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Giles County

Family Time is Time Well Spent in Virginia’s Mountain Playground

All items and locations are perfect to add to your trip with your family, large or small, to Giles.

Close-knit group or large family gathering- read on for trip inspiration and plan to come to Giles. There’s always so much to consider when planning a family get-away. With Giles’ easy-to-access location, family-friendly activities, and welcoming people let us help you take some of the work out of planning your next get-away.

Large groups of up to 16 can enjoy the riverfront cabin at New River’s Edge. While staying at “The Edge” guests have access to the firepit, their own river access, and all the yard and river toys you can imagine. New River’s Edge can also set up the entire group to enjoy a short section float on the New River in tubes or kayaks. For a flat rate all day (10am-4pm) guests can enjoy the Pembroke to NRE section of river as many times as they’d like, stopping only to play as needed.

girl on tube in New River

Small family groups will enjoy Mr. Hunter’s Cottage which features two units in a single-story cottage, also near the New River. With accommodations for eight people, this historic vacation home in the heart of the Village of Eggleston is in the heart of it all (easy access to everything), but off the beaten path so your family can enjoy their time together.

interior lodging bedroom cabin

Adjacent to Mr. Hunter’s Cottage, groups of all sizes are welcome at The Palisades Restaurant. Their seasonal menu features unique, contemporary Appalachian cuisine and fan favorites. If you’re looking to try farm-raised trout or sticking to the pepperoni stone-fired pizza there is something on the menu for the family to enjoy. Their dessert menu is top-notch and homemade ice cream is worth the trip. The Palisades also regularly features live local music on the weekends and offers food to go if you’d rather enjoy the company of family in your lodging accommodations.

girl server with pizza in restaurant

While there are many things to do in Giles that offer up fun to your family unit- in the warm months, you can’t miss getting out on the New River. Tangent Outfitters, also located in Pembroke, can help you pick the best float for your family in kayaks or canoes and based on the amount of time you want to spend on the water. Along the New River Water Trail families can enjoy easy access at our 14 public boat landings, making it easy to spend an hour or the day on the water. From scenic rock cliffs to fun water rapids, the New River in Giles, with the appropriate level of caution, is an easy and safe family fun experience. In cooler months, when on-water isn’t ideal take the family for a hike in Virginia’s Mountain Playground. Short and easy nature walks, or more moderate hikes to spectacular waterfalls- you’ll find your family’s next adventure is here in Giles County, Virginia.

canoes on New River as seen from above

The most important part and takeaway from playing in Giles with family and friends is the time spent together was well worth the memories made. We’ll see you soon, in Virginia’s Mountain Playground.

At a glance:

  • Stay at New River’s Edge or Mr. Hunter’s Cottage
  • Play with New River Edge or Tangent Outfitters
  • Dine at Cascade Café or The Palisades Restaurant

Mill Creek | More than just a creek…

LET’S TALK ABOUT NARROWS…

A little, rural town of a less than 2,000 residents, Narrows, Virginia is quite possibly the epi-center of easy-to-access, family friendly outdoor adventures. We’ll walk you through some prime examples of how to spend some time basking in the great outdoors…

 

We start at Mill Creek Nature Park. Truthfully you could spend all day at Mill Creek Nature Park and be quite content. The options available to you are extensive. Mill Creek Nature Park is owned and managed by the Town. It’s free to access, but it never hurts to put a few dollars in the donation box to help offset the costs and maintenance of the park.

 

Photo credit: Aspires Marketing

Getting to Mill Creek is straight forward, but a little tricky. Coming via Route 460, at the Narrows stoplight, turn off 460 and head towards downtown. Coming this way, you’ll find options if you want to stop to pick up supplies or snacks. Once in Narrows you’ll turn left onto Main Street. In approximately one and a half miles turn right onto Northview Street. It’s important to note this is residential area and the road can be narrow, so be careful but you’ll find the entrance to Mill Creek at the end of Northview. The asphalt gives way to a gravel road that passes between a garage and house, go on through and follow the gravel road to the ample parking (and donation box) at the end.

