Virginia Highlands
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Virginia Highlands
One spectacular place to ride motorcycles in the American state of Virginia is the "Highlands" - the two counties (Bath, Highland) west of Interstate 81 and north of Interstate 64 (roughly north and west of Lexington, VA). The best route into the Highlands is, arguably, VA Route 39 (it connects with VA 252 just north of Lexington, the home of the Virginia Military Institute ), one of the state's "Scenic Routes". As you drive westward on VA 39, the road twists and turns as it plunges into (can you plunge upward?) the Highlands. Long stretches run beside a rushing mountain river. After passing through the town of Goshen (and Goshen Pass), you ascend to the seat of Bath County - Warm Springs.
Warm Springs is roughly west and south of the intersection of US 220 and VA 39. At the intersection, roughly north and west of the intersection, you might spot two white cone-shaped buildings. If you get a chance, stop there! These are the Warm Springs Public Baths - natural hot springs with amazingly clear, soothing water, tiny bubbles that act like a masseuse to ease road tensions from you. The buildings, by the way, were built from designs by Thomas Jefferson in the 1790s! Each is huge hemisphere with a center pole holding up the roof over the pool. Separate pools for men and women. Naked soaks are allowed. The water is amazingly clear - it's over six feet deep on the men's side but you can literally see a penny on the bottom. When you finish with your soak, you can go downstairs and the attendent will open a sluice gate to let water runoff from the pool in a kind of shower.
Warm Springs the town has several bed and breakfasts, an excellent restaurant and inn, and little else. Typical for small VA towns, there's a monument to Confederate soldiers outside the county building. The Inn at Gristmill Square is an interesting facility - it's built around an old gristmill (which now houses the restaurant), a silo (which has several of the larger guest rooms), and several other buildings around a small courtyard. Each room has its own unique style - one is early colonial, one looks like British Colonial, etc. Very nice place to stay. They have a website ( http://www.vainns.com/grist.htm ) that describes more and shows more about the town of warm springs.
You can continue west on VA 39 into West Virginia (a later journal entry), or go north or south on US 220. South takes you to Hot Springs, VA, the largest town in the Highlands. There is an internationally famous hotel, the Homestead, with golf courses, mud baths, hot spas, etc. This town has two "lives" - golf and winter sports. There are several truly fine links near the town; golfer Sammy Snead has a pub in town across 220 from the Homestead. Many of the winter activities center around the Homestead.
South of Warm Springs, just off VA 39, lies Douthat State Park. It's a hidden jewel of a campground/park. There is a restaurant built by the Civilian Construction Corps back in the Depression (1930s) that has a gift shop and serves great meals, include fish taken from the nearby reservoir (lake trout, et al.). Camping can be primitive or you can berth your RV starship at a site with full hookups. The restrooms are clean, the showers are hot. Of course, it goes without saying that there is great hiking and bicycle riding in the area. Oops. I actually did say it. Sorry, won't happen again.
If you go north from Warm Springs, you'll wend your way along valleys of the Allegheny Mtns - sometimes quite broad, other times barely wider than the highway. The next town up the road is Monterey, the seat of Highland County. Monterey is home for hunters and winter sports types. The Highland Inn ( http://www.highland-inn.com/ ) is a pleasant little country inn across from a greasy spoon restaurant (best/only diner in town). On nice days, you'll usually see one or two motorcycles outside the Inn or the diner.
You can take US 250 east from Monterey to get back to Interstate 81 and the Shenandoah Valley. Again, the road winds its way through the mountains, crossing some really scenic mountain countryside. Alternatively, you can take US 220 north from Monterey through West Virginia to Cumberland, Maryland (subject of another journal entry later). There are more towns along this route and more traffic but you still get to see a lot of great scenery.
In Warm Springs, Hot Springs and Monterey, you'll find many places that sell "antiques" and "collectibles". Most of the offerings seem like high-priced junk but ... well, caveat emptor, eh?
