Nice place to get outside and listen to the rushing water of the river. Fishing is available if you are interested. Walking in the rocks near the river is great too. There is a nice view from the parking lot and steps down to a bench and overlook. Nice sand near the river for kids to play a bit. Smallest hydroelectric dam here with some history behind it. A train passed by while we visited.

Beautiful spot. something different. nice bridge, walk it! trails and views.

Not much to it. Theres a trail you can take down to the water (Fishermans Trail), or a quick trail to an overlook of the river.

Really a beautiful spot to go and chill, I went down there to practice my instrument and it was really nice

Easy little hike with some steps and great views, lots of interpretive plaques about the flora.

Nice trail with a lot of steps to take you to the water, but you know that what goes down must climb back up.The parking lot is spacious. The hike is about 20 minutes.

Beautiful gem in the forest out here, definitely worth a hike! Parking is free, waste bins are placed right outside the parking lot to keep cleanliness.

Short loop. Nice to relax on the rocks. It was a little trashy from flooding but there was a younger group cleaning up. Good to see that!

B-E-A-UTIFUL. I love the Castle on the cliff as my mom likes to call it. If you follow the first trail itll lead you to a stony overlook of the river. The second trail takes you to the actual river itself. One of my favorite things to do here is walk around on the rocks in the river with my fiance. So peaceful and quiet. Lots of places to explore.

3 stars only because I didnt land any fish lol.. but nice scenery and prepare for a lot of steps on the way back up! But it was a nice calf muscle workout.

Great place to pull off the parkway for a short hike to the river. You can wade in and enjoy the river.

Great place to take a dog for a walk.

Beautiful views abound here. Great shots of the Roanoke River from above and close down by the river. You also can see the dam and the bridge above from unique locations. There is a loop trail and a fishermans trail. Definitely worth the stop off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Very beautiful. Makes for great pictures and a nice walk

I accidentally stumbled upon this gem. I just pulled into because a car was following too close and I didnt want them behind me. I was parking and noticed the water in my rearview mirror. Im glad I stopped here. The view was a nice surprise.

Great place to checkout on the parkway. The hike down to the water isnt that bad. There is also a nice loop trail and overlook trail.

I enjoyed the walk and the botanical information on the signs.

Nice simple trail that is well maintained with a pretty overlook.

Spectacular views and multiple trails, some steep, some gentler, offering peace, plentiful nature & a gorgeous waterway.

Awesome over look good spot to watch the sun set and taken a hike

Great quick hike with the family.

One of many great overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and this one gives you a nice view of the Roanoke River, as well as the Niagara Dam, and the railroad trestle. Theres also a hiking trail here for a pedestrian overlook down just a bit behind the sign.

Great place with great scenery

Great views

Pretty awesome, walk down the wooden steps and you can see the Niagara Power Station. At your right at the bottom of the steps is a river flood stage indicator. It was at 9 feet when I was there.

Beautiful view. Captivating!! The long walk down to the bottom, follow the fishing trail, is a bit tedious. Make sure to wear suitable foot wear. Good hiking shoes or boots preferably with ankle support and excellent tread. My brand of choice is Merryl. Theyre a bit expensive but well worth the money for performance, durability, and wear. The point is to not cut corners when choosing your foot wear for this hike. There are a couple benches along the way to stop and rest if needed. Be sure to have a well stocked first aid kit with supplies to make a splint if needed. Make sure you have your cell phones charged and an emergency radio if cell service becomes poor. Let someone know your going and what time to expect you back. Like I said its a beautiful hike but can be dangerous if caution is not taken. Its not terrible by any stretch. Just need to be prepared. Below are some pictures as words can not describe the beautiful and serene environment.My buddy and I did some fishing there. Good spots along the bank and out in open water were its a bit turbulent. We spotted a few small mouth bass swimming near the Rocky shore line. A few carp jumped around. Apparently its good fishing for grass carp. Hiking up to the rapids is a little tough. Hence the good foot wear. A hiking or treking stick is advisable.Happy trails everyone!

Nice small hike.

Breathtaking from Blue Ridge Parkway AND up close plus great fishing!!

Beautiful spot. Nice little trail, scenery is fantastic. Nice Bridge to look over the sides of. If it had a small restroom facility would be even better.

Well kept trail.

Love this place never miss it when I go visit my son. Fall here is gorgeous

Its usually beautiful down here. Its quite the walk down. There are a few fish left down there, but you better know how to catch them

Beautiful place! Hike is short but a tad tough climbing back up but completely worth it!

This is a fun area with lots of trails, an awesome bridge with some fantastic sunrise views and some prime fishing spots. You can spend the whole afternoon scrambling on the rocks and checking out the area surrounding the dam.

Nice little walking trails lead you down near the river with some good views and scenery

Nice view of Roanoke river and surounding area. Walk across the bridge, its beautiful.

