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Reviews for Mt. Rogers Natl Recreation Area - Rocky Hollow Horse Camp
(click on name for more information)
Troutdale, Va

Overall TRAIL RATING with 19 votes:
Overall CAMP RATING with 19 votes:
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Individual Reviews

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Rocky hollow is a great camp. Great barn, great people, good bath house. They also have group camps with a pavilion. Free wifi avalible. ( new building is up also ) Some people stress about the camp being on a hill, but most all get into their spots rather easily. The spots are level The reason we prefer this camp is the trail access. 3 trail heads and multiple ways after that. You don't need to ride the same way in or out. The trails are rocky, shoes are needed. Even though its rocky the trails vary in challenge. Once you get to the scales and hit the crest trail its by far the best views in va and about most all of the east coast. See the wild ponies and long horn cows. They provide maps by paper, map pics you can put on your phone or gps tracks on ramblr.
Reviewed by: Tom Licata on 1/14/2022 6:55:09 PM
More reviews by Tom Licata 		Experience: Expert Ride Date: 10/17/2020 Hometown: rapidan, va

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We have been too many campgrounds and by far this is the worst one we have been to. The parking of the trailer was a nightmare no room to move around. We thought the trails would make up for it. WRONG. They were so rocky my horse came back with 2 bloody legs and all we did was try and walk the rocky trails. We spoke to the other people camping there and they all agreed they would never return. We came home early as all the trails are horrible. NEVER EVER go back again.
Reviewed by: Tatiana on 5/29/2015 4:13:52 PM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 5/5/2015 Hometown: Johnstown, PA

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I loved it at Rocky Hollow. A great horsecamp. Barbara, Bill and Wade made sure we had everything we needed. Camp was very clean and well maintained. Easy access to the trails, great riding.
Reviewed by: Flo Brimstein on 7/11/2012 3:52:39 AM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 7/4/2012 Hometown: Chillicothe, OH

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We rode out of Rocky Hollow last year and can not wait to go back. diverse trails from the easy to rough but all good and very well marksd. We had a great time and the campground was extrordinary,level graveled sites with all hookups ,owners were great
Reviewed by: Tim McKinney on 10/19/2011 1:31:53 PM
 Experience: Not Specified Ride Date: 5/25/2010 Hometown: Tionesta, PA

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The connector trails to get to Grayson Highland are a little rough, you have to go slow and pick your way. No direct access to Grayson Highland Park. But the campground makes the extra effort worth it. Bath house was nice, stalls were nice and clean, campsite clean and level. Owners went above and beyond to make sure we had what we needed. Very nice people!! Grayson Highland is beautiful anytime of the year. We will return to Rocky Hollow.
Reviewed by: L. Mitchell on 8/1/2011 6:42:10 AM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 6/20/2011 Hometown: Big Island, VA

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The trails were rocky and steep and I would not have believed my little horse could carry me up them, but I was with a group of more experienced riders and together, our group put in 5 to 7 hours daily on the trails. The views were spectacular and worth the climb. The only other drawback besides the rocks was the relative lack of drinking water for the horses on the trails. The campground was very nice, hilly yes, but it is in the mountains. The stalls were large (10 X 10) and dry, safe and well ventilated. The bedding was dry and readily available. The campground owners were the nicest, most helpful people. The cabin was a bit of a distance from the barn, but it was a peaceful stroll (or drive) along a wooded road and very enjoyable. The cabin itself was private, quaint and well equipped. It even had a heater in the bathroom. I would go to Rocky Hollow again and I would recommend it to my friends.
Reviewed by: Caroline on 10/18/2010 9:02:12 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 10/9/2010 Hometown: Argos, IN

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Just returned home from a 7 day trip to RHHC and loved every minute of it!! The barn was very well kept and the stalls were nice and roomy. The campsites were a little hard to get into in the dark, but were otherwise very nice. The steep hill up to the barn and shower house from the campsites was rough, but it helped us appreciate all of the work our horses were doing by carrying us up the steep and rocky trails. Which, by the way, were the highlight of the trip!! Along with seeing the wild ponies!! We really enjoyed the riding and the views were beautiful!! Bill was also very nice and helpful with trail directions. The entire trip was awesome!! We would definitely like to return soon!!
Reviewed by: The Overmyers' on 10/17/2010 5:19:37 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 10/9/2010 Hometown: Argos, IN

