Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!
From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia Outdoor Adventures Podcast is your local guide to hiking, camping, kayaking, travel and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure, right here in Virginia. Lets Go!
Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!
Virginia’s Adventure Towns: Fries – Grayson County’s Hidden Gem on the New River, with Kevin Combs and Ricky Barton (Ep 81, Part 1)
When you think of Grayson County, you probably picture some of the most iconic outdoor destinations in Virginia, such as the sweeping vistas of Grayson Highlands or the summits of Mount Rogers or Whitetop. But just down the New River lies a place that’s every bit as rich in beauty and history - the small, riverside town of Fries.
Once a bustling textile mill town, Fries is now a quiet haven for paddlers, cyclists, and hikers seeking a slower pace. You can launch your kayak right into the New River, pedal New River Trail State Park, or join a ranger-led history tour that brings the town’s past to life. In the evenings, the air fills with the sound of banjos and fiddles during weekly music jams that celebrate Fries’ deep roots in Appalachian culture.
I’m joined by Kevin Combs, a Fries native, photographer, musician, and tourism manager who shares how the town is embracing its outdoor and cultural identity. We’ll also hear from Ricky Barton, who created the New River Float Calculator, an interactive tool that helps paddlers plan their trips. Ricky shares his expert tips for exploring the New River, from leisurely Class I floats with the family to adrenaline-packed Class III rapids.
Along the way, we’ll discover hidden gems throughout Grayson County, plus local dining and unique lodging.
Get ready to experience a place where music, history, and adventure meet on the banks of the New River. This is Fries - one of Virginia’s Adventure Towns. Let’s Go!
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Mentioned in this Episode:
The Crooked Road Heritage Music Trail
Thursday Night Music Jams - Fries
Mount Rogers National Recreation Area
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From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a Mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia Outdoor Adventures Podcast is your local guide for hiking, camping, kayaking, travel, and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure. Right here in Virginia. I'm your host, Jessica Bowser. When you think of Grayson County, you probably picture some of the most iconic outdoor destinations in Virginia, such as the sweeping vistas of Grayson Highlands or the summits of Mount Rogers or White Top. But just down the New River lies a place that's every bit as rich in beauty and history, the small riverside town of Freeze. Once a bustling textile mill town, Freeze is now a quiet haven for paddlers, cyclists, and hikers seeking a slower pace. You can launch your kayak right into the New River, pedal New River Trail State Park, or join a ranger led history tour that brings the town's past to life. In the evenings, the air fills with the sound of banjos and fiddles during weekly music jams that celebrate Frieze's deep roots in Appalachian culture. I'm joined by Kevin Combs, a Freeze native photographer, musician, and tourism manager who shares how the town is embracing its outdoor and cultural identity. We'll also hear from Ricky Barton, who created the New River Float Calculator, an interactive tool that helps paddlers plan their trips. Ricky shares his expert tips for exploring the New River from leisurely Class 1 floats with the family to adrenaline-packed Class III Rapids. Along the way, we'll discover hidden gems throughout Grayson County, plus local dining and unique lodging. Get ready to experience a place where music, history, and adventure meet on the banks of the New River. This is Freeze, one of Virginia's adventure towns. Let's go. Kevin and Ricky, welcome to Virginia Outdoor Adventures.
SPEAKER_02:Good morning, Jessica. It's great to be here. Good morning. Thanks so much for the invite.
SPEAKER_00:What do you love about Grayson County?
SPEAKER_02:What I like about Grayson County is, first of all, the climate. It's significantly cooler up here than it is, say, down in the flatlands, what we call it. And then the um landscape is just beautiful here. I'm a photographer and I love the scenery and beauty of the area.
SPEAKER_01:From my perspective, I've been a lot of places and been fortunate enough to see some uh amazing scenery. I know that in North America there's only like a few wild places left, right? Like there's a few places that are still wild. And uh for me, that's that's just Grayson County. You can go into this place, you can throw your boat in the water, you can hit a trail, and in 10 minutes you're in this wild environment. It's just absolutely awesome. I love it out there.
