Park Manager Harvey Thompson from Grayson Highlands State Park sent me this picture today showing the first sign of Fall in his park.
Don’t worry, Iknow it’s still Summer and most of our parks won’t be turning in their summer wardrobes for another 45 days, but Grayson is special. Sometimes I think Grayson is so special it has its own weather. Only 45 minutes from Hungry Mother State Park, Grayson is often 10-15 degrees cooler. Grayson Highlands State Park reaches more than 5,000 feet above sea level although even the elevation within the park varies significantly.
Because of the often harsh winter weather, we close our regular camping at Grayson the end of October (instead of our usual first Monday inDecember), and don’t open it back until May. The park still attracts some hearty souls for primitive camping in November, March and April that we set up in the horse campground (pit toilets, no showers, water at the park office only) and many Appalachian Trail hikers. Like all of our parks, we are open year round at Grayson Highlands, just make sure you are prepared for the weather. Harvey and his staff usually have to rescue folks who are unprepared or caught in unexpected bad weather. We have a book on line at your convenience.