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The campground at Rocky Hollow is nice. The campground owners are nice people, and very helpful. Campsites are "stair stepped" up the mountain. There is a pretty steep uphill hike to the barn and the bath house from most campsites. The bath house is nice, and was kept clean. The barn is nice, and well maintained. The stalls were bedded with sawdust when we arrived, and there was additional sawdust available, at no charge. The trails are beautiful, and the scenery is wonderful. The only negative is many trails are steep, and all trails are extremely rocky. Horses must be shod or wear boots. The rocky trails are hard work for horses and require full attention from riders. We enjoyed our visit and our ride, but were very stressed when we returned to camp. We will not ride there again soon because of the extremely rocky trails.
Reviewed by: Rick on 8/24/2010 4:30:13 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 8/21/2010 Hometown: , NC

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I submitted a review last year for RHHC and this year was even better. The campground is great and so are its owners. Stalls are huge and well maintained as well as campsites. Things you should know though- if you are a 2-3 hour trail rider don't bother going. Our average rides where 6-8 hrs and loved every minute of it. It is an 1- 1 1/2 hr ride to the scales but several smaller loops are available - you just won't make it to the majestic views. The trails are rocky- you are in the mountains not the beach - put shoes on your horse. If you are an avid trail rider you must visit RHHC and enjoy Mt Rogers National Forest. We have visited several other campgrounds around Mt Rogers and none compare to RHHC. Grayson Highlands campsites are tiny. Fox Creek is sloppy muddy and crowded, High Country Horse Camp has very long ride (even for us) to trail head and limited trail access. You must get directions from Bill and go to the overlook - it's not on the National Geographic Map.
Reviewed by: Lora Schmelz on 8/2/2010 4:36:27 PM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 7/24/2010 Hometown: New Salisbury , IN

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We just returned from our second 5 day stay at the campground and it was an awesome experience. Bill and his wife are extremely nice and helpful! The campground is clean, well maintained, and if you need anything just ask. My only regret is that we couldn't stay longer, we'll definitely be back time and time again!
Reviewed by: Guylene on 7/8/2010 7:28:34 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 6/28/2010 Hometown: Beulaville, NC

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NOT an enjoyable trip..I called ahead of time and felt that I asked enough questions to deterime if this was a place we wanted to stay..hae been used to riding on Mt Rogers from Grayson Highlands State park, so wanted to be sure that we could easily and quicky get to the Scales and Rhodendrum Gap area, was assured it was..well NOT! Extremely steep trail going out of campground, then poor directions (turn at big rock),,what?????there are about a bizillion rocks at Mt Rogers...duh...the ride to the Scales was well over 2 hours for our horses, which would mean 4 just to get there an back,,,,not leaving much time to see the "top", ponies, or flowers...we never made it due to thunderstorms, certainly out of control of the owners, but had the top been closer as we were lead to expect, we would not have missed seeing what we came for...also, I am not used to paying for stalls, then being expected to clean them out and re-bed for the next paying customer, what was that about!! The campground was very steep, it was a job just to walk up the hill to the stalls or bathhouse, and the owner kept zipping around the campsite on his golf cart which was extremely annoying and invading of our privacy...I really dont have anything good to say, expcept the stalls were nice, and I know that the top of the mountain is beautiful...just the wrong place to try to get there from this camp!
Reviewed by: Janet and Susan on 6/28/2010 6:05:09 AM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 6/11/2009 Hometown: Winston Salem, NC

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Just got back from 8 days at RHHC. It was our first trip to RHHC but our second trip to Mt. Rogers NF. We can't wait to go back. The campground is great as well as the owners. They could not have been nicer people to stay with. The campground has very large sites that are graveled with water and electric hookups and great stalls for the horses. The trail head is at the top of the driveway, in about 1 1/2 hrs you can be at The Scales. Can't say enough great things. The weather was not kind to us although we still got 4 great days of riding- but we were able to find plenty to do in the surrounding area. Check out Old Fort Western Store in Wytheville, The town of Abingdon for great antique stores and good restaurants also West Jefferson, NC is great for some shopping as well. If you have never ridden in Mt. Rogers, you should know that the trails are rocky- shoes required. Most trails have beautiful views and relatively easy to navigate. Talk to Bill at RHHC and he will give you a handwritten map that has many trails not on the National Geographic map.
Reviewed by: Lora Schmelz on 8/4/2009 5:51:53 AM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 7/25/2009 Hometown: New Salisbury, IN

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This was our second trip to Rocky Hollow. We really enjoyed our trip. This is a family run campground and it shows throughout. Everyone there is so friendly. Yes, the campground itself is a little steep, but who cares. Look around, you are in Mt. Rogers. The best place in the summer to enjoy the outdoors. The temperature was in the 60's during the day which is great riding weather. We seen a bear, deer and 15-20 wild ponies. We will go back soon.
Reviewed by: Anonymous on 7/8/2009 8:43:41 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 7/4/2009 Hometown: Greeneville, TN

