Mount Rogers (5729 ft.), VA

November 12, 2005

Allyson and I decided to tackle Virginia's highest peak, Mount Rogers. It tops out at 5729 ft. according to sources I found through Google. Our plan was to enjoy the area by camping near the summit. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we decided to do it as a day trip. We left Richmond around 9:30am, drove for 5-hours, and then at 3pm started for the summit. Mount Rogers is a popular place and along the way we met quite a few people out enjoying the day. Once on the ridge, the views were nice. The scenery reminded me of being in the foothills of the Rockies just outside of Salt Lake City. Along the ridge I could make out the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee--beautiful mountains, by the way. There are wild horses up there too.  The were very friendly for the most part. With about an hour left of day light, we found ourselves near the top. We stopped and perched on a rock cliff where we could see Rogers just a short distance away. We decided to stop. From our vantage point we saw that the summit of Rogers was tree covered. It's not likely there would be a good view from up there. I snapped a few photos and we snacked on trail mix before making the descent back to the truck. We arrived just as it got dark. In summary, Rogers is a beautiful place. There appears to be nice scenic camp sites up there. When the snow flies I can imaging the terrain hosting backcountry skiing.

More info

It's a long drive from Richmond, VA, to Mount Rogers. Expect between 5.5 to 6 hours. It's pretty straightforward though. From Richmond, take 64 West to Staunton. From there take 81 South to HWY 21. Drive HWY 21 South to the small town of Independence, and then take a right (go west) on HWY 58. Drive until you see the entrance to Grayson Highlands State Park on your right. Drive up the road for 3-miles to the parking area. The trailhead is to the north, through a big gate. During the season I think there's a fee to get into the park. But when we went in November no one was in the toll both, so it was free.