Best Fall Hikes Around Roanoke For Kids - Hike 1 - GREEN HILL PARK, SALEM

​With the beautiful fall colors approaching, we are taking you for a tour around Roanoke to find the best hiking trails for families with young children.  Our first stop is the fabulous Green Hill Park in Salem.  This is one of our favorite places to hike because of the year-round diversity of activities.  In spring, we hike up the wooded hill to the high meadow where horse riders can be seen practicing jumps, and the natural views are stunning. In summer, we found a lovely shallow swimming hole at the far end of the park where we wiled away a happy afternoon stacking rocks and finding crayfish.  But fall is our favorite time for biking, skateboarding, bug hunting, rock finding and leaf catching.  

As you enter Green Hill Park, pull into the first parking lot on the right.  The hiking path, part of the Greenway, is right next to the parking lot.  Head along the path looking for hidden painted rocks along the way.  Salem VA Rocks is a super fun Facebook page where you can send photographs of painted rocks you find and then hide them again for someone else to enjoy.  Green Hill Park just happens to be one of the best rock hunting areas in Salem.

​A little further along the trail, you will come across a lovely picnic shelter complete with barbecue, tables and trash cans. We stopped there for lunch, but found there to be a major fly problem. Next time we'll bring a blanket to eat somewhere away from the trash cans. 

​Let us know about your hike by posting pictures on the HoneyTree Facebook page so we can see your special rock, leaf or insect finds.