SPEAKER_00:Both of you are really fascinating people with interesting backgrounds. Could you tell us a little bit about yourselves and your connection to Grayson County?
SPEAKER_02:Well, uh, I grew up here. Uh I grew up uh near Freeze. By the way, that my hometown is called Freeze, Virginia. It's spelled F-R-I-E-S, but it's pronounced Freeze. And uh the joke here is it's fries in the summer and freeze in the winter. So that's my connection to the county. And I went and worked in Carolina for a few years, but I'm back now, retired, semi-retired.
SPEAKER_01:I came back because of my love of the place. I was brought into Grayson County to map river systems, trail systems for recreation development. So one of the businesses that uh own and operate is OAC, where we build recreation infrastructure. And part of that is GIS mapping and trying to better understand, you know, how long it takes you to get through, you know, a recreational asset, or where is it, or where are the access points. So I was living in uh Damascus and did for a long time and was introduced to Grayson County on the New River first, and then some of the county leadership had reached out and asked if I could come over and do some mapping for recreation. And I said, Yeah, that sounds awesome. So that's how I got over there.
SPEAKER_00:Let's start with what people might already know. Grayson County is packed with iconic outdoor destinations. Kevin, when people hear names like Grayson Highlands, Mount Rogers, the Virginia Creeper Trail, what do you think draws them to the region?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I think it's the natural beauty, uh, of course. Um this area is known as the rooftop of Virginia because the highest elevation mountains are in this area. I think all the mountains that are over 5,000 feet are in Grayson County. So they think of the highlands. They may think of the music, definitely the recreational opportunities such as the New River, Grayson Highlands State Park, and hiking, horseback riding.
SPEAKER_00:How do these iconic places shape people's impressions of the area? Do you think that they capture the full story of Grayson County's outdoor opportunities?
SPEAKER_02:No, I don't. Uh there are many more opportunities that are available other than what we've mentioned so far, such as bouldering, for example. That's uh yeah, I didn't even know that was a thing until recently, but the bouldering sport. There's some sites in Grayson Highlands Park.
SPEAKER_00:Actually, Grayson Highlands has gotten really popular for bouldering. I'm pretty sure that there's a a club that goes there quite frequently.
SPEAKER_02:And uh fishing is a big thing here, uh, especially in Freeze or along the New River. We have muskies, uh, walleye, catfish, smallmouth bass. So there are a variety of recreational opportunities in the area.
SPEAKER_00:So, Kevin, like you were saying, so many people come to Grayson County for the mountains, for the high elevations, the views, the really unique landscape. But just a few miles away, there's a whole other kind of adventure waiting on the New River. So we are gonna talk in this episode about the town of Freeze because I feel like so many people are already familiar with the iconic locations around Grayson County. But the town of Freeze offers so much for outdoor adventurers, and these are the lesser-known places. So for people who are already visiting Grayson County, who are already thinking about the iconic locations, this is a good bit of information to add to their itinerary, things that they don't want to miss in and around Freeze. So let's kick off the conversation about Freeze. Kevin, give us a backstory since you're from the area. It's a fascinating town, both historically and how it's transformed in recent years.
SPEAKER_02:Freeze was built from the ground up pretty much in the early 1900s, around the turn of the 20th century. An entrepreneur from Winston-Salem by the name of Colonel Francis Henry Freeze founded the town, and he built it by spending$2 million, which is hard to believe, but that was for the town, a dam, and a textile factory. In today's dollars, that'd be about$80 million, but still, that you know, that was quite inexpensive. But at the time, houses were built with very little comfort, uh, not much insulation, that type of thing. But anyway, the town was built at that time and it ran a textile factory. The dam powered the textile factory first by hydromechanical power and then later by hydroelectric. The mill competed very well up until the late 1980s, and then imports from other countries uh ran it out of the business. So the town started having to look for other ways to survive, and there was a railroad that ran into town. So one of the first things that happened, the railroad bed was abandoned and it was turned into a rails to trails park, which is the New River Trail State Park. Then other tourism-related activities took over, and now the town is a bedroom community, I guess, for some areas, you know, as far as work, and then it's a tourism-related town as far as uh supporting the trail and other camping and recreational opportunities in the area.
