Posted 2007-06-19 7:10 AM (#62452 - in reply to #62436) Subject: RE: Mt. rogers area
Regular
Posts: 67
Location: Edinburg, Va.
National Geographic has a great map for Mount Rogers. It is an amazing and beautiful area to ride. However, be prepared for very rocky areas and weather changes. We stayed 3 years at High Country Horse Camp and then last year at Rocky Hollow. Both are nice campgrounds but probably prefer High Country. Maps can be ordered off the National Geographic website for about $10.00. Have a great time.
Posted 2007-06-19 7:13 AM (#62453 - in reply to #62436) Subject: RE: Mt. rogers area
Veteran
Posts: 235
Location: Keymar,Maryland
"The Forest Place Store" 1-800-660-0671. They are also online ,sorry don't have the address handy but it comes up on search engine. If you go to the US Forest Service website they have a link to it as well. Very nice maps, waterproof with good detail and information. Rich.
Posted 2007-06-19 8:50 AM (#62466 - in reply to #62436) Subject: RE: Mt. rogers area
Regular
Posts: 91
Location: South Carolina
I stayed at Grayson Highlands a few years ago during the month of July. It is a nice campground with paved parking spots with water & power. There is a bath house with showers. The only drawback to this campground (at least when i was there a couple of years ago) is that the horse stalls are small & you have to tie your horse into them. In most stalls, there is not enough room for the horse to turn around without getting stuck. Hopefully one day they will correct this problem & make the stalls wider so they are safer for the horses. As mentioned in the other posts, there are some areas that have very rocky sections. If you travel there, make sure you take your rain gear everytime you ride out. It can be clear & not a cloud in the sky, but in no time, a rain storm can roll into the area. The temperatures were not bad even though it was the middle of summer. It was nice to ride around & see the wild ponys that move around the mountains. Just be careful as some of the little studs can get territorial if you ride too close to their girlfriends.
If you purchase that National Geographic map, it has all of the trails listed on it. There are other campground in the area but Grayson Highlands is one that is higher up the mountain & closer to more of the pretty views without having to ride a long way to get to them. If you get a chance to call around & ask questions about each campground, you should be able to find one that will work for you.
Posted 2007-07-01 9:49 PM (#63171 - in reply to #62519) Subject: RE: Mt. rogers area
Veteran
Posts: 216
Location: Chillicothe, Ohio
We have been twice and stayed the last time at Grayson Highlands. We really liked this park..the camping sites are very nice and shaded with electric hookups and the showers/facitlites are very well kept. The barn stalls are well maintained also, bedding provided by the park. Nice quiet place for kids etc. The horse barn/stables is a little ways away from the campsite (within easy walking distance) so there is a little inconvenience with moving tack around but we usually just piled it in one truck and parked in the lot close to the barn and saddled up. There are hitching posts along the parking lot. The barn stalls are as mentioned earlier, just tie stalls so the horses cant lie down or turn around but there are a few 12x12 outside stalls you can use. The riding is terrific with some fantastic scenery/views. Some of the trails are very rocky so horses with good feet/shoes are a necessity plus make sure you pack clothes for the weather that can be sudden at the higher elevations. On our first trip we rode 6 hours through a steady rain and could not see 100 feet. The next day was sunny and you could see for miles. Both rides great in their own way. Plus the ponies are a bonus. Would recommend this trip in a minute.