at Grayson Highlands

            In addition to being pony central, Massie Gap is also a major trail intersection.  The Rhododendron Trail ends here, and the Appalachian Trail (AT) goes left and right.  I turned right to begin heading northbound on the AT.  The trail climbs very gradually on a rocky and dusty treadway.  More great views open up to the right, and you reach the base of some rock outcrops that appeared way above you back at the trailhead.

Rock outcrops

            Just past 1.1 miles, you reach the highest point of this hike.  My original plan was to form a loop by taking a spur of the AT back down to the parking area.  Due to an error on the map I was using, I thought I had passed the spur trail's intersection with the AT even though I had not reached it yet.  Thus, after reaching this high point I turned this hike into an out-and-back by turning around and retracing my steps back down the AT and the Rhododendron Trail to the parking area.  On the bright side, I got to see the ponies a second time, and there were more and different ponies on my second trip through Massie Gap than there were on my first one.

Panther State Forest: Twin Rocks Trail (Blog Hike #1125)

Trail: Twin Rocks Trail
Hike Location: Panther State Forest
Geographic Location: southwest of Iaeger, WV (37.44761, -81.87644)
Length: 1.5 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: April 2026
Overview: An out-and-back on an old coal tram path beside Panther Creek.
Park Information: https://wvstateparks.com/parks/panther-state-forest/
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming June 22, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: From Iaeger in rural southwest West Virginia, take US 52 west 1.5 miles to Panther-Mohawk Road and turn left on Panther-Mohawk Rd.  Drive Panther-Mohawk Rd. west 6.1 miles to CR 3 and turn left on CR 3.  Drive CR 3 south 3.6 miles to the signed turnoff for the park office on the right.  Turn right, cross Panther Creek on a concrete bridge, and park in the gravel lot beside the park office in another 0.4 miles.

The hike: Tucked deep in the remote hills and hollows of southern West Virginia, Panther State Forest occupies 11,389 rugged acres along the West Virginia/Kentucky border.  The forest is named for its main watercourse, Panther Creek, which in turn got its name from a pioneer who supposedly killed a panther here.  The forest was established in 1940 partly as the result of a locally-organized "Pennies for Panther" campaign that raised more than $9000 in donations.

            True to its designation as a state forest rather than a state park, Panther State Forest is light on amenities.  The forest offers a tiny developed campground, hunting and fishing, a swimming pool, and 4 hiking trails totaling just over 5 miles.  I came here on a rain-filled day in late April, so I needed to keep my hike short to get it in between the rain showers.  Thus, I hiked this park's shortest and easiest trail: the Twin Rocks Trail described here.  The Twin Rocks Trail offers an out-and-back along Panther Creek that follows an old coal mining tram path.  I managed to do the out portion of this hike rain-free but got soaked on the return portion.

Trailhead a park office

            From the park office parking lot, walk a few feet back up to the road and turn left to begin heading southeast on the old coal mining tram path, which today makes a wide two-track treadway.  A sign designates this trail as a Mountaineer Mile Trail, a state health initiative that encourages people to walk 1 mile each day.  The trail passes through dense forest that is a mixture of pines and deciduous trees, and Panther Creek is visible and audible downhill to the left.

Wild grass field and wooden structure

            Near 0.4 miles, the trail curves right and gains distance from the creek.  Soon you come to a wild grass field, and if you look to the left across the field you will see an old wooden structure.  While I could not find any history on that structure, it probably predates the park.  Some large sycamore trees grow along the creek here.

First bridge over Panther Creek

Panther Creek

            At 0.7 miles, you reach a wooden bridge that crosses Panther Creek.  The trail map shows the Twin Rocks Trail forming a loop by continuing up the west side of the creek and crossing another bridge, but the trail becomes very overgrown past this first bridge.  Also, the second bridge was missing when I came here.  Thus, I spent a few minutes admiring the creek and some nearby rock outcrops before turning around and retracing my steps to the park office to complete the hike.