Feral Ponies of Grayson Highlands State Park | Travel Photographer

Recently I've been feeding my creative soul with adventures. Nature really is inspiring and you don't have to travel half-way around the world to experience something beautiful.  Instead, just walk out your backyard, do a Google search or ask friends on Facebook.  Even if you aren't the 'nature' type, just give it a try.

My family and I made the trek from my mom's house in East Tennessee to Grayson Highlands State Park to visit the feral ponies.

When I started researching this leg of our trip, I had a difficult time finding any posts, entries, or websites (including Grayson Highland's own website) that included detailed information about seeing the ponies.

Luckily, I had a couple of friends on Facebook that had recently visited and as I continued to search I came across a couple of blog entries about the ponies.

What I learned:  1) it is a short, easy hike up to see the ponies, 2) you are all but guaranteed to see some ponies, and 3) they are quite tame.

What I also learned: The drive is one of the curviest drives through the Virginia mountains I have ever driven.  {insert green, pukey face here}  I feel the need to share this with anyone that *might* get the least bit carsick. 

The short hike up the mountain is filled with gorgeous views and a well-worn path makes the trek easier.  The elevation is quite a bit higher than where we live in Pennsylvania, so my husband and I both had slight headaches, but nothing major.

 The short hike is well worth the effort.  The view and the ponies are amazing.

 We even had an unexpected encounter with a steer.  Thankfully there was a fence between us and he seemed quite docile.

 This pony pictured below- he was just incredible.  I told Matt he reminded me of an 80's rocker!  His mane- so long, wavy and white-blonde.

 Told you he was 80's! :)

About 30 minutes after we arrived, a few ponies started following one male in particular- probably their leader.  They walked up over the little hill, so of course we decided to follow.  After cresting the hill, we came across the following area, filled with ponies (about 22 by the time we were ready to leave).  This must be their eating and sleeping area.

Many of the foals were peacefully feeding here.

I hope you've enjoyed these images from Grayson Highlands as much as we enjoyed the visit!

If you are interested in {travel} photography, please contact us at sarah@bellavitaphotopa.com.

Be Blessed.