To start, the hike sets off at the Massie Gap parking lot, where the trailhead is located immediately north through the nearby field. The most popular Mount Rogers hike is an out-and-back 10.5-mile trail and is undeniably one of the best and most stunning in the Eastern United States as one of Virginia's premier trails. Related: 10 Long Hikes To Consider Before The Appalachian Trail They're all given a once over to ensure they're in good health as well, being checked for illness and injuries before several are taken to what will be their new homes while others are released back into the wild. The Grayson Highlands ponies are left for the most part and keep the grasses maintained as they graze year-round however, to prevent too much grass from being munched on and control their population, the ponies are rounded up each Fall, with some auctioned off at the Grayson Highland Fall Fest. It's during this initial section of the trek that hikers have a great chance of spotting the famous horses that were introduced to the park in 1974, who, as a feral community, now stand somewhere between 120 and 150 individuals strong. The usual journey to the Mount Rogers summit begins at the parking lot in Massie Gap in Grayson Highlands State Park before twisting and winding four miles up the route - using the Appalachian Trail for the most part. Of course, this isn't the only Virginian spot to find feral ponies, but it is one of the most famous and combines equine spotting with a wonderful hike showcasing the most sublime sights that the state has to offer its visitors. The route to Mount Rogers includes part of the famous Appalachian Trail, along which over 100 wild ponies roam in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and the neighboring Grayson Highlands State Park in southwestern Virginia. Where Are The Wild Ponies On The Appalachian Trail? With several ways to tackle this trail, the one represented in this guide is the most popular and said to be the most scenic, though that's better left decided by those who go on to explore it! Commanding a there-and-back hike to Mount Rogers's tip, this is one hike that nature lovers simply do not want to miss, be it in winter, spring, summer, or fall it's a year-round route with breathtaking scenes that transform with the changing seasons. Named after William Barton Rogers - Virginia’s first State Geologist who later founded the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - the mountain and its graceful summit isn't the sole reward the whole journey is, as a stretch of nature's terrains where feral ponies roam free across lush landscapes and wildflowers bloom in spring.
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