SPEAKER_00:Kevin, when I visited Freeze, you took me on a tour of the town, and it's adorable, first of all. But also, we were standing at the place where one of the old train station depots used to be. From there, we could see the dam really well. And the dam is one of the first things that you see when you come into town. And it's big, it's bold, it's there, it's in your face. If somebody doesn't know the history of the dam, I think they might drive right past it and not think too much of it. But understanding the history of the town kind of helps us make those connections with the outdoors as well, because isn't that part of the new river?
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yeah. Water below and above is the new river. The new river pretty much drains out of Dyson County here in Furie.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So it was really interesting. And you were also showing me the landscape where the tracks used to actually run. Now there's nothing there, it's just flats, but you can see where a train had come through. And you also were showing me the houses that people were living in and who worked in the mill and the routes that they took to get down to the mill. And it's a really great tour because it gets you familiar with the town and it gets you looking around and seeing things in a different way.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And well, we were at the depot, which was it was a passenger depot at the time. It was torn down in the 60s, but we've built an open-air shelter there since then, which it is a recreational spot itself, and that we have concerts there. But the depot was where a fellow by the name of Henry Whitter boarded the train, most likely to go to New York City in the 20s. Witter was a musician, and he was convinced that record producers of the time needed to hear about the country music at the time. That's what it really what it was, folk music. He went to New York and recorded a few songs, but then the record producer that recorded them just kind of put them on the shelf until a year later, a guy down in Georgia named Fiddlin' John Carson released a record that really caught on. So all the record producers in New York went scrambling to try to find something similar to that. And the producer that had recorded Witter remembered, well, I have this guy from Virginia in in my records, and uh, let's see what he sounded like. So they liked it. They called Witter back, they called some of his friends back, and started releasing these types of recordings. You know, the rural music was really taken off at that time. That resulted years later in what was known as the Bristol sessions. Producers came down from New York again, recorded people in Bristol, and among those people were the Carter family, which a lot of people know. And that was in the beginnings of country music. Bristol calls itself the birthplace of country music, and I say if Bristol is the birthplace of country music, then Freeze is where it was conceived.
SPEAKER_00:I think that the music heritage in the area is just so wonderful. This is maybe a good time for us to talk about the Crooked Road, which some people might be familiar with. It's Virginia's Heritage Music Trail. Can you talk about the connection and how music plays a role in the community of Freeze?
SPEAKER_02:Well, so the Crooked Road is a virtual trail uh throughout southwestern Virginia. It's a driving route uh that goes to several towns and venues throughout southwestern Virginia. It offers people the opportunity to listen to country music, bluegrass, old time music. Freeze is on the crooked road, and I'm on the board of directors of the Historic Freeze Theater, where we host uh a jam session every week, and then also host dances and concerts throughout the year featuring old time music. It's every Thursday night. We call it the jam at the dam or the Thursday night jam. It's free to the public. We have a lot of visitors come in from out of town who really enjoy the the music, and a lot of them are there for the first time. You can always tell the first timers because they look around the inside of the museum or the hall there where the music is held and look at we have some exhibits up about frees and country music and old time music. And uh they look around and take photographs and then they sit down and when the jam starts, this look of just absolute delight crosses their faces. They just love what they're hearing. People get up and dance, uh, they do traditional dance called flat footing, or for slower dances, it's uh two-step or waltz. They get up, take pictures, they try to dance. So it's a huge draw for freeze, and the crooked road brings a lot of people in to freeze uh in search of that authentic music.
SPEAKER_00:So was it obvious that it was my first time there too?