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We really enjoyed our trip to Southwest Virginia where we stayed at Rocky Hollow Horse Camp. The owner was very nice and welcomed us. There were nice stalls and a hose already there. The bath house was clean and we had a good spot near the barn and bath house. We went in June when the Rhodadendrons, Mt. Laurel and Azaleas were in bloom and the wild ponies were expecting babies or had already had them. The scenery was beautiful with the mountains in the background right out of camp! Our horses are gaited and in good shape so the owner gave us two maps so there was plenty of riding. The area is rocky so shoes are needed. We were amazed that there seemed to be no humidity and not many bugs which was a big plus! Rhodadendron Gap in bloom was awesome! We started seeing wild ponies at the Scales. There are many gaits to open in the area where the ponies were.We mainly opened the gaits while on our horse but sometimes had to get off for all of us to get through. We loved the Crest trail which was rocky but had a great view! We rode on the Virginia Highlands trail and to the Grayson Highland area where there was a neat country store. We had a great trip and hope to go back to this area again. The owner told us about a good restaurant not far away called Shatley Springs in nearby N.C. He also helped us when our truck had a problem which had to be repaired even offering us the use of his vehicle! We definetely recommend the campground and the area as a great place to ride.
Reviewed by: Terry & Loretta Wheeler on 12/7/2008 8:07:14 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 6/12/2008 Hometown: Southern Illinois, IL

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the owners of the campground are the best ever.the owners go out of their way to help you with anything you need while you are there. they know the trails,so they can let you know which to ride and not(for your experience level)the trails are rocky so NEW set of shoes are a must.the ride to the top, and the ponies are a must see also.most beautiful scenery we have scene on horseback.this campground was a 7 hr drive and well worth every minute!!!!we will be back.......SOON
Reviewed by: Anonymous on 4/29/2008 7:34:28 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 4/28/2008 Hometown: pulaski, TN

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We enjoyed our weekend at Rocky Hollow very much The owners were very nice and went out of there way to help us with everything that we needed The campground was very nice and the riding was great the views from the top of the mountain were incredible We will definitely be back again
Reviewed by: Anonymous on 4/28/2008 11:39:28 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 4/25/2008 Hometown: Cornersville, TN

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We loved our weekend at Rocky Hollow. The owners are very friendly and the campground is nice with the exception you need extra long electric cords and water hose. There is not actually a hook up at each camp site. These are located about every 2 campsites and they are at the front of the campsite. Very peaceful and cool riding. We have been to Mt. Rogers several times and we really liked the trails that take you up the mountain.
Reviewed by: Anonymous on 9/5/2007 6:58:33 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 9/1/2007 Hometown: Greeneville, TN

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You cannot beat the trails out of Rocky Hollow. You can ride along the creek bottoms, or up onto the highlands to see the wild ponies. It was our best vacation yet.
Reviewed by: Anonymous on 5/29/2007 5:33:46 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 6/10/2006 Hometown: , IL

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THE OWNERS OF THIS FACILITY ARE EXTREMLY NICE AND HELPFUL. THE CAMPGROUND CONTINUES TO BE A WORK INPROGRESS. HAVE BEEN THREE TIMES THUS FAR AND IMPROVEMENTS ARE EVIDENT EVERY TIME WE GO. CAMPSITES HAVE BEEN WIDENED AND REGRAVELED. THE CAMPGROUND IS CLEAN AND NEAT AND THE BATHHOUSE IS ALWAYS VERY CLEAN. THE CAMPGROUND IS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND CAN BE A LITTLE DIFFICULT GETTING YOUR RIG IN AND OUT OF THE CAMPSITES, BUT IT CAN BE DONE SAFLEY. THE TRAILS ARE MT. ROGERS. THEY ARE GOING TO BE ROCKY. THIS IS A SMALL RICE TO PAY FOR THE RIDING AND VIEWS UP ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN. NO WHERE ON THE EAST COAST HAS THE VIEWS AND VISTAS OF MT. ROGERS. MAKE SURE YOUR HORSES ARE WELL SHOD AND IN SHAPE AND ENJOY REAL TRAIL RIDING WITH A LITTLE CHALLENGE AND THE BEST VIEWS ON THE EAST COAST.
Reviewed by: DTA on 9/13/2006 10:14:25 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 9/1/2006 Hometown: STATESVILLE, NC