Mount Rogers via Grayson Highlands

Grayson Highlands State Park, VA Shenandoah + Northern Blue Ridge Mountains

Trip stats

Distance
8.5 mi
Net Gain
1,600 ft
Time
3-5 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 1
Route
Out/Back
Peaks
1

Ratings out of 10

Effort
2.9/10
Personality
6/10
Beauty
8/10
Solitude
1.9/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

  1. Mount Rogers
    5,729′ elevation · 2,449′ prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

36.633360, -81.508270

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Trip report

Nov 6, 2016 — Mount Rogers can be climbed from the west, but I wanted to check out Grayson Highlands State Park as well, where wild ponies run rampant. This seemed like a good opportunity to check out both destinations in one hike. I started within the park and followed the Appalachian Trail through open meadows of sweeping Virginia views to the eastern sloping ridge of Mount Rogers. I used the mossy and gorgeous Mt. Rogers trail to gain the summit. I'm happy I took this route, despite the entrance fee, because seeing the ponies sporadically along the hike had me smiling the whole way.

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Photos

26 photos

  1. Starting from the trailhead within Grayson Highlands State Park, following the Appalachian Trail.
  4. A wild pony on the trail!
  7. Sweeping Virginia views.
  8. Mt. Rogers visible in the distance on the left.
  16. Approaching the east ridge of Mt. Rogers.
  18. Leave the Appalachian Trail to follow the Mt. Rogers Trail.
  19. Mossy Mt. Rogers Trail.
  21. Mt. Rogers summit.
  22. More ponies on my way back.

Photo 1 of 1

Hire me or show some love!

Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

Hire me PayPal Venmo Cash App