Rolling east on U.S. 60, the Midland Trail, soon found me and my valiant new steed Alegany leaving the familiar dendretic drainage west of the Alleghany Front. Commencing south on WV 12, we eased into the Ridge and Valley with its long north south ridges alternating with agricultural limestone valleys and on to the VA state line at Peterstown, WV. After a caffeine stop, Alegany led the way along New River into the Old Dominion at Narrows, VA then south along Wolf Creek Valley on VA 61. In Rocky Gap we aimed south by southeast along U.S. 52, the North Scenic Highway, to Bastian, VA where making our way to Burkes Garden was the plan.
Very few folks venture into Burkes Garden by mistake; it’s one of those places you must deliberately seek out. It is completely surrounded by heavily forested resistant sandstone ridges of 4000 feet and higher. My first attempt was through the heart of the Jefferson National Forest along Round Mountain Road. However, the U. S. Forest Service had other ideas as they closed the road for reconstruction. By the time the gate came into sight, Alegany and me were already on a steep grade and I had to grapple with Alegany to convince her to turn around and seek an alternate route.
Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, I hit the kill switch, deployed the kickstand and ejected. I then fired her back up and walked her back and forth turning the handlebars first one way then the other until the front wheel was headed downhill. Clutch in, I walked along side her controlling our descent with the front brake. Once on the level, I went back to take a couple of photos of that blasted gate and made myself a promise to visit a Forest Service District office for a detailed map very soon. We headed back into Bastian to find another way.
Near Suiter, we made a successful summit attempt on Burkes Garden Road that joins Round Mountain Road on the Bland /Tazewell County line. Continuing due West, we took a break to ogle the breezy ridge top scenery near a benchmark designated ‘Carter’ that as best I can decipher is a gap through Garden Mountain, gateway to the idyllic Burkes Garden Valley. From Carter, we descended about 800 feet to the east end of Burkes Garden. Burkes Garden or God’s Thumprint, once an ancient seabed, is filled with highly erodible limestone and shale and is believed to have formed when water eroded massive limestone caverns under the valley that subsequently collapsed to form what we see today. Out front of the former post office, I took Alegany’s picture and then we headed south.
Alegany soon began to climb Garden Mountain. After a brief lunch at the summit, we crossed the famed Appalachian Trail and made our way gingerly around numerous switchbacks and 1500 feet drop-offs on the narrow but well maintained mountain road over the Brushy Mountain Tennessee Valley Divide to Sharon Springs and VA 42, the Bluegrass Trail.
Within a couple of miles, I turned onto Old Mountain Road and wound my way to the Big Walker Mountain Overlook along the South Scenic Highway U. S. 52 on the Bland/Wythe county line where I took a break for rubbernecking and photographs. Alegany and me continued south to Kenning Road and the Stony Fork Valley between Big and Little Walker Mountains. A brief detour to scout the Stony Fork campground for future reference led to a fortuitous encounter with a hen turkey and her poults.
Alegany begin to smell the winds of home and with sails at full billow, we set off northeast for more familiar environs. I stopped momentarily at Pearisburg Dairy Queen for much need air-conditioning break and a cooling Blizzard ice cream treat as well as a quick ‘I’m running late again’ phone call, but we were soon we were home telling tales of great conquest.
Scratchin' Dirt video...s10 burkes
Very few folks venture into Burkes Garden by mistake; it’s one of those places you must deliberately seek out. It is completely surrounded by heavily forested resistant sandstone ridges of 4000 feet and higher. My first attempt was through the heart of the Jefferson National Forest along Round Mountain Road. However, the U. S. Forest Service had other ideas as they closed the road for reconstruction. By the time the gate came into sight, Alegany and me were already on a steep grade and I had to grapple with Alegany to convince her to turn around and seek an alternate route.
Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, I hit the kill switch, deployed the kickstand and ejected. I then fired her back up and walked her back and forth turning the handlebars first one way then the other until the front wheel was headed downhill. Clutch in, I walked along side her controlling our descent with the front brake. Once on the level, I went back to take a couple of photos of that blasted gate and made myself a promise to visit a Forest Service District office for a detailed map very soon. We headed back into Bastian to find another way.
Near Suiter, we made a successful summit attempt on Burkes Garden Road that joins Round Mountain Road on the Bland /Tazewell County line. Continuing due West, we took a break to ogle the breezy ridge top scenery near a benchmark designated ‘Carter’ that as best I can decipher is a gap through Garden Mountain, gateway to the idyllic Burkes Garden Valley. From Carter, we descended about 800 feet to the east end of Burkes Garden. Burkes Garden or God’s Thumprint, once an ancient seabed, is filled with highly erodible limestone and shale and is believed to have formed when water eroded massive limestone caverns under the valley that subsequently collapsed to form what we see today. Out front of the former post office, I took Alegany’s picture and then we headed south.
Alegany soon began to climb Garden Mountain. After a brief lunch at the summit, we crossed the famed Appalachian Trail and made our way gingerly around numerous switchbacks and 1500 feet drop-offs on the narrow but well maintained mountain road over the Brushy Mountain Tennessee Valley Divide to Sharon Springs and VA 42, the Bluegrass Trail.
Within a couple of miles, I turned onto Old Mountain Road and wound my way to the Big Walker Mountain Overlook along the South Scenic Highway U. S. 52 on the Bland/Wythe county line where I took a break for rubbernecking and photographs. Alegany and me continued south to Kenning Road and the Stony Fork Valley between Big and Little Walker Mountains. A brief detour to scout the Stony Fork campground for future reference led to a fortuitous encounter with a hen turkey and her poults.
Alegany begin to smell the winds of home and with sails at full billow, we set off northeast for more familiar environs. I stopped momentarily at Pearisburg Dairy Queen for much need air-conditioning break and a cooling Blizzard ice cream treat as well as a quick ‘I’m running late again’ phone call, but we were soon we were home telling tales of great conquest.
Scratchin' Dirt video...s10 burkes
