Photos by Amy Hanek | Special to The Roanoke Times

John Hanek and his children Cameron and Madison consider swimming to the diving platform at the beach and swimming area of Hungry Mother State Park.

John, Madison and Cameron Hanek check out the wildlife around Hungry Mother Lake via paddle boat.

Cameron and Emma Hanek work together to catch a crawfish in the creek that runs past six of the park's campsites.

My family and I are avid campers. We have a pop-up camper and pack it up every year, at least once, to embark on a wild adventure. Last month, my husband, John, and I took our three children, Emma, 12; Cameron, 10; and Madison, 8, camping at Hungry Mother State Park. We also brought Emma's friend, 12-year-old Heather, to join the fun.

The history

With mountainous views, a quiet lake and miles of scenic trails, many would find it difficult to imagine Hungry Mother State Park near Marion as anything other than a fun camping destination. But there's a tragic legend that goes with the park. It was named after a mother who escaped from her Indian captors with her small daughter.

As settlers headed into the New River Valley, the Indians in the area became agitated and began attacking. The settlers who survived these attacks were captured and forced to join tribes. Molly Marley and her daughter were among those survivors.

Soon after her capture, Marley decided to escape with her little girl. She walked for weeks doing her best without shelter and food. The only sustenance Marley could provide for herself and her daughter were nuts and berries. She gave most of what was collected to her daughter, and it wasn't long before Marley collapsed along a creek.

The little girl wandered along the stream until settlers found her. All this girl could say was, "hungry mother." The settlers soon found Marley where her daughter left her, dead from starvation.

For many years, the local residents continued to refer to this creek as Hungry Mother Creek. In 1933, this creek and the land surrounding it were donated to the state. The creek was dammed to form the lake and the park was named Hungry Mother State Park, in honor of Marley.

This park is also one of Virginia's six original state parks. Six hundred men with the Civilian Conservation Corps worked from 1933 to 1941 to complete cabins, paths and shelters that still stand today.

The lake

What I loved about this 108-acre lake was that it's completely encompassed by the state park, making it a quiet retreat. Boats are allowed to only have electric motors .

My kids begged to hit the beach as soon as we were done cranking up our pop-up camper. Of course, we complied.

Madison and Cameron hung out with me in the shallow water, wading around and even making sand castles. Emma and Heather were more adventurous. My husband took them to the deep water where a platform floated.

There are paddleboats, canoes and kayaks for rent. Prices range from $4 to $25. Each paddleboat can fit four people comfortably (and six uncomfortably). Despite my kids' efforts to rent their own boats, everyone was glad they had partners to take over when they tired.

The kids and I also tried out the tandem and single kayaks one afternoon. Everyone but Cameron shared a tandem boat. He insisted that he have his own. As we all worked in sync with our teammates to paddle around, Cameron learned that having his own boat meant paddling all by himself. It didn't take long for him to complain about his arms getting tired. So my advice to the novice "kayakers" out there is: Go in teams of two, just in case.

Summer programs

On the night we arrived, the girls and I went to the amphitheater for a "Welcome Y'all Campfire." The amphitheater is tucked away over a bridge on an island. I loved the secret path that wound through the woods. It sparked the imagination.

Did you know that opossums are marsupials? And that a bobcat cry sounds like a woman screaming? These tidbits were given during the campfire as the rangers passed animal furs around for us to investigate. Madison got a kick out of the bobcat's long teeth.

Then it was storytime. And what better story is there than the legend of the woman for whom the park is named? Children raised their hands and were chosen for different roles on the amphitheater's stage. An impromptu play followed as the rangers narrated this local lore.

Soon, the campfire got going, and a sing-along ensued. Song books were passed around and adults and kids requested different songs for the group to sing. We began with "Bingo" and went onto "Country Roads" and finished with "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt."

There are at least two programs -- such as campfires, group hiking or river exploring -- every day at the park during the summer.

The campsites

For some, it's all about which site you choose. This is definitely true at Hungry Mother.

Campground B is the most coveted. There are 20 nicely wooded sites in this area with water and electric hookups. Many campers will reserve here in hopes of finding an open site along the creek.

When making our reservation, we were able to reserve this campground but were not guaranteed a particular site. Arriving after 2 p.m., we missed out on a creek site. If we had arrived 15 minutes earlier, it would have made a huge difference.

If you're serious about camping along the creek, arrive before noon.

We pulled into our campsite across the street from the creek sites and the children found entry to the creek anyway. If you're reserving in this campground, make sure to bring disposable containers and small fish nets for the kids. They'll want to search for tadpoles and crawfish. Just prepare your little ones to catch and release the wildlife they find.

If we had been tent camping, Campground C would have been a good choice. It's along the main road and filled with primitive tent site platforms in top-notch locations. Some of them sat over small cliff edges, making the sites feel as if they were among tree tops. These sites were also larger and more wooded, making them more private.

Campground A and Camp Burson are the remaining campgrounds. I wasn't able to see Campground A, but we drove past Camp Burson -- and I wouldn't recommend it. The sites were lined up in neat little rows, and they looked much smaller than anything else in the park.

Shade was also an issue -- there wasn't much of it. The reason some might choose Camp Burson is that the sites are easy for large RVs or trailers to pull into, and this is the only location in the park where a sewage dump is available.

Additional information

Hiking trails are among the many amenities this park offers. They range greatly in grade and length. If you love to hike, bring your gear and scale Molly's Knob. This trail is only 1.6 miles long, but I've been told it's pretty steep. The elevation at the top of Molly's Knob is 3,270 feet.

Another amenity is the Hemlock Haven Conference Center. This center is surrounded by basketball, volleyball and tennis courts. Cabins numbered 21 through 25 are nearby, making them very popular to reserve.