ROANOKE, Va. – With parking to the Mill Mountain Star closed, there's lot's of hikes around the area that can get you to the best view in the city.
You’ll park off of JP Fishbburn parkway at the intersection where you typically drive up to the star. These gates are closed. You will see a path that leads to the start of the monument trail. This was one of many hikes you can take to the top.
The monument trail is marked with yellow blazes. The path starts pretty steady and runs parallel to the road that takes you to the top. The trail was fresh and green and we went on a gorgeous, sunny day.
My favorite part of this section of the hike was the narrow path that was overgrown with trees and plants.
After about a half mile, the trail opens back out to trees. The majority of the terrain was rocky, but I hiked it in Chacos just fine.
A quarter mile later, you will be met with the intersection to continue the monument trail to the bottom of the mountain, or take the star trail up to the top.
We sat on the bench for a minute and drank some water, then took the star trail to the top. This part was marked with yellow blazes.
This part of the trail is a little steeper as it starts to traverse up the mountain.
After a few bends in the trail, there's another bench to sit and have a sip of water. You'll know when you're close after three bends, and you can see the top of the star through the tree lines.
After walking up a set of stairs, you’re going to take the gravel road to the right. Walk around the bend and you’ll see an opening of the city and walk a few more paces and you’ll be at the official view of the star.
You have two options to get back to your car: take the same trail down, or take the road. The hike ends up being about 3 miles round trip if you take the trail.