SPEAKER_02:I think so, yeah. I can't remember. Did anyone offer to dance with and yes?
SPEAKER_00:Oh my god. So this was so fantastic because I have been wanting to go to a jam session for so long, you don't even know. Like it's been on my bucket list forever and ever. And when this opportunity came up, it was the thing that I was the most excited about on this trip. Like, obviously, outdoor recreation in Grayson County is fantastic, but if you want to really like dive into community and history and heritage, like you have to go to a jam session. But I got there, I looked around, like you were saying, you know, you were showing me some of the things on the walls, I was and some of the specific items that were on display around the hall. And so I was taking those pictures and um really getting into the history about it. And then the music started. I had just sat down in my seat, like not even a minute, and somebody came up to me and asked me if I wanted to dance. And I practically rocketed out of the chair. I was so excited. I couldn't wait. And I told him I didn't know what I was doing. I'm like, I've never done this before. He said, No problem, I'm gonna teach you. And it was a simple two-step. So it was really easy. And it was, I was just so thrilled to actually be participating and not just sitting there because it is a really exciting opportunity and it's so much fun. And I just wanted to have the full experience. So I was grateful that that gentleman came up to me and asked me to dance.
SPEAKER_02:Freeze and Grayson County are well known for recreational opportunities, outdoor recreation, and that's why we're here today. But jam sessions like the one in Freeze offer the opportunity to talk to local folks and see, you know, what is on their minds and get a glimpse of true Appalachian culture. At the jam session, we have a good mix. It's about half regulars and half visitors every week. So it's just a good mix of people and uh good way to talk to people and meet new friends, socialize.
SPEAKER_00:I was really surprised how many folks come in because Freeze is such a tiny town, and you could tell that people were parking their cars all the way down the road. You could see the musicians carrying in their instruments. Um, the couple that was seated behind me, they were there from North Carolina, and they did not have that on their itinerary, but they were passing through the area and they were asking, like, you know, what should we do while we're here? And somebody said, We it's Thursday night. You have to go to the jam session. And so that's where they ended up and they loved it. And so I was talking to them for quite a while too, and they said that they were actually thinking about coming back and making a longer trip out of it because they didn't realize how many things there are to do in and around Freeze. And so they're gonna be coming back from North Carolina in the future.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, we have a lot of repeat visitors. Um, we have people that come down from Ohio, Kentucky, all over the country, really. And we've made a map of visitor locations from where they had signed the guest book, and we have pens from all over the country and even the world. Two guys that come from France every year who visit the jam.
SPEAKER_00:Wow. Yeah, that's that's just amazing. Are there any outdoor festivals or music events in Freeze that visitors should put on their calendar?
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yeah. Uh well, every year we have the Freeze Fiddlers Convention. It's a music festival, it's a contest among musicians. Um, it's called a Fiddler's Convention, but musicians of of all traditional stringed instruments compete. And it's a great weekend. It's on Friday and Saturday, the third weekend in August. Uh, we also have a uh concert series every summer, and that's at the depot. So we have uh outdoor concerts there about four four to five times a year in the summer. And indoors we have concerts other than the jam sessions as well at the theater.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so people should add those things to their calendar. And also, I believe that the Crooked Road has its own website with locations and events. Is that right?
SPEAKER_02:That is correct. Crooked Road, I'm not sure how many, but I think it's close to a hundred venues in southwestern Virginia that offer music. And then uh our website for the town of Freeze, FreezeBA.com, uh, has a calendar which shows the different music events that we have during the year.
SPEAKER_00:Fall is here and Virginia State Parks are calling your name. Experience the breathtaking beauty of autumn with vibrant foliage, crisp air, and endless outdoor activities. From hiking through golden forest to cozying up by a campfire, there's no better place to enjoy the season. Capture the magic of fall with family and friends in a stunning state park. From the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Cumberland Gap, adventure is never far away. Start planning your adventure by tapping on Virginia State Parks in your show notes or by visiting Virginia State Parks.gov. Before we dive into the lesser-known gems, where is a good place for adventurers to begin their visit to Grayson County?