Above the clouds

Beautiful, especially when the water is low and you can explore the rocks. Ive visited this place many times, make sure you go on a sunny day!

Awesome spot. Lots of people fishing and families enjoying the area. Traveling through and stopped to do some homework. Enjoyed the scenery. Worth the walk down the trail. Be prepared for a decent track back up though.

Beautiful! Told its not worth the walk down...best view is from the top.

Absolutely love this place. Great place for family fun or just to have some alone time. Good for fishing swimming and tanning

Nice place to stop on a Sunday drive. A place where you can fish.

The kids had an amazing time here! They got to fish, swim, play in the sand and rock climb. If you go here make sure to wear water shoes. There are hooks that broke off fishing pools everywhere.The water is shallow at the shore but can quickly drop off. Bring a lifejacket for children to be safe.It is a bit of a hike downhill for little ones to get to the river. I recommend extreme supervision on the way down as there are some areas without a handrail and a dropoff. Nothing that should shy you away from going, just hold their hand on the way down.We went here for my sons birthday and he had a wonderful time.

Beautiful scenery. Nice trail through the woods down the gorge to the river. Good fishing, but you must obey Parkway regulations

Great view of the damn. If you like the treck its nice to get on the rocks and enjoy the sounds of the water!

Fun little walk

It is beautiful!

Pretty cool. Can get slippery lots of rocks but still fun.

It is a very nice view. There is a 1,000 ft trail to a closer overlook to the river. I had to straddle a fallen log blocking the trail, but it is an easy walk.

Great trail, lots of steps. Nice place for pictures

Great views with an easy hike.

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL

The Roanoke River Overlook was a nice photo spot. We enjoyed watching the laxy river go by.

Used to be a lot harder to access. Nice trail now!

Its worth walking down to the bridge - carefully - and check out the view from both sides

Good hiking boots are a must here as the trail gets precariously narrow with no handrails after you pass the pedestrian overlook; would not recommend going past this point on the loop trail if you have young children or pets.

Breathtaking

It would be a 5/5 if it werent for all the pollution on the trail and in the river.

Overall a short hike with a nice loop trail through the woods, overlook of the river, and river access. Lots of stairs though to get back up to the trail head.

Had a breakfast overlooking the damn. What a beautiful place. Picked up some trash left by some uncaring folks. Word to all who travel our national parkways, please keep it clean for all to enjoy.

They ruined it. I used to love it here but they ripped out 75% of the trees and put in steps all the way down. Now its over run by rugrats and all their littering. Its a shame.

Nice place to eat a picnic lunch.

A beautiful area to visit! We plan to go back and fish at some point

The new step path is awesome! Its a really nice place to go for a day outdoors.

Couldnt see anything...waste of time

Great

Its awesome here good veiws love it here

Trails need a little work but its still nice

Nice walk down to river. Dont litter!!!

Beautiful

Pretty spot, nice view up top and down by the river

Beautiful views. Nice brisk walk coming up from the river made it even that much better

Its a great quick stop along the parkway. Make sure you walk down to the water.

Amazing views of the gorge and the river from the bridge

There are a few short trails. I dont think they maintain much on the parkway

My son and I went hiking here when he was 3 or 4 and I remember thinking what a tough little guy. Hilly terrain and a good hike as well as some history but ultimately this overlook is responsible for memories with my son that will be cherished forever.

Beautiful view.

Very beautiful

Fresh air

The area is heavily traveled with some trash. There are endangered plants growing nearby that I monitor.

Beautiful place.

A beautiful spot near Roanoke, on the Blue Ridge Parkway. An easy hike down to an overlook, or harder hikes if youre feeling challenged.

This site features little Niagara dam a power source for AEP. The trails are good but short and need a little maintenance. The fishing is hit or miss but sometime you can find a rogue stripper.

Nice view. Short distance but steep climb back up.

Beautiful but be careful. Some areas are clearly a hiking path, other areas on the same route are doubtful. One part required the aid of grabbing a nearby tree because the drop off was over a foot and there was an increased risk of twisting my ankle and/or damaging my camera had I not done so. Also be mindful of the bridges going over the rain water runoff. At least one safety rail is not intact on all bridges, one bridge had both rails missing in one side. Had the other side been damaged, I would have turned back. I am not a teenager anymore and do not take any unnecessary risks.

Beautiful views on the Parkway

This is one of my favorite places to go to along the parkway

Beautiful views along the Blue Ridge Pkwy.

Beautiful

Beautiful ️

Beautiful spot. The hike down to the water is not for the faint of heart or weak of ankle.

Absolutely beautiful!! Lovely winding drive with great outlooks.

Nice little hike down to the river and over look. Beautiful scenery.

Amazing in the Spring.

Great stop for scenic view. Hike down to river is moderately hard with multiple starred sections that are quite steep.

Great views! Well maintained trails! River access!

Great veiw

Nice quick and easy hike to the river, great view

Beautiful

Beautiful area