Parking
Trout Lake parking area off Shulls Mill Road near Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 295; use the signed lake access rather than parking on the carriage road.
Overview
About Trout Lake Loop Trail
Why go
- Quiet lake loop through shady hemlock and rhododendron forest
- Easy, mostly level carriage-road walking with open water views
Heads up
- Shared with horses—yield and give equestrians plenty of room
- Packed dirt and gravel with uneven sections; not ADA-accessible
Trout Lake is a peaceful, easy loop around a small mountain lake on the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park carriage-road system. The route stays close to the water through shady hemlock and rhododendron forest, with open banks and frequent chances to watch birds and other wildlife.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy goMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Ridge Parkway map
Full mapElevation3,762–3,808 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
2 active Blue Ridge Parkway alerts
- ClosureNorth Carolina Helene-related closuresAvoid the closed Parkway section from MP 344.2–355.3; recreation of any kind is prohibited there.Official details
- ClosureVirginia Parkway closures and detourFollow the signed detour around the closed James River Bridge and avoid the closed Roanoke Mountain Loop. - James River Bridge (MP 63.5–63.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide
Your drive to Trout Lake Loop Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Blue Ridge Parkway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Blue Ridge Parkway audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Trout Lake: A Quieter Lakeside LoopListen
“The parking area you're seeing is for Trout Lake, a quieter alternative to the more popular Bass Lake. There's an easy, shady 1.3-mile loop trail that circles the water here.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Sims Creek Overlook: A Classic Creekside Loop
- Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and Flat Top Manor
- Sims Pond Trail: A Compact Loop with Lots of Variety
- Cone’s Enduring Carriage Roads
- 277 audio storiesacross Blue Ridge Parkway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Elk, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 112 trails, 232 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…We knew we wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. The narration was impeccably timed. The facts and info provided were meaningful. Without it, the trip would not have been near as awesome.”
Trail guide
Hiking Trout Lake Loop Trail
Trail detailsStart at Trout Lake Parking off Shulls Mill Road and follow the historic carriage-road loop…
Start at Trout Lake Parking off Shulls Mill Road and follow the historic carriage-road loop around the lake. The full loop is about 1.3 miles and typically takes around 30–45 minutes at an easy pace. The mapped line follows the complete loop in walking order and returns to the parking access.
Scenery and wildlifeExpect a quiet lake setting, forested coves, grassy shore, and reflections across the water.
Expect a quiet lake setting, forested coves, grassy shore, and reflections across the water. Chipmunks, squirrels, deer, geese, herons, and songbirds may be visible, especially near the open water and shoreline edges.
What to knowThis is a shared hiking-and-horse route: yield to equestrians and give them plenty of room.
This is a shared hiking-and-horse route: yield to equestrians and give them plenty of room. The carriage-road surface is packed dirt and gravel with uneven sections, so it is not an ADA-accessible trail. Dogs are welcome on leash; fishing is permitted under current Parkway regulations.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Blue Ridge Parkway
1,208 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
1,020 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
2,257 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
200 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,126 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
255 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Blue Ridge Parkway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
