State Parks Archives - I'd Rather Walk

Hikes and Wild Ponies at Grayson Highlands State Park

Most recently updated November 27th, 2023

Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia is a great place to go hiking and look for wild ponies!

I was lucky enough to spend a few days there this past September.

The Park covers 4800-acres, and is adjacent to Virginia’s highest peak at an elevation of 5,729 feet, Mount Rogers.

You’ll find camping, picnicking, overnight horse stables, a visitor center, hiking trails, and access to the Appalachian Trail at Grayson Highlands.

But the ponies were the REAL attraction for me 🙂

A young pony being friendly.

The mountain balds are inhabited by a herd of ~120 ponies that run wild within the confines of the Park.

They’re not at all shy, so you get a lot of chances to see them.

These cattle were blocking the trailhead, and also adorable :) — A young pony being friendly.

The mountain balds are inhabited by a herd of ~120 ponies that run wild within the confines of the Park.

They’re not at all shy, so you get a lot of chances to see them.

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Myrtle Beach – 5 Days of Walks and Outdoor Fun!

Most recently updated August 12th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is a favorite Summer family vacation spot!

Located in the center of the 60-mile long stretch of beach known as “The Grand Strand”, it’s one of the major tourist destinations in the entire country, attracting over 20M visitors each year.

Myrtle Beach Spring Break

Spring Break reveler at Myrtle Beach :-) — Spring Break reveler at Myrtle Beach 🙂

Myrtle Beach is also a notorious Spring Break destination, but it’s not what you think!

The Spring Break crowd in Myrtle typically has adult supervision and isn’t the crazy College break scene like you get in Fort Lauderdale.

So Myrtle Beach is a good choice for both adult travelers and families with school-aged children on Easter break.

Winter at the Beach

I usually go to Myrtle in the off-season, because it’s both less crowded and less expensive then.

And I like the beach in the Winter, because you can walk by the water for miles without suffering heat stroke 😉

That said, more things are open in the Summer season, when more people are around.

Read on to learn about fun activities I’ve found in every season – including the beach – that work for adult travelers and families, too.

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Hike the Great Channels on Brumley Mountain

Most recently updated September 21st, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes

I finally got to explore the Great Channels on Brumley Mountain, Virginia earlier this Fall after obsessing over it for nearly a year!

On the Navajo Trail in Bryce Canyon, Utah

The Great Channels sit at the summit of a mountain, and features a maze of slot canyons similar to those you might find in the parks in Utah or Arizona.

But the Great Channels formation is a surprise geologic gem hidden in southwest Virginia!

Anyway, last year, while planning a hiking trip to Grayson Highlands State Park (more on that later), I stumbled across an article about the Great Channels.

“Stumbled” is probably not the best word for a hiker to use, but you know what I mean 😉

I made some new friends at Grayson Highlands State Park.

The Channels are a series of deep crevices worn into prehistoric sandstone outcrops, where you can walk down into the maze-like network of crevices and explore.

You can also climb up on top of the Channels to get a stunning 360 view of the surrounding mountains!

Read on to learn how you can hike to the Great Channels, too.

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Explore the Rolesville Batholith at Mitchell Mill State Natural Area

Most recently updated July 23rd, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes

I’ve been exploring and hiking on trails in North Carolina for more than 20 years, but one thing I’ve neglected – partly because they don’t have many long hiking trails – are the State Natural Areas.

Though not great for hiking North Carolina State Natural Areas are good for exploring nature and different habitats in a fairly small space.

This kind of place can be an exciting outdoor adventure for small children, like your kids or grandkids.

Mitchell Mill State Natural Area in Northern Wake County is one such very unique spot to explore.

The 93-acre site is a Registered Heritage Area, and sits atop one of the largest granite domes on the east coast, called the Rolesville Batholith.

Plant life from lichens to full grown trees sit atop the Rolesville Batholith.

Mitchell Mill State Natural area protects this Paleozoic-era granite, and also houses a fragile and rare ecosystem, including native plant communities that can only grow in such a “granitic flatrock” environment.

Read more to learn how you can visit and explore this unique State Natural Area!

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Hike the Mountains to Sea Trail at Rolling View in Falls Lake

Most recently updated June 23rd, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 11.5 minutes

The Mountains-to-Sea-Trail (MST) is a simple hiking trail that spans almost 1200 miles across North Carolina, from the Great Smoky Mountains in the West to the Outer Banks on the East Coast.

Even though I’ve known about the MST for a good while, I didn’t really start hiking it on purpose until this past year.

Lately more and more people have been moving to my local area, and the easy-to-get-to hiking trails have become really crowded – especially on the weekends.

So I’ve had to look a little bit farther away for new trails – and that’s how I started paying more attention to the MST.

As of January 2019, 669 miles of the trail were completed, and even more have been done since then.

That’s just over half of the planned MST miles that are now completed in multiple segments across the state!

With temporary routes (for the unfinished parts of the MST) on backroads and bicycle paths, hikers can now follow the MST all the way across North Carolina.

