Riding 666 to the Garden

One of the places on our list to visit was Burke's Garden. I don't recommend a trip to the area if you're expecting tons of stuff to keep you busy, as in shopping or lounging about an inn or something like that.

Because there's nothing remotely like that in Burke's Garden.

Part of the incomparable Burke's Garden.

What you have with the place is a 20,000 acre valley that sits at 3,000 feet above sea level. This valley is drained by a single tributary, which prevents the place from being Burke's Sea. The entire valley, save for that one water gap, is surrounded by mountains that tower anywhere from 4,000 feet to almost 5,000 feet above sea level. Burke's Garden itself is very sparsely populated, with only around 250 humans living there. It's an agricultural community with lots of farms and many head of livestock. Parts of the place must be quite ripe in warmer weather. I wouldn't drink the water in Gose Creek (which drains the cattle-heavy expanse).

I took this video standing beside what seemed to have been, at one time, the single elementary school in the valley. It was a school day and empty, so I assume it's closed down, these days. In addition, the community has located a series of garbage dumpsters on the site, so I guess they don't expect the children to return any time soon.

There is only one shop of any type to be found there. It's a quaint general store with some food and beer and a small grill, etc. The lady running it was very sweet. They have a single gas pump. Unleaded regular, I reckon, but I didn't need gas, so I didn't look to see what they had. We bought some firewood there and some chocolate-covered peanuts that totally rocked. I do recommend a stop there--the people who run it were most kind.

There is one paved road leading into the valley. I would suggest that you take that one if you are driving a conventional two-wheel drive auto. We came in from the east on a Forest Service road, and even with my four-wheel drive and high suspension Frontier it was pretty rugged. I guess the budget for Forest Service road repair is rather tight in recent months.

Another reason I wanted to see this remote community was for a single road sign. I'd heard about it and seen one photo of it and I wanted my photo taken standing under it:


I'll be heading back to Burke's Garden in the future. The Applachian Trail skirts the south side of the valley and there's a really isolated wilderness area there called Beartown Wilderness. I'll definitely return. Sooner, hopefully, rather than later.

High Priority

Some years back, having resigned myself to the fact that the human race is definitely going to destroy the Earth as we have known it, my wife and I endeavored to begin visiting this nation's wild places as fast as our jobs would allow us. For we had come to realize that it's all going to be gone, maybe before our natural lifespans conclude.

We are constantly scouring the Internet and searching for new places to visit. Surfing the net being what it is, we often stumble upon places that are relatively nearby and which seem exceedingly unique and, because of that character, exceedingly fragile and under threat. Because travel is becoming more and more expensive, we reserve one big trip far afield every year, and try to take several journeys far closer to home, but which are rewarding in natural beauty.

We've discovered some amazing places by seeking out the less known and lightly visited parks and rural areas. Also, because we feel that we're bound by time as we settle into middle age and the cancer of urban sprawl, we look to take these trips as often as we can.

Very high on our list is a rural discovery that we made online. In Tazewell County in the state of Virginia is a high mountain valley commonly referred to as "Burke's Garden". It is also known as "God's Thumbprint", due to its appearance when seen from high above. I have to say, it does indeed look to be the thumbprint of a gigantic deity making Her mark on the planet.

The God's Thumbprint

We're not sure if we're going to be able to see this part of the country in 2008, but it is on the radar and will likely be part of a multi-park swing through Virginia/West Virginia/Kentucky within the next twelve months.

I'll keep you posted when we finally do hit the area.

Chestnut Knob Shelter, one of the more unusual Appalachian Trail Shelters. Located high above Burke's Garden in Virginia.