Home to some of the most fertile land in Virginia, the resultant valley is the highest in the state. It is also home to some fantastic wildlife and awe-inspiring scenery. The country store just before the school marks the official start of the Heart of Appalachia Bike Trail.
Park at the school and explore the area on bike or on foot. They provided fish for the state for years to stock trout streams. He had served in the CCC during the depression then worked for the state before settling down here.
I have fond memories of visiting grandpa's farm and hunting, fishing and playing in the valley. My grandmother was a beautiful soul who loved her grandkids dearly and always had a hot breakfast ready.
I can still smell the bacon, eggs and potatoes cooking as I woke in the big bed in the attic where us kids slept. Many an hour was spent looking for fossils high on the mountain, or swinging on the old swing in the tree in the yard. Sadly, the farm is gone now and the old house no longer exists except in memories.
Brian Bunn days ago. Diana Casey more than 1 year ago. I was doing some research on Ancestry and found my cousin on my dad's side about 10 years ago. Long story short his daughter Sharon and her family live in Burke's Garden and we have visited often. Truly indeed, this is one of the most beautiful, peaceful and amazing places I have ever seen. Words can't describe it so you need to visit and see for yourself. Anyone know the Kimberlins that live in Burke's Garden?
I am kin to them and would love to find where they live now? I lived the next place down from the Kimberlins in the 70's but I have no idea where they are now. I left Tazewell county for 30 years and just came back 7 years ago. Lost track of everything. John Peery days ago. The farmers were busy every day you visited them either milking their cows, planting their corn, chopping their corn, etc I always enjoyed making a round through the Garden during corn harvest time and always had to stop at the Burks Garden Store for a refreshment and snack!
Jim Eaton more than 2 years ago. I went home with Jimmy one weekend and thought that Burkes Garden was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. My wife and I dropped by to see Jimmy in about he Was living in a mobile home on his parents farm and had a fairly new baby.
He showed me around the farm again and his new Ford tractor. I did not see the Brown name on the residence sign wonder if anyone could share any information on Jim and his family. Walt Sheppard -- wesheep2 yahoo. Walter Sheppard more than 5 years ago. Sadly Daddy passed away a year and a half ago. I have emailed you. I hope to hear from you. I would love to hear about him and meet an old buddy of his! Misty Crouse more than 5 years ago.
Angela more than 5 years ago. What a fantastic article!! I spent summers, as a child in the Garden. It holds so many wonderful memories for me and my family. I enjoy visiting whenever I can. I am part of the Rhudy family and proud to have this heritage. Hard work, family bonds and the most beautiful place on Earth. Thanks for a wonderful article! Lisa more than 6 years ago.
Some small-acreage farms were bought by individual land owners. Education and religious institutions were the social outlet for the people of the valley. Private, public, and advanced educational opportunities were available to the local student in addition to those outside the valley.
Fund-raising activities plus study clubs presented varied and unique experiences. The valley influence produced many well-known professional people who migrated to other parts of the world as well as those who remain in this section. A religious desire started in with the arrival of families. Follow the winding road with many switchbacks approximately 5 miles, first over Brushy Mountain, then over Garden Mountain and into Burkes Garden.
Phone Beartown Wilderness [ Fig. Beartown Wilderness, encompassing 6, steep, rugged acres west of Burkes Garden, has no roads and only one primitive hiking trail leading into it. Vehicles with a high wheel base can take a rough road from the lower parking area of the wilderness to Chestnut Ridge on the southern border of the wilderness.
The well-maintained Appalachian Trail AT , blazed with white bars, also runs along this ridge for 3 miles. The northern border of the wilderness is the equally formidable Clinch Mountain. A few old logging roads are fast being reclaimed by the forest.
Blow-downs, fallen limbs, and new growth make even foot travel a challenge. For those who enjoy wilderness, however, the difficulty of access is a plus. Exploring streams, hollows, and slopes is a solitary venture, where the eyes of wild animals rather than other people watch visitors curiously. Few people take the trouble to follow Roaring Fork, a native trout stream, to its beginnings on the Tennessee Valley Divide on Garden Mountain, where a stunning view of Burkes Garden opens up below.
Fewer still have identified rare plants that exist here, or found the beaver ponds or the sphagnum bog where Cove Branch begins. Those hardy souls who become familiar with Beartown know it for its diversity.
Elevations vary from 2, feet at Roaring Forks's confluence with Laurel Creek to 4, feet on the ridgetops. A northern spruce-fir forest grows at high elevations. Red oak, chestnut oak, white oak, and varieties of hickory dominate the dry slopes.
Hemlocks and heavy thickets of rhododendron hug the protected hollows. An angler wading Roaring Fork in spring to fish for native brookies may hear wild turkey gobbling in the forest. A bobcat may slip through the undergrowth, unnoticed. In summer, resident warblers flit through the heath thickets where white-tailed fawns lay hidden. Blue jays flock in the tops of white oaks in fall while, below, a chipmunk with bulging cheek pouches scoots back and forth, storing a cache of nuts in its burrow for winter.
The "yank-yank" of a nuthatch or bell-like whistle of a tufted titmouse keeps the woods alive during winter's icy grip. Camping is available at an AT shelter on the southeast corner of the wilderness. Because the wilderness is part of the Jefferson National Forest, visitors can also camp anywhere within it. Visitors need their topo map, compass, and a water supply before starting out.
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