Mill Mountain Park — The Mountain Behind the Star

In 1949, Roanoke's merchants needed a way to pull trade back downtown. They built an 88.5-foot illuminated star—60,000 pounds of steel and 2,000 feet of neon tubing—and planted it 846 feet above the valley floor on top of Mill Mountain. The plan was to light it for Christmas shopping season. The city liked it enough that it never went dark again. Roanoke has been the Star City of the South ever since. The mountain itself is older than that nickname—a 1,703-foot peak that sits fully within city limits, detached from surrounding ranges. A resort hotel and observation tower opened at the summit in 1892. An amusement park was built at the base in 1903. Beginning in 1910, visitors could pay a quarter to ride an incline railway straight to the top. Those attractions closed or burned. The star replaced them and became the thing you take visiting family to see—the overlook rises 846 feet above the Roanoke River, and on clear nights the star is visible for 60 miles from the air. But the 568 acres of urban wilderness rising from the valley floor are more than a photo stop. The trail system connects the Star overlook to the zoo and wildflower garden. Singletrack trails drop riders back into South Roanoke. Five minutes from downtown to forest canopy. The star and overlook are accessible both from Roanoke and from a spur of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Free parking at multiple trailheads. Star Trail is the most popular climb.