This park along the Blue Ridge Parkway has a pair of nice trails -- a flat, easy 2.5-mile hike around Price Lake and a moderate 5-mile hike along the Boone Fork Trail on the north side of the Parkway. The parks are very popular with families but once you get beyond the popular gathering places, the hiking is very nice. Trip write-up at Two-Heel Drive.

Always check the weather forecast and have some layers -- it can be cold in the morning and warm up rapidly in the afternoon. The most critical danger in summer is the afternoon thunderstorms and the attendant lightning strikes. Boone Fork Trail has a several large rock outcropping that can offer shelter if you get caught out in a storm.Expect mobs here during peak autumn leaf season -- best to try a weekday.