“If happiness is the goal – and it should be, then adventures should be top priority.”
Richard Branson
In May of 2019 we loaded up Atlas, who was close to 15 months old and an absolute road trip champion, and set out towards Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia to conquer our 9th highpoint. I was so excited to climb to Mount Rogers – Virginia’s highest peak at an elevation of 5,729 ft. From the research I did ahead of time I knew we would see wild ponies and since we were hiking in the spring, I knew the wildflowers and wild blueberries would be in full bloom too. The drive was about 4.5 hours from Chattanooga and was all interstate until we got past Bristol, TN where we cruised some back roads towards a small town called Independence, Virginia where we were staying for the weekend. The scenery on these back roads was really pretty, but also kind of creepy. We saw tons of old abandoned houses that were falling apart — you could almost sense that maybe 90 years ago this area was bustling with farmers, and now it was completely empty. We wondered what happened to make them leave and if anyone still owned the properties and if it just became too much to maintain.
We did make a stop at the Pat Jennings Visitor Center in the Mount Rogers Recreation Area near Marion, Virginia, which is a small museum and has all sorts of information about the Appalachian Trail and the Virginia Creeper Trail. I would definitely recommend stopping here if you’re planning to do this hike for a trail map and a nice conversation with some of the staff. It’s a good place to stretch your legs a bit too.
About an hour later we reached our destination in Independence, which turned out to be a really cool and unique place to stay. If you’re ever in this area I highly recommend staying with Karen and Bill at Dream Rock Silo. We had the Creekside Bungalow room and it was just perfect. They have a beautifully landscaped property with a creek and garden and chickens. Atlas had a blast here! See below for some pictures.
After a fun afternoon of exploring the property we got Atlas in bed and walked outside and saw Karen and Bill had started a bonfire by the creek. We had a few drinks around the fire with some new friends, one of which we found out had a daughter who was a teacher in Chattanooga. Later we sat outside in the rocking chairs listening to the sound of the creek and looking at the stars, it was a really peaceful evening.
The next morning we woke up and had some farm fresh eggs and coffee that Karen was kind enough to stock our Bungalow with, and drove towards Grayson Highlands State Park, which ended up being a bit further than I thought it would be, maybe 45 minutes or so. From Grayson Highlands we parked near Massie Gap and started our trek; from Massie Gap the hike to Mount Rogers is about 9 miles out and back. There are several different horse trails right around the start, which can be kind of confusing, but the hike starts on the Rhododendron Trail and then leads you to the Appalachian Trail, where most of the hike takes place. From what I remember the last 1.5 miles or so to the summit takes you from the AT to the Spur Trail. The route to Mount Rogers is well marked. I would not call this a difficult hike, but it is long with quite a but of elevation gain so some stamina is definitely required. There is also quite a but of rocky terrain that makes portions of it difficult so wear good shoes, but the views on the way up are absolutely incredible. One of the most incredible parts of the hike was when we finally saw the wild ponies! We might have been halfway up and I remember specifically climbing over these huge rocks into this giant meadow and there they were. Probably 10 or 15 of them! There are signs everywhere that say not to mess with the ponies, but nobody listens because they are so used to people they will walk right up to you and lick the sweat off your arms. It was a really magical moment and one I will never forget.
I would confidently say this is the most breathtaking hike I’ve ever done. The panoramic mountain views are just indescribable and it certainly is worth the trip, whether you are a highpointer or not. Oddly enough, once we reached the Spur Trail (or maybe slightly before) the views change drastically — we walked from a westward facing mountain over into an eastward facing mountain that literally looks like a rainforest with a completely different climate with algae all over the trees. It was really unusual to go from gorgeous mountain views to a tree line essentially. I’m going to use Malcolm’s exact words for when we reached the summit because he likes to remind me that it was no accident he found the high point — “When we arrived there were at least 6 or 7 people wandering around looking for the geological survey marker marking the highest point in Virginia. After a quick look around there was clearly a big ass rock protruding towards the sky and after climbing it I said, ‘“Here it is, Carrie” … She responded after everyone else gathered around saying “I’m glad you stumbled on that.” Later I told her I didn’t just stumble on it I saw the highest point around and figured that’s where it was.”
The hike down was just as great since the lower elevation had the most beautiful views. There was a lot of work being done on the AT portion of the trail and all the trail workers were so friendly and fun to talk to. That is hard work! Atlas rode in Malcolm’s pack almost the whole way up and down — there were lots of places to stop and let him roam so he definitely used all his energy and slept most of the hike down.
Once we got back to the parking area we saw a group of younger guys that had passed us on the trail on the way up and down. One of them commented… “WOW, Dad carried him the whole way!” and I couldn’t help but say (all in good fun of course) … “Well I carried him for nine months, he can carry him for nine miles!” Can’t argue with that!
Overall Mount Rogers has been one of my favorite hikes and some really great memories were made as a family. We learned so much about hiking with a toddler and what gear is useful and what is a waste of space. Feel free to reach out to me for any suggestions on hiking with toddlers!