 

Seriously you could spend all day enjoying the picnic shelters and easy creek access within minutes of the parking lot. A favorite of mine is just below the first shelter at the creek, you’ll find two spots where you can get right down to the water. The water is cold, beware! There are benches along this section of trail and you’ll see signs for other trails throughout the property. I could spend a good chunk of the day enjoying the sounds of water, reading a book, with my toes in the water.

 

 

Trout fishing is excellent in this little stream. Native species abound for fly or bank fishing. Don’t forget your license that can be purchased online or a local shop that sells gear. Other wildlife I’ve seen in these lower fields include deer and wild turkeys. I’ve also seen brown snakes and water snakes near the water, but not to worry, this is their home and they’re just hanging out.

Starting up the waterfall trail you’ll follow an old road, but still hear the sounds of the rolling mountain creek. Then you’ll come to a very unique spot that also could make a perfect picnic location. They’ve built a sleeping shelter, because you’re on a spur trail off of the Appalachian Trail. Narrows is an AT Community and sees many hikers every year, either hiking the AT or the GET, Great Eastern Trail, of which both parallel near Narrows. You’ll also notice here that the water pools up behind a stone wall. In the olden days, this creek along with this reservoir provided all the water to town residents. The structure holding back the water is thought to be the oldest surviving engineered structure in Giles County. Again, the water is very cold, but some people have been know to take a dip in these mountain waters. You’re welcome to do so, but burrrrr.

From here you have a lot of options to traverse the mountain. If you’re a family of mountain bikers, then you’ve found a great spot! Trails with single track crisscross the landscape providing fairly challenging treks and switchbacks.

 

 

If you’d rather go on foot, I highly recommend the waterfall trail, because as the name suggests there’s a waterfall to enjoy! It’s only a 1.3 mile hike (overall about 3 miles parking lot out and back). From the reservoir follow trail markers to the Waterfall Trail. It’s considered a moderate trail, because you do have to navigate over rock outcrops and the trail becomes very narrow in spots as you go up the gorge. At one point, before the falls, you’ll also have to cross a branch that meanders down to the creek on a wooden single bridge. It’s beautiful and a work of art if you ask us…

 

man walking on bridge in woods

The waterfalls at Mill Creek are just that, multiple opportunities to take in the spectacular scenery. Some have even been known to take a picnic up to the falls. Between the upper and lower falls there is a nice flat rock you can sit between and enjoy a break or snack. The falls are in a gorge and from the trail you’ll have a few yards down a steep slope to get to this in between area, but completely doable, and worth it!

 

Going beyond the falls you can hike all the way up to Sentinel Point. On a clear day this viewpoint of the Town of Narrows is amazing. The last quarter mile is steep and challenging, but overall the hike is gentle sloping through hardwood forests.

 

scenic view with river and mountains

Finding native wild flowers or fungi is as easy as looking down and around you. There’s a Shortcut Trail that I like to take on the way back, take the long way going up…

One of my other favorite spots is crossing over Mill Creek just before the Shortcut Trail. The rhododendron thicket provides unusual lighting and the illusion of a secret spot along the trail. It’s pretty flat here and when it’s been rainy this could be muddy and difficult to cross, but when it’s not, it’s a really neat spot tucked away up in the hills.

Well, we said we’d talk about Narrows, but I’ve only talked about Mill Creek. We’ll have to save the rest of the fun stuff for another day. You can learn more about Mill Creek on the Town’s website http://townofnarrows.org/. Check out the other waterfall hikes in Giles on our website, including Dismal and Cascades,  https://virginiasmtnplayground.com/dismal-falls/.

If you and your family take advantage of Mill Creek or other trails throughout Giles be sure to check in on Facebook or Instagram. Use #GilesCoVA for us to share your adventures. Stay safe and have fun in Virginia’s Mountain Playground!