Mill Mountain Park — Attraction in Roanoke

For all the splendor that the Blue Ridge Mountains offer visitors across eight states and five hundred and fifty miles of its range, the Mill Mountain Park is one location that simultaneously feels iconic but private, undiscovered, and intimate.

Offering 568 acres of unprecedented views of the seemingly sleepy town of Roanoke below, as well as the woodlands that sprawl across the park, visitors will be compelled to stop and contemplate the immense natural beauty that surrounds them. Once visitors have recovered from the sense of awe of the surrounding beauty, and taken a few photos to mark their trip, the several available amenities will be revealed - all of which offering further value and reward to the experience.

Boasting twelve trails, of varying lengths and complexity, visitors will discover that all of their needs will be accommodated, from hiking, to horse-riding, to bicycling. Even when a moment’s rest is required, the picnic shelter and its mess of tables and grills are on-hand to ensure that families of all ages and sizes are positioned to receive hours of adventure.

Families looking to spend a full day in Mill Mountain Park will savor the nearby Mill Mountain Zoo, the Discovery Center that provides information and education on the natural environment that surrounds visitors, and the short walk to the Roanoke Star at the top of Mill Mountain.

One of the only downsides to the park is that parking is limited and, depending on where visitors have decided will be their specific location in the park, can result in various distances of walking. Fortunately, I found the park quiet and under-populated during my visit and accessing the limited parking spaces presented little challenge to me being able to make the most of my visit, but it’s clear to see how congested the site may become during the warmer months.

Overall, those that consider the logistics of their trip to Mill Mountain - or are unbothered at the prospect of an unknown walking distance to their final destination - will find the park to be an unforgettable experience of the Blue Ridge Mountains that yields unparalleled...

I Love Mill Mountain Park mainly because of the Giant Star that you can see from all over the city!I don't know if any other cities have a giant Star that you can see from all over the city or not? But to me! When I see that 🌟 coming in to Roanoke on 581 I know I'm home!!!! It's a the most beautiful site to see when you have been gone for a while and you see that big Star!!! They change the color of the bulbs to red,white and blue for July the 4th. They use to change them all to red when someone died! But I guess there are just too many people dying These days! They would be changing them every day or maybe not at all! There is also a big beautiful overlook in front of the Star! You can see all over the city! It's really beautiful at night because of the lights all over the city! It's kind of a romantic place to go at night because it's so beautiful 😍! Don't have any great pictures of it myself but there are plenty to be had. You can get some really awesome ones from Terry Aldhizer Photography! She probably has the best and most beautiful collection of pictures of the Star!❤️😊👍 There is also a great zoo up there and the last time I checked it out They had some pretty rare animals! They also have a train you can ride around the outside of the edge of an attraction. As it had really good actors and actresses that gave great shows and of course they had pretty good cuisine! It mysteriously burned down? It was a great place to go! There is talk of building another one ever more beautiful and grandeur than the old one! With more glass for the view from up there. I would like to see it but I don't know how far along this talk has gone. Probably mostly from people who came to the theater back in the day. I'm sure you can find pictures of the Mill Mountain Playhouse! It was quite popular in it's day! I think there are walking trails up there and it has a road that joins the Blue Ridge Parkway! Hope you have fun on your trip to Mill Mountain...

I love the great state of Virginia and even more I love Roanoke. The Star is iconic and is best represented by seeing it at night when it is lit up. Sadly I was not up there at night but either day or night it's worth visiting.

There is a beautiful overlook that lets you see all of downtown Roanoke and the Blue Ridge mountains as far as the eye can see. Stunning view.

There is a path that leads down from the star to another overlook and a playground for kids. Very good shade trees and open grassy area as well. There are restrooms by the star and others scattered around.

There is a limited amount of parking so you can either park at the star and walk down or park down at the playground and walk up to the star.

Also, there is a zoo on top of Mill Mountain. It's not the best zoo in the world but how many zoos can you think of on top of a mountain? Definitely worth a visit while you are up there.

Roanoke itself is full of history and has plenty of places to visit and explore. While you are there drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway. You will not regret it.

If you do drive it, I highly suggest doing it in the fall while the leaves are changing. Yet more stunning views and plenty of places...