One spectacular place to ride motorcycles in the American state of Virginia is the "Highlands" - the two counties (Bath, Highland) west of Interstate 81 and north of Interstate 64 (roughly north and west of Lexington, VA). The best route into the Highlands is, arguably, VA Route 39 (it connects with VA 252 just north of Lexington, the home of the Virginia Military Institute ), one of the state's "Scenic Routes". As you drive westward on VA 39, the road twists and turns as it plunges into (can you plunge upward?) the Highlands. Long stretches run beside a rushing mountain river. After passing through the town of Goshen (and Goshen Pass), you ascend to the seat of Bath County - Warm Springs.
Warm Springs is roughly west and south of the intersection of US 220 and VA 39. At the intersection, roughly north and west of the intersection, you might spot two white cone-shaped buildings. If you get a chance, stop there! These are the Warm Springs Public Baths - natural hot springs with amazingly clear, soothing water, tiny bubbles that act like a masseuse to ease road tensions from you. The buildings, by the way, were built from designs by Thomas Jefferson in the 1790s! Each is huge hemisphere with a center pole holding up the roof over the pool. Separate pools for men and women. Naked soaks are allowed. The water is amazingly clear - it's over six feet deep on the men's side but you can literally see a penny on the bottom. When you finish with your soak, you can go downstairs and the attendent will open a sluice gate to let water runoff from the pool in a kind of shower.
Warm Springs the town has several bed and breakfasts, an excellent restaurant and inn, and little else. Typical for small VA towns, there's a monument to Confederate soldiers outside the county building. The Inn at Gristmill Square is an interesting facility - it's built around an old gristmill (which now houses the restaurant), a silo (which has several of the larger guest rooms), and several other buildings around a small courtyard. Each room has its own unique style - one is early colonial, one looks like British Colonial, etc. Very nice place to stay. They have a website ( http://www.vainns.com/grist.htm ) that describes more and shows more about the town of warm springs.
You can continue west on VA 39 into West Virginia (a later journal entry), or go north or south on US 220. South takes you to Hot Springs, VA, the largest town in the Highlands. There is an internationally famous hotel, the Homestead, with golf courses, mud baths, hot spas, etc. This town has two "lives" - golf and winter sports. There are several truly fine links near the town; golfer Sammy Snead has a pub in town across 220 from the Homestead. Many of the winter activities center around the Homestead.
South of Warm Springs, just off VA 39, lies Douthat State Park. It's a hidden jewel of a campground/park. There is a restaurant built by the Civilian Construction Corps back in the Depression (1930s) that has a gift shop and serves great meals, include fish taken from the nearby reservoir (lake trout, et al.). Camping can be primitive or you can berth your RV starship at a site with full hookups. The restrooms are clean, the showers are hot. Of course, it goes without saying that there is great hiking and bicycle riding in the area. Oops. I actually did say it. Sorry, won't happen again.
If you go north from Warm Springs, you'll wend your way along valleys of the Allegheny Mtns - sometimes quite broad, other times barely wider than the highway. The next town up the road is Monterey, the seat of Highland County. Monterey is home for hunters and winter sports types. The Highland Inn ( http://www.highland-inn.com/ ) is a pleasant little country inn across from a greasy spoon restaurant (best/only diner in town). On nice days, you'll usually see one or two motorcycles outside the Inn or the diner.
You can take US 250 east from Monterey to get back to Interstate 81 and the Shenandoah Valley. Again, the road winds its way through the mountains, crossing some really scenic mountain countryside. Alternatively, you can take US 220 north from Monterey through West Virginia to Cumberland, Maryland (subject of another journal entry later). There are more towns along this route and more traffic but you still get to see a lot of great scenery.
In Warm Springs, Hot Springs and Monterey, you'll find many places that sell "antiques" and "collectibles". Most of the offerings seem like high-priced junk but ... well, caveat emptor, eh?
