Top 5 Things To Do With Kids at
Our Blue Ridge Mountain Rental, Love Ridge
Perched atop Love Ridge at 2,800 feet elevation, family-oriented adventure surrounds you from the minute you step outside your mountain cabin, glamping room, or campsite. Trails wind through our property, and our connection to nature runs deep here. Ever since the Alford family rented the first Blue Ridge Mountain rentals in the 1960s, our outpost on the ridge has been a place to get out into the Virginia mountain wilderness. And just a few miles away, on either side of us along the Blue Ridge Parkway, your kids will have a blast with endless options for biking, swimming, fishing, a summer camp experience, and exploring the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley.
Explore Our Blue Ridge Mountain Rentals – Trails Just Steps Away
Start in our backyard with our on-site trails, ideal for hiking or biking directly from your Love Ridge family cabin or camping spot. Your kids will love hopping on a path and exploring independently, and you can rest assured that they’re in a protected and safe environment. It’s also perfect for when your teenage kids want some alone time – they can jump on bikes, hike around, or find something fun in our on-site game shed – and the adults can relax on the porch or at the campsite, enjoying the quiet and serene setting.
Bike and Swim at Sherando Lake
Just a 10-minute drive away and practicality in our backyard, Sherando Lake is famously known as the “jewel” of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Cherished for its tucked-away beauty, it’s also one of the area’s best destinations for biking. The trail network offers something for riders of all abilities – start with the Mill Creek, White Rock Gap, and Blue Loop trails, which begin near the two lakes (Sherando has an upper and lower lake). If your kids are experienced riders or want to push further, the appropriately-named 14-mile “variety pack” loop mixes everything from climbing to descending and flowing singletrack. Bring your bikes to access all the nearby mountain-biking hotspots.
After working up a sweat on the trails, wind down with a dip in lower Sherando Lake, whose crystal-clear spring-fed water is as good as lake swimming gets. With its shallow depth, the sandy beach-like swim area is safe for wading into the water with kids of all ages. And it’s a calm and relaxing environment, as motorized boats are prohibited.
Learn To Fish at Love Ridge – Cast a Line in a Lake or Creek Nearby
In addition to its well-earned reputation for outdoor activities like biking and swimming, Sherando Lake is also an excellent place for your kids to learn how to fish. The upper lake is specifically designated for fishing and stocked with trout and bass. You’ll also find bluegill sunfish, which are plentiful and easy to catch, making for a fun day – your kids will get good fishing practice rather than waiting around all day with no bites. The upper and lower lake are both fed by the North Fork Back Creek, another great place to try your luck fishing, with plenty of safe access points for children. If you’re teaching your kids how to fly fish, there’s no better place to get gear and tips than South River Fly Shop, just down the Blue Ridge Parkway from us in Waynesboro.
Attend Summer Camp on a Mountaintop
Wintergreen Resort offers some of the best skiing on the East Coast during the winter, just eight miles down the ridgeline from us. But rather than shut down during the spring and summer, it transforms into a warm weather outdoorsy mecca, including a unique summer camp that runs weekly from June 12th through August 18th. It’s open to kids aged 3-12, with a Little Campers program for those younger than 3, so everyone in the family can get the camp experience. On top of classic camp activities like swimming and hiking, the wilderness-focused program also emphasizes science and the arts, so your kids will get a well-rounded educational experience while still making lifetime camp memories. Plan to stay with the whole family in one of our larger cabins for a week. And while the kids are away at camp during the day, you can enjoy your time together exploring or just relaxing in the hot tub, made even more special with our wine and chocolate package.
Hikes Abound, With Waterfalls and Wildflowers
Depending on your kids’ hiking ability, you can easily find the perfect hike near Love Ridge, with the chance for your kids to see a waterfall en route. White Rock Falls Trail is a great starting point, with plenty of hike length and difficulty options. It’s only 1.4 miles to reach the waterfall, which, although smaller in size than Crabtree Falls, it’s no less spectacular and has fewer crowds in the summertime.
Another memorable hike for the whole family is at Shamokin Springs Nature Preserve. Your kids will see high-alpine wildflowers in bloom, cross gentle creeks on logs, and venture through forested areas, all in a relatively short and easy half-mile loop. It captures the essence of the wilderness around Love Ridge all in one hike, and your kids will come away with a deepened appreciation for the great outdoors.
Stay with us and bring your kids to Love Ridge, where fun awaits the whole family!
