Fun Fact: Natives of Staunton (located within Augusta County) include Woodrow Wilson, the Statler Brothers, and William Baldwin, founder of the “Body Farm.”

Our Five Star Trip to Augusta County

On this trip, we spent a long weekend in Augusta County looking for dog friendly activities, but I can imagine spending a 2-week vacation or perhaps an entire lifetime in this area. We rated our experiences below and all categories received five out of five stars.

• History ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Recreation ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Sightseeing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Restaurants ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Dog Friendly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Accommodations ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Problem: How are we going to see all of this in four days?

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Augusta County provides a full menu of options: Start out with some lakes, rivers and streams before moving onto the main course, the George Washington National Forest. For sides, choose from the Shenandoah National Park, the Appalachian Trail, and Virginia’s Cave and Karst Trail. Save some room because the dessert tray features both Waynesboro and Staunton.

That’s STAN-tun, not STAHHN-ton.

Staunton, the heart of Augusta County, and located practically in its center, boasts historic architecture, museums, restaurants, loads of shops, live music venues, and a Shakespeare theater.

Waynesboro, the soul of Augusta County, and located at the holy trinity of Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian Trail, blesses us with the South River for kayaking, fishing, and swimming.

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Solution: We mapped out a clockwise county tour with a grand finale in Staunton.

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Tour of Augusta County’s Northern Section

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Reddish Knob

No need to hike one of the highest points in Virginia. Reddish Knob provides a paved road all the way to the top. Once at the summit we beheld panoramic views of the George Washington National Forest as well as displays of spray paint artistry.

Elkhorn Lake

We had Elkhorn Lake almost to ourselves. At 56-acres, this reservoir is a popular fishing spot. (Mack had no luck.)

However, in 1992, the brutal murder of local resident Sammy Wheeler transformed Elkhorn Lake into a crime scene. Sammy’s inner circle began accusing each other with enough theatrics and back stabbing to rival a Shakespeare play. Unsolved Mysteries featured the case, shown below starting at the 12:30 mark.

Ultimately, Sammy’s murder was solved. His killer went to prison, although he was released in 2020, and thankfully, Sammy’s family began to heal.

Natural Chimneys Park and Campground

The Natural Chimneys win as my favorite place in Augusta County. I like to envision these formations underwater in their seabed home circa 500 million years ago.

Named for its Paleozoic-era limestone towers, this dog friendly park in Mt. Solon is one of the stops on Virginia’s Cave and Karst Trail. The park also hosts the annual Red Wing Roots music festival, and no kidding—holds annual jousting events.

“For almost 200 years, Jousting has been a mainstay at Natural Chimneys. Two annual special events are held at the park…The first is the National Hall of Fame Jousting Tournament in June and the second is the Natural Chimneys Jousting Tournament in August…the oldest, continuously held sporting event in North America.” (from Augusta County’s website)

Mossy Creek

Mossy Creek, a rewarding yet challenging fly fishing destination, yields large brown trout to experienced anglers.

We did not visit Mossy Creek. If you go, be advised: you need landowner permission and Fido may not join you.

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Tour of Augusta County’s Eastern Section

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Grand Caverns

A stop on Virginia’s Cave and Karst Trail, the Grand Caverns in the Weyers Cave District is the oldest show cave in the U.S. and contains graffiti from both Union and Confederate soldiers.

We did not visit Grand Caverns. If you go, be advised that no pets are allowed inside the cave and there are no kennels for Fido on the premises.

Shenandoah National Park

Skyline Drive parallels the Appalachian Trail and also serves as the only public road through Shenandoah National Park. Skyline Drive’s Route 250 entry point also doubles as the Southbound entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

There’s a lot going on here. To help us out YouTube’s KS Travel Infor provides important factoids for anyone visiting Shenandoah National Park. Plus the video features Skyline Drive resplendent in fall foliage.

Waynesboro

This dog friendly city has a trail for everything, including a Street Arts Trail with 20 works of public art.

Waynesboro’s Water Trail takes paddlers down the South River which flows through the city.

…and then there’s the Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail where a headlamp is de rigueur.

We tried to imagine the scope of effort involved to blast this tunnel through with black powder in the mid-1800s. We were also hugely impressed with the work that went into making this into a public access trail.

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Shenandoah Valley Animal Services Center (SVASC)

SVASC takes in strays from Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro. We stopped by to say hello to the dogs including these two sweeties.

LOVEworks

Hey! Look what I found during our trip to Waynesboro.

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Tour of Augusta County’s Southern Section

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Sherando Lake

Locals know Sherando Lake as the jewel of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We found its dog friendly trails to be gems as well.

St. Mary’s Trail

Lesson Learned: Always Bring a Hiking Pole

You can bring Fido on the trail leading to St. Mary’s Falls, but I strongly recommend not doing so. I visited this waterfall on a separate trip without the dogs, and even without their help, I injured my ankle when I tripped over a rock. I didn’t bring a hiking pole, and that was a mistake.

These photos show different sections of the rocky, ankle-busting 2.2 mile trek to the falls.

