Fancy Gap Cabins & Campground
Fancy Gap, Virginia
Imagine a forest-lined path traversing the mountain. The team pulling your coach are laboring along under the steep incline and rough terrain which get harder and colder during the winter. Bumping along in your carriage, your gaze wanders from side to side. There must be a better way.
These were the exact thoughts of young Ira Coltrane, a local teamster some time in the 1830s. Accounts differ, but at age 14 or 15 he knew that the steep stagecoach road was not the best route through the Blue Ridge Mountains near present-day Fancy Gap, Virginia.
Ira proclaimed to his companions that he saw an area deep in the gap that may provide a better path for traveling, saying it would make a “right fancy road.”
The town of Fancy Gap is about 12 miles from Mount Airy, with the highest elevation of the town being 2,894 feet. Imagine traveling to the Gap without the “Fancy Gap” way. Some documents suggest that it would have taken three or more days to cross from the Piedmont to the crest of the Blue Ridge, depending on your cargo and load.
We spent three nights at Fancy Gap Cabins & Campground in Fancy Gap, VA. The campground is right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. They are not an equestrian campground, but I sweet-talked the owners into letting us stay a few nights and they are open to other equestrian travelers.
For $54/night, we got a full hook-up site with a nice little wooden deck overlooking the forest. There is WIFI, a laundry, and a shower house.
The horses got their portable corrals and grass to eat, which they quickly demolished.
The owner told Ari that this campground has the largest “Virginia is for Lovers” mural in the state.
The Old Appalachian Trail is right across from the campground, so we spent an hour riding down the trail and getting to experience the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Charles, one of the owners, took Ari around the property, so Ari could see how to access the trails. There is a private trail that belongs to the campground, but it was seriously overgrown. Hopefully, Charles or one of his staff will be able to clean it up for future hikers and riders.
Charles recommended we eat a meal at Little Richards BBQ in Mt Airy, North Carolina, which is about a 30 minute drive down the mountain. He claimed Little Richards has the best BBQ in the state. I will say that it did not disappoint. It was really good BBQ and the service was excellent.
You can see Mt Airy in the very far distance. This is along the Old Appalachian Trail.
The horses have run out of peanut hay and are now eating grass hay. This means they are a lot calmer and easier to ride. We are riding on the grass here next to the Old Appalachian Trail.
Tomorrow we head to Iron Mountain Horse Camp in Ivanhoe, VA.