Hungry Mother State Park

Hungry Mother State Park
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Park Type	State Park
Located	Marion, Virginia
External Links	Official Website Official Trail Map
Entrance Fee	$7.00 per vehicle
ActivitiesThings to do at the park
Park AmenitiesThings built to enjoy or use at the park
FeaturesNatural things to see at the park
Park Trails	10 Trails / Total of 17.33 miles27.89 km <br />
Lodging Types
Camping Amenities	Site sewer, RV/trailer only
Park Area	3,334 acres13.492 km² <br />
Operated By	Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Main Location	36° 53' 7.08" N, 81° 31' 18.30" W Map
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Park Overview

Hungry Mother State Park offers eight hiking trails covering around 12 miles running along the lake, through woods, and up to park's 3,270 feet highpoint.

How to get there

From the TriCities area:

1. Take I-81 up to Exit 44 (US-11/Marion).
2. Turn right/NE on US-11/Lee Highway and proceed into town just over three miles.
3. Turn left/NW onto VA-16 and continue another four miles.
4. Turn right/NW into state park.
5. Day parking for the main trails on right below dam - and back by the CCC cabins.

Park Trails

The park offers the following trails to explore:

Park Trails	Distance	Difficulty	Marking	Usage	Highlight
CCC Trail	1.90 mi	Medium	Orange		Additional hike option to Molly's Knob and Vista Trail
Lake Trail Loop	5.70 mi	Medium	Navy Blue		A loop hike around the lake and access to most of the park's amenities.
Molly's Knob Trail	1.99 mi	Hard	White		Access to the vista trail
Old Shawnee Trail	0.94 mi	Medium	Yellow		One mile extension to Raider's Run
Raider's Run Trail	0.90 mi	Medium	Royal Blue		Short but moderate loop for hikers and bikers
Vista Trail	0.40 mi	Hard	Purple		A steep climb to a 180° stunning view of the countryside
Clyburn Hollow TrailThis trail is a "stub" either because of its short length, lack of significance, or the page hasn't been created yet. The page can be created, but then delete the stub reference from this park.	0.50 mi	Easy	Gold
Clyburn Ridge Loop TrailThis trail is a "stub" either because of its short length, lack of significance, or the page hasn't been created yet. The page can be created, but then delete the stub reference from this park.	4.00 mi	Hard	Lime Green
Ridge TrailThis trail is a "stub" either because of its short length, lack of significance, or the page hasn't been created yet. The page can be created, but then delete the stub reference from this park.	0.20 mi	Easy	Green		Connects Lake Trail and Molly's Knob Trail
Stone Lick TrailThis trail is a "stub" either because of its short length, lack of significance, or the page hasn't been created yet. The page can be created, but then delete the stub reference from this park.	0.80 mi	Medium	Red

An interesting loop hike through the forest with both summit and lake views could be created. Start by parking in the back by the cabins at the trailhead for Molly's Knob Trail (coordinates in infobox). After mile and quarter travel, take left and up 0.4 mile Molly's Vista Trail to the 3247 ft summit. Back down and left to finish out the one-third mile remaining on Molly's Knob Trail to the intersection with CCC Trail. Take a left for a mile until Lake Trail is reached. Following the winding Lake Trail back to parking lot. Roughly 6.5 miles in three and half hours.

Typical Conditions

Being a VA state park, the dirt and gravel trails are kept in excellent condition. Some of the trail sections do narrow to a tight single-track, but adequate use of switchbacks keeps the elevation change reasonably gradual. Most of the trails are in the forest, some with lake views.

Fees, Permits, etc.

Daily parking fee for passenger vehicles into VA state parks is $2 weekdays, $3 weekends.

Misc. Information

A legend states that when the Native Americans destroyed several settlements on the New River south of the park, Molly Marley and her small child were among the survivors taken to the raiders’ base north of the park. They eventually escaped, wandering through the wilderness eating berries. Molly finally collapsed, and her child wandered down a creek. Upon finding help, the only words the child could utter were "Hungry Mother." When the search party arrived at the foot of the mountain where Molly had collapsed, they found the child's mother dead. Today, that mountain is Molly's Knob (3,270 feet), and the stream is Hungry Mother Creek.

Gallery

• 

  Above view of Hungry Mother Lake

• 

  Hungry Mother Lake

• 

  Photo spot of the island

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