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Tour of Augusta County’s Western Section

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Elliott Knob

This section of George Washington National Forest contains Elliott Knob, the highest point in the county. Rewards for persistence and determination include two waterfalls on the way up, an old lookout tower at the summit, and spectacular views from 4,463 feet.

We did not hike Elliott Knob. If you go, be advised that the hike, categorized as strenuous, can be particularly brutal in summer months because some areas lack shade. Be sure to bring lots of water, especially if Fido joins you.

Elliott Knob: Hike to an Old Fire Lookout Tower Near Staunton, Virginia

Polyface Farm

Joel Salatin, self-described “Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer” created Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia. To learn more about Polyface farming methods listen to his interview on the Mother Earth News and Friends podcast, read one of Salatin’s many published books, or take a tour of the farm.

At the Polyface Farm store, Mack bought filet mignon. I bought smoked gouda cheese and (of course!) we bought treats for the dogs.

Speaking of dogs, Polyface Farm welcomes leashed pets, so be sure to bring Fido along.

Augusta Springs Wetlands Trail

The Augusta Springs Wetlands Trail, part of Virginia’s Cave and Karst Trail and home to many bird species, features a boardwalk trail and ruins from a resort that flourished here a century ago.

From 1817 to 1940, visitors from the U.S. and abroad “took the waters” at the Augusta Springs resort. Attorney Erasmus Stribling, one-time mayor of Staunton, built the resort on his property. In addition to bath houses, the resort included an inn, cottages, and a casino.

During the Civil War, General Stonewall Jackson’s army, camped at this location and the inn served as a makeshift hospital for many sick and wounded soldiers.

We were unable to locate the tombstone of the soldier buried here whose gravesite inspired the poem “A Georgia Volunteer.” If you have visited this gravesite, please let us know its exact location in the comments.

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Tour of Augusta County’s Central Section

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Frontier Culture Museum

Over the years when I passed a highway sign for the Frontier Culture Museum, I wondered …

…just what exactly is the Frontier Culture Museum?

Fortunately, a video on the museum’s YouTube channel answers my question. (Yes, the museum has a YouTube channel and they have a podcast too.)

This working museum shows how America became melting pot of traditional agricultural practices.

Of the museum’s many structures, Mack especially liked the Irish forge. My favorite (shown above), the centuries-old German farmhouse, was scheduled to be demolished in its homeland. Thankfully, the museum bought it, disassembled it, and shipped it here to be reconstructed.

The Frontier Culture Museum welcomes Fido to its courtyard and picnic areas and provides kennels for Fido’s comfort in lieu of touring the exhibits.

Folly Mills Falls

Thanks to the Great Virginia Waterfall Trail we learned about this waterfall just south of Staunton and only 1/10th of a mile from a parking area.

Staunton

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Our epic, dog friendly tour of Staunton

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Our first stop: Gypsy Hill Bark Park, 116 W. Beverley Street, where the dogs burned off lots of energy and sniffed many interesting things.

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Our second stop: a driving tour through the Thornrose Cemetery, 1041 W. Beverley Street.

Fido must stay with you in your car during your driving tour because dog walking is not allowed in this stunning, historic cemetery.

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Our third stop: a walking tour of downtown Staunton.

Statler Brothers Tribute, 110 W. Johnson Street

Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, 20 North Coalter Street, display of Wilson’s 1919 Pierce-Arrow Limousine

American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 South Market Street, the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre

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Our fourth and final stop: lunch at Wright’s Dairy-Rite, 346 Greenville Avenue, a 1950s era drive-in restaurant where we dined on tasty food together in the car

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Eugenics Sterilization: A Segment of Virginia’s Shameful History

In its current incarnation, the posh Blackburn Inn does not look like the setting of a Georgian era insane asylum. However, this historic building, originally named the Western Lunatic Asylum, became the site of some of Virginia’s shameful history.

In 1906, Dr. Joseph DeJarnette, a proponent of the eugenics sterilization movement, became superintendent of the newly re-named Western State Hospital. DeJarnette’s aggressive lobbying eventually led to Virginia’s eugenics sterilization statute.

By the time Virginia finally outlawed the practice in the 1970s, over 8,000 patients in Virginia had been forcibly sterilized, including 1,200 patients at the hospital.

In 2002, Senator Mark Warner apologized to the State’s victims of forced sterilization, and in 2015, Virginia provided up to $25,000 in compensation for each living victim.

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Know Before You Go

• Download Augusta County on Google maps and print out a county map. (We lost signal while we were driving around.)
• See the Staunton Visitors Guide and VisitShenandoah.org for trip ideas, events, restaurants, and accommodations. (We highly recommend Sweet Pea on Poplar, a delightful AirBnb in Staunton. It’s centrally located, dog friendly, and has a fenced in yard
• Check out the scenic road tour of historic places and points of interest mapped out by the Augusta County Historical Society.
• Drive the Forest Trails Loop, another mini-road trip, which leads from one Augusta County outdoor adventure to another.
• Make an appointment to see the sweeties at the Augusta Regional SPCA, located in Staunton.

Road Trip Reads

These books each delve into a different aspect of this Shenandoah Valley community. Audible offers each of these books for easy road trip listening.

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