Archive for July, 2008
Virginia Creeper Trail Information
Posted by Chris | Filed under Appalachian Trail, Southwest Virginia, Trail Information
The Virginia Creeper Trail Region, which covers the small picturesque communities of Damascus, Abingdon, Whitetop, Konnarock, Green Green Cove StationCove, Taylors Valley, and Alvarado, has many wonderful attractions to offer and has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the East. The area, settled over 200 years ago by very adventurous folks, is still the perfect playground for anyone with an adventurous spirit.
Today’s visitors will find the most modern of amenities and the Waterfallbarest of necessities. Use the Virginia Creeper Trail Info as a guide to help you experience the “heart” of the Creeper. Whether its biking the the Virginia Creeper Trail, hiking Virginia’s highest peaks, fishing the best trout streams in the East, exploring the same path Daniel Boone once traveled, or watching a performance at the world famous Barter Theater, the Virginia Creeper Trail Region is a fabulous recreational destination. Your copy of Creeper Trail Info will serve as a valuable tool in locating the area’s best dining, shopping and lodging establishments, the finest in arts and entertainment, and the best in family recreation all located within minutes of the Virginia Creeper Trail.
Websites with more information:
Virginia Creeper Trail Guide
Creeper Trail Info
Virginia.org
Comer’s Creek Falls Trail, Mt. Rogers NRA
Posted by Chris | Filed under Southwest Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
The main attraction of this short trail is the small Comers Creek waterfall, as well as the beautiful forested area. While you are on Homestead Road, look for signs of where the old homesteads used to be. Clues include stone foundations and “old timey” plants such as lilac, forsythia, roses and apple trees.
Length: 0.3 mile each way
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Elevation: 3,350′ to 3,450′
Blazes: Blue
Uses: Foot only
How to Get There: From I-81 (Interchange 45), take VA 16 south. At 16.5 miles (the top of Iron Mountain), take VA 741 (Homestead Road) to the right. In about half-a-mile, you will spot a small pull-off on the right side of the road for a couple of vehicles.
Beartree Lake Trail, Mt. Rogers NRA
Posted by Chris | Filed under Southwest Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
This leisurely trail winds around Beartree Lake, a popular area for fishing, swimming and other relaxing activities. This trail receives moderate to heavy use. About half of the trail is paved and suitable for wheelchairs. It gives access to two wheelchair accessible fishing docks. The lake is well-stocked with trout. All state fishing regulations and license requirements apply.
Length: 0.8 mile
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 3,000′
Blazes: None
Uses: Foot, wheelchairs only, no bikes
How to Get There: The Beartree Recreation Area is north of U.S. 58, 8.2 miles east of Damascus. From U.S. 58, turn north (left) onto FS 837. Watch for the Anglers Parking Lot on you right. Or you may continue on, pay a small fee per car and drive to a parking lot near the beach and bath house.
Booker T. Washington National Monument
Posted by Chris | Filed under Roanoke/New River Valley, State Parks, Trail Information
This 224 acre national monument in the southern Virginia piedmont honors the life and accomplishments of Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1915), who rose from humble beginnings as a slave to be known ultimately as America’s leading black educator. The monument protects and interprets the historic James Burroughs tobacco farm, where Washington was born and spent his childhood. At age 23, he became a teacher at the Hampton Institute, from which he graduated with honors. Two years later, he was named the principal of Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama.
The visitors center provides interpretive exhibits, an audiovisual program, and publications. The Plantation Trail leads visitors to a number of reconstructed farm buildings, and a picnic area is available. The monument is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Access from I-81 is by the way of I-581 through Roanoke to U.S. Route 220, then south 16 miles to Rocky Mount, and north through Burnt Chimney on State Route 122 to the monument entrance.
Address:
12130 B.T. Washington Highway
Hardy, VA 24101-9688
703-721-2094
Website:
http://www.nps.gov/bowa/
Colonial National Historical Park
Posted by Chris | Filed under Central Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
This 9,352 acre park in the Tidewater are of eastern Virginia protects and interprets two sites: part of the site of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607 on Jamestown Island in the James River; and the site of the decisive American-French victory over British forces in 1781 in th Battle of Yorktown at the mouth of the York River. The two park units are connected by the 23-mile Colonial Parkway.
Jamestown
Hardships beset the budding community from the outset. A fever that was likely typhoid claimed many lives; the island’s brackish water was undrinkable; perishable food spoiled; was virtually unbreathable; prolific mosquitoes and other insects made life miserable; and in the first cold, damp winter, more than 60 settlers perished from illness and starvation. Two winters later, the death toll reached 500, leaving a mere 60; but 1610, a large group of new settlers arrived from England just in time to save Jamestown from almost certain abandonment. From the beginning, there had been almost constant conflict between the settlers and the native Indians, who were alarmed by the rapid takeover of their traditional ands, especially with the settlers’ clearing of land on which to grow tobacco. In 1622, the Powhatan Indians finally retaliated: close to 350 settlers were killed (about one-third of the population), and nearly all outlying settlements were destroyed.
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Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Posted by Chris | Filed under Northern Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
This 28 acre memorial, located in Arlington, Virginia protects and interprets the elegant antebellum home known known as Arlington House, which was completed in 1817 and owned by the Curtis and Lee families. Robert E. Lee lived in this house for 30 years, before the outbreak of the Civil War. On April 17, 1861, Virginia seceded from the Union; on April 20, Lee resigned from the U.S. Army; on April 22, he was appointed commander of the state’s military forces; and in May, Virginia and Lee’s forces joined the Confederacy. On April 1865, the war ended when Lee surrendered his army’s weapons to Union Commander, Ulysses S. Grant, at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. In 1955, Arlington House was designated as a memorial to Robert E. Lee, a man who had gained respect of Americans in both the North and South.
Visitors touring Arlington House enter by the impressive marbled-columned, front portico and continue through rooms on the first and second floors. The house, which is located adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery, is open daily except Christmas and New Year’s Day. Access from Washington D.C. is a short walk or drive across the Potomac River by way of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, to the Arlington Memorial Cemetery visitor center parking area, and a short walk up the hill to the mansion. From within Virginia, the area is reached by the George Washington Memorial Parkway. A shuttle service and the Metro subway’s Blue Line stop at Arlington Cemetery.
Address:
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Turkey Run Park
McClean, VA 22101-0001
703-557-0613
Website:
http://www.nps.gov/arho/
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Posted by Chris | Filed under Central Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
The 1,775 acre national historical park, at the village of Appomattox Court House in central Virginia, protects and interprets the Civil War site where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his 35,000 man Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865. It was there also that Confederate weapons were surrendered, on April 12 - four years to the day after the way began.
The visitor center in the reconstructed county court house provides interpretive exhibits, audiovisual programs, and publications. Living history programs are presented during the summer, and a walking tour of the reconstructed buildings is offered. Access is by the way of the Appomattox exit of U.S. Route 460 (about 20 miles east of Lynchburg), and just north of State Route 24.
Address:
PO Box 218
Appomattox, VA 24522-0218
Website:
http://www.nps.gov/apco/
