Mill Mountain Greenway

Send Trip To:

My Phone

Trip Tools:

Trip Report

Large Map

Email Trip

Print Trip

The Mill Mountain Greenway connects Mill Mountain park with the Roanoke River Greenway and ultimately downtown Roanoke. Visit www.greenways.org to learn more about Roanoke's extensive greenway network.

Ideal for

walking during lunch
biking
visiting with friends
walking the dog

Time requirements
A short hike down, a moderately steep hike back up, the Mill Mountain Greenway will take you about an hour to complete.

Directions to trailhead at top of Mill Mountain

Follow J. Fishburn Parkway towards Mill Mountain Zoo and Discovery Center. Stop at the Discovery Center to use the restrooms and pick up a lovely map of the hiking and biking trails found on Mill Mountain
Just outside of the Discovery Center, you will find a trail which leads to the Mill Mountain Zoo
Before the entrance to the Mill Mountain Flower Garden, you will see a road which leads to the right. Follow this road, and you will see that it starts heading down the mountain
This is the old road which people used to take to visit the Mill Mountain Star and the Incline
If you don't know the story of the incline, stop in the Mill Mountain Discovery Center for information.

Trail/Trip description
The road down is very relaxing. Take your time and look at the surrounding plant life and listen for small animals in the leaf litter. Lizards and squirrels abound. Watch for poison ivy and loose rocks which both line the trail.

Notes/Add-ons

Mill Mountain is home to many wonderful hiking and biking trails. Stop by the Mill Mountain Discovery Center to pick up a nice map.
At the Discovery Center, you can check out a backpack adventure. There are 3 themed backpacks waiting to be checked out. You can find books, nature tools, and an activity guide.
Mill Mountain Zoo is just waiting around the corner. Follow the sound of the train whistle. The zoo is open year round. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. As of July 2009, the entrance fees were as follows: $7.50 for adults, $5.00 for children ages 3-11, Children 2 and under are free.
To add more adventure to the hike, consider returning to the parking lot via Monument Trail. This trail is steep and long, compared to the Mill Mountain Greenway. It is not paved and you should be advised that the terrain is less stable. Also, watch out for speeding mountain bikes.