Over the 2019 camping season, we had more than one family return from a hike on Buffalo Mountain, Virginia raving about the experience. When we were gifted a spring-like day in January 2020, we grabbed our water bottles, packed up the dogs and headed north on the parkway to explore for ourselves. We weren’t disappointed.

The Drive

We knew the mountain and its 1,100-acre nature preserve was near Floyd, about forty-five minutes north of our campground. After reading several web pages with directions and descriptions, we felt pretty confident that we could find our way. We did mistakenly turn on the road named Buffalo Mountain that is just north of Mabry Mill. We should have gone just a little further to milepost 174 and turned left onto Connor Grove Road, which is also State Route 799. From there, we drove 1.5 miles and turned left onto State Route 604. After another mile, we made a left onto State Route 727.

Once we arrived at Buffalo Mountain, we came to an intersection in the middle of the woods. Straight ahead was 775 Moles Road, and to the right, Buffalo Mountain Nature Preserve. We turned right and followed the one lane, gravel road to the parking lot with the all-important porta-a-jon. If you make the drive then take time to relish the scenery along the entire route. You’ll see mountains, fields, creeks and many small farms.

The Hike

The scenery only got better once we hit the trail. We had a choice of the ridge and the oak trails. Opting for the shorter but steeper route to the summit, we took the ridge trail. In a half mile, we ascended several hundred feet. With every step, an ever-widening horizon of rolling hills and mountains lay before us. Afet a quick water break at the intersection of the ridge and oak trail, we kept going up the loop trail to the top.  

The panoramic views of Southwest Virginia from the summit were worth the climb. Since the top is rocky, there are plenty of places to sit and take in the view of the surrounding mountains, towns and farms as well as watch the many birds that soar all around the summit. Sitting didn’t interest us. Instead, we climbed over and around the rock formations taking in the view from every possible angle. Once it was time to head back, we chose the oak trail and appreciated the gradual elevation change of the .9-mile path.

On the drive back, we stopped for a late lunch at Jane’s Café in Meadows of Dan. After sharing our pictures and talking over the hike as we ate, we came away understanding why so many of our campers recommended Buffalo Mountain, and, based on our experience, we do too.