>>1877594Don't let the fire limits in shining rock discourage you. There are places up there at lower elevations along the Art Lobe in the forest where you can have fires. Part of the problem is there's not really anything to burn because it's a bald mountain. I honestly wouldn't go unless it's good weather tho.
Mount Rogers/Grayson highlands in Virginia is a great area and my personal favorite in the southeast, it's definitely worth going the extra couple hours to reach. However the parking in the Grayson overnight lot (the easiest way to access the highlands) is now by reservation only to chill out the crowds in the back country; you do have to reserve it ahead of time. If not you might have to hike in a little further or take a SUV/truck up to the Scales on the Mount Rodgers side. You cannot camp inside the state park but the national forest side is a wonderland and you could definitely spend a week exploring around Mount Rodgers then down to the Scales and a little ways to the north east from there.
Keep in mind that you should be carrying bear proof canisters/bags almost anywhere in Appalachia because it is difficult to hang food in most national forest, especially if you want to disperse camp. Black bears are starting to become a issues because the AT hikers can be idiots about storing food properly.
Water sources can also be tricky to find so do your research and always try to fill up when you pass a spring or a stream.