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One of Virginia’s most alluring locations, Fairy Stone State Park blends Blue Ridge mountain majesty, engaging history, and an enticing array of outdoor adventures. One of Virginia’s original six state parks, Fairy Stone was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the midst of the Great Depression, and it was the state’s largest park when it opened in 1936. The recreation area is steeped with local folklore, and enduring relics of the region’s colorful history still linger along the park’s trails. The park is full of adventures for everyone from thrill-seeking weekend warriors to laidback car-campers.

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Park History

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The area that has become Fairy Stone State Park was once the home of miners and moonshiners. Virginia State Parks

The serene waters of Fairy Stone Lake harbor more than just largemouth bass—there are also stories and secrets submerged beneath the surface. The hills surrounding Fairy Stone Lake were once rich with iron ore—including Stuart’s Knob. At the beginning of the 20th century, the cozy community surrounding Stuart’s Knob was known as Fayerdale, and for a few decades the place flourished, thanks to thriving mining and timber industries.

During the 1920s, area mining and logging operations began to taper off, leading some income-strapped locals to take up surreptitious moonshine production. But by the waning days of Prohibition, Fayerdale was effectively a ghost town. The former mining hub was transformed with the arrival Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the early 1930s. By 1936, area CCC recruits had crafted trail systems, constructed recreational facilities, and flooded the former town of Fayerdale to create Fairy Stone Lake.

Classic Adventures

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Fairy Stone Lake features a swimming beach and boat rentals. Virginia State Parks

The park’s namesake fairy stones are one of its more unique features: The small, cross-shaped rocks found in the park are said to have an enchanted origin, coming from the crystallized tears of ancient fairies who shed them upon hearing the news of Christ’s crucifixion. The geological wonders are a combination of silica, iron, and aluminum, and the ancient stones occur in a variety of cruciform shapes, commonly resembling traditional Roman crosses, diagonal St. Andrew’s crosses, and more boxy Maltese crosses.

Fairy Stone State Park is among the best places on the planet to find the legendary stones, attracting everyone from armchair geologists to treasure-hunting toddlers. For rock-hunters, the fairy stone search site is located just southeast of the park’s main entrance, on the swath of park property adjacent to the Fairy Stone Pit Stop, in historic Bassett.

Whether or not you’re on the hunt for stones, hikers, cyclists, and trail runners will find plenty of room to roam throughout the park. The nearly four-mile trail network surrounding Stuart’s Knob includes panoramic routes like the Stuart’s Knob Trail, plus footpaths like the Iron Mine Trail and the Whiskey Run Trail. Both are named for the location’s colorful past as a boom-and-bust mining town and, later, an infamous hotbed for the production of illicit moonshine.

Meanwhile, off-road cyclists and equestrians can explore most of the park’s Little Mountain Trail System, a conglomeration of leafy track spread along the eastern edge of Fairy Stone Lake. Highlights include the multi-use Little Mountain Falls Trail, a 3.3-mile loop leading hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders to a secluded waterfall that tumbles gently over a natural sandstone staircase.

The park’s crowning jewel is the 168-acre Fairy Stone Lake, with burly largemouth bass to tempt anglers and pristine water for paddlers to explore. During the spring, summer, and early fall, the park rents rowboats, canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards (rentals are available daily between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and weekends in spring and fall). The placid lake is especially ideal for family canoe trips and plunge-prone paddleboarders. Be sure to see Fairy Stone Falls, where Fairy Stone Lake pours into Philpott Lake.

Families—and frankly anyone who loves the water—will be drawn to the swimming beach at Fairy Stone Lake, which is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The wide, sandy beach features a gentle entry into the lake with permanent water toys for children to play on. Concessions and a bathhouse are also available.

Immerse Yourself

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Fairy Stone State Park is a haven for native wildlife. Virginia State Parks

Besides the enticing lakeside beach and miles of pristine paddling, Fairy Stone Lake is also a hotspot for anglers. Bulky largemouth bass lurk in deep water toward the center of the lake, and crappies seek shelter among the fallen tree limbs scattered along the shoreline. The lake is also stocked with colorfully speckled rainbow trout, and pint-sized sunfish will keep young anglers entertained on family fishing trips.

Beyond the profusion of recreational opportunities, Fairy Stone State Park is also a haven for native wildlife. White-tailed deer, woodchucks, and teal-streaked pipevine butterflies frequent the woodlands shrouding the lake, and red-eyed vireo and northern mockingbirds are often heard chattering in the canopy. Vigilant birders also can spy rarer species, like reclusive ovenbirds and ruby-throated hummingbirds, while hikers on the water-hugging, 0.8 mile Lake Shore Trail often spot killdeer, mallards, and belted kingfishers.

Visiting the Park

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Fairy Stone State Park is the ideal basecamp for a host of regional adventures. Virginia State Parks

Replete with cozy perks like rocking chairs on the porch, a gas fireplace, and outdoor picnic tables, the five-bedroom Fairy Stone Lodge is the ideal place to gather outdoor-loving family and friends. Even four-legged vacationers are permitted at the roomy chalet. Besides the lodge, the park is loaded with restful accommodations—including lakeside cabins, four-person yurts, and family-friendly campsites.

Located barely 20 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway, Fairy Stone State Park is an idyllic pit stop for road-trippers craving fresh air, trail time, and lakeside lodging. Mabry Mill, one the Blue Ridge Parkway’s most photogenic locations, is situated just 25 miles west of Fairy Stone State Park.

Fairy Stone State Park is also the ideal basecamp for a whole host of regional adventures. Just to the east, Fairy Stone Lake is dwarfed by an adjacent body of water, the 3,000-acre Philpott Lake. Besides Fairy Stone State Park, sprawling Philpott Lake is peppered with recreation areas and boat launches, all connected along Philpott Lake Blueway, a 25-mile water trail that showcases natural gems, like Fairy Stone Lake Falls.

Even if you don’t find one of the famed fairy stones on your trip—and if you look hard enough, you will—the park offers just about everything necessary for a memorable outdoor escape. 0

Written by Malee Baker Oot for RootsRated in partnership with Patrick County.

Written by Malee Baker Oot for RootsRated in partnership with Patrick County and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].