Wild Ponies and More at Grayson Highlands State Park in VA

Stop by the Visitor Center First

Open seasonally 10 AM- 5 PM

The staff at the Visitor Center can help you make the most of your time at the park.

We learned about the best hikes to try, where to find the wild ponies, and about a trail with a waterfall to discover.

This is a great stop if you need a bathroom break, to put on extra layers of clothing, or want to purchase a souvenir.

Several exhibits in the Visitor Center share information about the region, animals to look for in the park, and moonshine history.

Birds to look for:

• Wood thrush,
• Ovenbird
• Black-throated blue
• Black-throated green
• Canada warblers
• Chestnut-sided warblers
• Scarlet tanager
• Rose-breasted grosbeaks
• Dark-eyed junco
• Black-and-white warbler (summer)

(Spring and fall)

• Warblers
• Thrushes
• Vireos

Kids will also enjoy the area where they can use their imagination and play.

Borrow an Explorer Pack at the Visitor Center

Grayson Highlands State Park has Explorer Packs that you can borrow for the day or night.

Each pack includes a compass, magnifying glass, binoculars, critter case, 6 field guides, a Junior Ranger booklet, and activity pages.

Is There Dining at Grayson Highlands State Park?

The state park doesn’t have an on-site restaurant, but the gift shop sells drinks, candy, and snacks.

I’d recommend eating a big meal before you arrive or packing a meal for your visit. We bought a few candy bars as a reward after our time on the hiking trails.

Grayson Highlands General Store & Inn is the closest restaurant to the park, around 13 minutes away, with a cafe, ice cream, lodging, fuel, and a general store.

The store is closed on Mondays and open from 10 am- 6 pm Tuesday-Saturday and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

How Many Hiking Trails Does Grayson Highlands State Park Have?

Grayson Highlands State Park offers 18 hiking trails ranging from .3 miles to over 3 miles.

The state park has 7 miles of mountain biking trails and two dedicated horse trails: Horse Trail (East) is 1.7 miles, and Horse Trail (North) is 1 mile.

The park doesn’t have horses available for riding, but it does have a horse camping area if you have your own horse.

Grayson Highlands State Park also has trails that connect to the Appalachian Trail.

Make sure you take a picture by one of the Appalachian Trail signs while you’re at the park.

You can connect to the Appalachian Trail from the Appalachian Spur Trail and the Rhododendron Trail.

Several trails within the park also connect to Mount Rogers National Recreational Area.

Hike to Pinnacles Overlook

You can hike to the Pinnacles Overlook on the Twin Pinnacles Trail near the visitor center.

The 1.6-mile loop trail takes about 0.5 to 1 hour to complete and has an elevation gain of 282 ft.

Be prepared for beautiful views, and hold on to your hat because it can get really windy at the overlook.

The hiking trail starts in a wooded area, and you’ll have a chance to see the Big and Little Pinnacles in the second half of your hike.

Tips for Hiking in Bear Country

Always keep your pet on a leash. If you encounter a bear, don’t run; back away slowly while facing the bear, talking loudly, and making as much noise as possible.

You can reduce your chances of startling a bear by making noise on the trail and being alert where visibility is limited.

We didn’t see any bears during our visit, but it’s always good to be aware of your surroundings.

Hike to See Wild Ponies

My favorite experience at Grayson Highlands State Park was hiking surrounded by wild ponies.

When I learned that Grayson Highlands State Park had wild ponies, I immediately wanted to see them for myself.

I’d previously seen wild horses when we visited Assateague Island, and it was such a joyful experience.

Wilburn Ridge is known as the best area to see wild ponies.

We hiked for about 10-15 minutes with no horse in sight, and I started to wonder whether we would see any wild ponies that day.

I highly recommend asking other hikers where they have seen them recently, as they pass by too.

Park at the Massie Gap parking lot, take the Rhododendron Trail to Horse Trail North, and turn left on the Appalachian Trail.

Visitors are asked not to touch or feed the ponies; this protects both the ponies and park visitors.

We actually stumbled upon a few of the wild ponies while we were on a narrow part of the hiking trail.

It honestly caught me off guard because I was SO excited to see them, and then they were right in front of me out of nowhere on the narrow part of the trail.

They were totally unbothered by us and walked past us as if we weren’t there.

The ponies were introduced to the Grayson Highlands in the 1970s.

They have 1500 acres of contained area within the state park to roam. It was so surreal to see them in the wild.

We saw more ponies than we anticipated and even saw a baby pony!

Hike to a Beautiful Waterfall on Cabin Creek Trail

The Cabin Creek Trail is a 1.9-mile loop trail that follows Cabin Creek and includes a waterfall.

We enjoyed all three unique hikes in the park during our visit. This was a last-minute decision after our hike to see the ponies, and I’m glad we did it.

The Cabin Creek Trail is a moderate hike with a 374-foot elevation gain. It takes 1 to 1.5 hours to complete.

The beautiful 25-foot waterfall is worth the hike.

During our visit, we experienced several points along the trail where the path wasn’t distinguishable, and it was easy to get off course.

I strongly recommend downloading the trail map from AllTrails before you go.

Somehow, we also missed this switchback on our trail because we were so distracted by the waterfall.

Don’t do that, or you’ll add additional time and frustration to your hike!

Camping at Grayson Highland State Park

If you want to stay overnight at the park, full-service camping is available from May to October. (Advanced reservations are highly recommended)

Primitive camping without access to water or a bathhouse is available in March, April, and November.

The state park also offers a bunkhouse and yurts, and horse camping with stalls if you want to ride your own horse on the horse trails.