Hungry Mother State Park in Southwestern Virginia is noted for its woodlands and lake, but it also has some intense hikes!
The hikes at this state park begin at .4 of a mile and go to 5.7 miles. The one I would like to feature in this article is the one that will provide the most awesome views "Molly's Knob Trail."
The trail is steep, rough, rugged and not for the faint of heart, but rewarding!
The Molly's Knob Trail is a 1.6 mile, difficult trail that takes users from a parking lot near the group lodge up to the top of Molly's Knob. The trail gradually becomes steeper and narrower while you ascend and is fairly hard before reaching the summit which is the park's highest point at 3,270 feet. While hiking this trail you will see Catawba (pink bloom) and Maximum (white bloom) Rhododendron, as well as many varieties of fern and the spring blooming, lady's slipper flower. You may even be lucky enough to spot a red eft, the terrestrial subadult stage of the Red-spotted newt (N. v. viridescens), and a type of amphibian.
Click here for a PDF of all the trails at Hungry Mother State Park.
Watch a video from Virginiaoutdoors.com here:
Click here for a list of all trails at Hungry Mother State Park from Virginiaoutdoors.com. Click here for a Google map.
Click here to search Virginiaoutdoors.com for more Virginia State Park hikes by region.
Click here to learn more about Hungry Mother State Park. This park is easily accessible from Interstate 81; this park has folklore and history, swimming, camping, cabin rentals, boat rentals, hiking and the park system’s first conference center, Hemlock Haven. The park is one of six original Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) parks in Virginia that opened in June 1936.
Hungry Mother State Park, 2854 Park Blvd., Marion, Va. 24354-9323; phone, (276) 781-7400; email hungrymother@dcr.virginia.gov. Learn more about park offerings by calling 1-800-933-PARK or email resvs.
There are 35 Virginia State Parks to choose from, where do you want to go?
