A Nature Walk Around Pandapas Pond: What Will You See?

A map of Pandapas Pond (Photo Credit: twoknobbytires)

Pandapa's pond is a beautiful natural wonder of the New River Valley. Located roughly 15 minutes northwest of Blacksburg, Virginia, where Virginia Tech resides, you can imagine it's a pretty popular place. This beautiful pond features a slew of different plants, animals, and people inhabiting the park any time of the year; the diversity is astounding! There are hours worth of activities to take advantage of from fishing, trail walking/running, biking, horse trailing, mountain biking, and so much more. Parking is free and plentiful, so you don't have to worry about missing out on the opportunities available if it's a busy fall or spring day.

If you decide to take the short drive out to Pandapas Pond for a nice leisurely walk or hike, you may want to know a little about what you are getting yourself into. Lucky for you, that's exactly what this article is going to tell you (without ruining the fun, of course)!

A beautiful picture of the nice quality trails Pandapas Pond has to offer (Photo Credit: twoknobbytires)

Trailing around both Pandapas Pond and the wetland area adds up to be roughly 2 miles with little changes in elevation, so you will get your steps in along a nice walk. The trail is wide and smooth, making it suitable for people of all ages and dogs too.

A depiction of the elevation change of the trail around Pandapas Pond beginning at the lower parking lot
 (Photo Credit: twoknobbytires)

If fishing is your forte, you'll be happy to know that Pandapas Pond is stocked with Trout from October to May and is as deep as fourteen feet in some places. A fishing license and National Forest stamp are required for anyone older than fifteen years of age. There are multiple areas designated for fishing as well as a metal dock that travels roughly 25ft into the pond so you can reach those stubborn fish in the middle of the pond! Pandapas even participates in Kid's Fishing Day on the first Saturday in May where children fifteen or younger can fish to win prizes!

Other than fish, you may be wondering what other types of wildlife you might see here. As stated above, Pandapas does feature a beautiful wetland area along the trail that is home to lots of little critters. Among these, you might find tadpoles, baby turtles, newts, ducks and geese, and more. The stocked trout also feed on the smaller aquatic life in the wetland pond, so you might even see a trout rise to the surface of the pond!

Following the path out of the wetlands, you will enter a wooded area that is home to lots of other land-dwelling creatures. Among those, white-tail deer, squirrels, great horned and barred owls, woodpeckers, and green herons may be trotting through the woods, so keep your eyes peeled!

A beaver dam built in Pandapas Pond (Photo Credit: twoknobbytires)

Another exciting critter to be on the lookout for is beavers; they are prevalent and active in and around Pandapas Pond. Male and female beavers live together in beaver lodges that you may see in the more shallow-depth areas of the pond. Beavers eat shrubs and aquatic vegetation around the pond and can grow to be almost 80 pounds!

For the dendrology lovers, you won't be disappointed either; the vegetation at Pandapas is versatile and beautiful. While walking through the forested portion of the trails, you may see Table Mountain Pine, Virginia Pine, Rhododendron, Broom Sage Grass, and so much more. If you visit in the spring, summer, or early fall, you will be pleasantly surprised at the blankets of wildflowers covering the pathways as well. Touch-me-nots, coltsfoots, and asters will be plentiful in the late fall, for example.

Spotted Touch-me-not found along the trail at Pandapas Pond in September
(Photo Credit: twoknobbytires)

Pandapas Pond is a gem of a recreation area that we are so blessed to have so close to us in Blacksburg, Virginia. With the multitude of activities to participate in, the wildlife to see, the flowers to smell, the trees to identify, and the beauty to take in, you'll never be disappointed at what you will see. There are also a multitude of other trails throughout the property that you may want to take advantage of if you are interested in hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding.

Map of trails at Pandapas Pond (Photo Credit: twoknobbytires)

Regardless of your activity of choice, or if you just want a nice, quiet place to set up a hammock or have a picnic, you will find plenty of beauty surrounding you!

References: Pandapas Pond -- Field Guide for a Nature Hike -- Blacksburg, Virginia. (2010, April 21). Retrieved November 20, 2017, from https://blog.twoknobbytires.com/2010/04/21/pandapas-pond-field-guide-for-nature/