Rhododendron Trail

On this spring's trip to Virginia, we figured it would be easiest to do our traditional hike at Grayson-Highlands State Park at the very start, so we did. It was a beautiful drive on a beautiful day!

The spur road to the picnic area wasn't closed (like it usually is in November), so we took it and enjoyed our lunch before our hike. And now we know where to find the start of the Rock House Ridge Trail.

We had planned on using the backpacker's parking lot, but apparently now it's a reservation-only spot and you need a code to get in. So we went to the end of that road as well and found another trailhead (Wilson Creek) and the campground, before turning around and parking along the road at Massie Gap. Then we walked down to the trailhead in the backpacker's parking lot to start our hike. That really just led back to the Massie Gap field, but at least we've now traversed that segment. And off we went on the 0.3 mile Rhododendron Trail!

We were surprised to see a backpacker lugging this huge foam mattress! However, I've since learned it might have been a rock-climber's pad. Either way, the chances of you seeing me with this on my back are extremely slim.

The views were gorgeous!

It wasn't long before we reached the end of the trail, and then headed down the hill on a horse trail.

We quickly made it back to the Massie Gap area, and got back in the car for the next segment of our trip.

We thought going in May would allow us to see the rhododendrons in bloom, but that wasn't the case. However, there were several other varieties of pretty wildflowers.

And then we got out of the car at Dad's house right next to a beautiful rhododendron bush in bloom!