One of the longest finished segments goes ~60 miles along the Southern shore of Falls Lake, just to the North of Raleigh near Wake Forest.

Even 60 miles (out of 1200) is an epic hike to most of us – but never fear!

You can hike smaller sections of the MST to make it an overnight backpacking trip, a day trip, or even just a few hours on the trail.

Today, I’ll tell you about the MST, and how you can hike my favorite local MST section (so far): MST Day Hike #22 at Rolling View in Falls Lake Recreation Area.

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Hike Stone Mountain State Park

Most recently updated January 18th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 19 minutes

I’ve been visiting Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina for almost 20 years, either with kid in tow, with That Man, or on my own.

My most recent visit was just a few weeks ago – and the mountain was still just as beautiful as I remembered 🙂

Located on more than 14,100 acres in Wilkes and Alleghany counties in North Carolina, Stone Mountain State Park offers cascading waterfalls, cool mountain streams, and quiet forests to explore.

And of course, the massive 600-foot granite dome of Stone Mountain itself.

There are more than 18 miles of hiking and riding trails, and 20 miles of designated trout waters available in the park.

Can you imagine living in the shadow of the dome on Stone Mountain ?

You can also go rock climbing (with a permit) on the towering granite face of the landmark mountain.

Climbers on the dome look down over the Hutchinson Homestead, a restored mid-19^th century mountain farm that rests in it’s shadow.

Read on to learn about the park and area history, hiking trails, and great views just waiting for you to visit!

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Have a Kids’ Day of Adventure at Raven Rock State Park

Most recently updated January 18th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Raven Rock State Park, a North Carolina state park, was a favorite destination when my daughter was in grade school.

Located near Lillington, North Carolina, it covers 4810 acres along the banks of the Cape Fear River.

We would go on our own, or with another single Mom friend who also had young kids, and make a day of it.

The kids loved the access to the Cape Fear River at the Fish Traps rapids, and scrambling on tree roots and rocks on the trail to the massive Raven Rock.

The trails were short enough that we hardly ever had to carry them back to the trailhead – a big plus, since neither of us were all that much bigger than the kids 🙂

I haven’t had much reason lately to make the 50-minute drive to Raven Rock, since my daughter (though still pretty short) has been out of grade school for much longer than a decade now – and I usually like longer trails.

I’d also lost touch with my friend, and though we’d comment on social media now and then, hadn’t really talked for at least ten years – no reason, just the kids got older and we had drifted apart.

Then, when I went to wish her a happy birthday, I found that she’d recently passed away.

So I decided to take a trip down to Raven Rock, walk the trails, and remember my friend.

Some things had changed, but the park is still a good place to go for a walk – with your kids or on your own. 🙂

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Fort Macon State Park – Hikes and History at the Beach

Most recently updated January 18th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes

Fort Macon State Park is located on Bogue Banks near Atlantic Beach on the North Carolina coast.

Opened in 1936, at only 424 acres in size, the park is one of the smallest state parks in North Carolina.

But with 1.3 million visitors annually, despite it’s small size, Fort Macon State Park is the second most visited state park in North Carolina.

I’ve always been too busy on my Coastal visits to be one of those visitors.

But I made up for my previous neglect a couple of weeks ago on a spontaneous overnight trip to the Coast.

A visit to Fort Macon was the main thing on my “must-do” list. I was delighted with what I found!

The park surrounds the US Coast Guard Station

The park completely surrounds the United States Coast Guard Station Fort Macon, and park visitors can catch a glimpse of one of the Coast Guard Cutters that are moored there.

The infamous pirate Blackbeard’s ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, has been discovered in shallow water right off the Park in the Atlantic Ocean and is being recovered.

The park is also the site of the Battle of Fort Macon, which was fought there March-April 1862, during the American Civil War.

In addition to tours of the fully restored fort, the park offers both sound-side and surf fishing, hiking trails, ranger guided tours, a protected swim area, a refreshment stand, and a bathhouse.

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First Landing State Park – Hike the Cape Henry Trail

Most recently updated January 16th, 2022

Spring can be the best time to try out some coastal trails, before it gets too hot or or crowded with Summer visitors. One great place to visit is First Landing State Park.

Situated at the juncture of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, First Landing is the most visited State Park in Virginia and includes one of the most endangered habitat types in the world – the maritime forest.

I first visited First Landing State Park several years ago, on a long Spring weekend with That Man and the puppy.

We hiked several of the park’s trails on that visit, including the Cape Henry Trail – which is the longest trail in the park.

Spanish moss hangs from the trees on the Cape Henry Trail — Spanish moss on the Cape Henry Trail

The 6.1-mile (one way) Cape Henry Trail winds through many diverse habitats, including the rarely-found maritime forest.

This past October, I had some free time and took a day trip to the park from where I was staying in nearby historic Williamsburg, specifically to hike the Cape Henry Trail again.

I wasn’t disappointed – both the park and the trail were just as beautiful as I remembered!

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