SPEAKER_02:Well, the 1908 Courthouse in Independence is a great place to start at. It's right, it's pretty much in the middle of the county. The Grayson County Tourism Office is in that building, so they can answer questions, give you suggestions, they have literature about the county. Good place to start. The Grayson County Historical Society is also housed there, and also there are exhibits about the history of Grayson. A lot of information there. There are occasional concerts at the courthouse as well. There's a jam session on Wednesday night. And um, I was at a show over the weekend on Sunday, uh, Legends of Grayson, which is a local promoter group, had a free concert honoring a musician from Grayson County, and it was standing room only. Great concert, great local musicians. That's a good place to start.
SPEAKER_00:When I pulled up to the front of it, I was impressed right away. It is a very cool building. And then you go inside and the displays are excellent. There's a dress in there that Eleanor Roosevelt wore when she visited the county.
SPEAKER_02:I think she went up to White Top and attended a music festival up there, in fact.
SPEAKER_00:That's right. And they have the dresses she had on on display. Um, so I think that's really cool. And yeah, you can go upstairs and you can see where they do performances. It's like a little theater, and there's beautiful stained glass, you know, above the doors. So I would encourage everybody to start there because that's a stop on your tour in and of itself. But then you can get all the information that you need about what you want to visit in Grayson County. Okay, so let's dig into some of the outdoor spots that maybe people don't know about. What are some of the lesser known places in and around Freeze that deserve more attention?
SPEAKER_02:Probably the New River Trail would be top on my list. It's a great place to start out. Uh, it's an easy trail. It's uh a rails to trails trail. So the the grade is pretty shallow, not difficult at all. It passes you by some of the best scenery on the New River, I think. You can walk it, you can make a long pike out of it, you can bicycle it, you can uh go on horseback. It's about 57 miles and just a few mile, a couple miles are in Grayson County, but uh, you know, this is Freeze is a good place to start. Also uh with the um New River Trail State Park, we have just had a bicycle repair station installed by a private group, friends of the New River Trail, and a hydration station. So if you come to Freeze and you need to do some repair work on your bike, there's this bicycle repair station, and you can fill your water bottle before you start out. I mentioned fishing. Fishing is a wonderful sport here. We have smallmouth, walleye's muskie, several other varieties of fish, stocked trap streams nearby, kayaking, tubing. Tubing is a wonderful way. We have a boat ramp here in Freeze and a canoe rental place nearby that it's a good place to take the family out on the river and just spend a lazy couple of three hours going down the river. Uh we also have Grayson County Gravel Traverse, Grayson Gravel Traverse. Starts well, you can start here, but it's all uphill to the other end of the county. Or you can start in uh up around the western part of the county in Mount Rogers area. It's a virtual trail. Uh follow various roads throughout the county, most of them are gravel. There's a couple of miles of paved roads. But uh that's a bicycle trail that you can follow. It's about a hundred miles, I believe. And um but I I would say for the bicyclist, it would be the more experienced bicyclist that would want to use that part or or that uh trail. But it's a good drive too. It's a good way to see the whole county from one end to the other. It ends, either ends or begins in freeze, whichever way you want to say it.
SPEAKER_00:I was looking at a map of it. In fact, I have it in front of me right now, and it's huge. I think it's I actually think it's 72 miles or something like that, but it goes around Grayson County in a loop. You basically hit a lot of really beautiful spots along the way, but it follows roads mostly, which is why it's called the Grayson Gravel Traverse, because I think a gravel bike would be what's best suited for that trail, right?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think so. I think a more experienced bicyclist would be more comfortable on that trail.
SPEAKER_00:And the other thing about it is if you pick up one of these pamphlets at the historic courthouse when you first arrive in Grayson, this pamphlet not only does it give you a map, but it gives you places that you can stay along the way. And that could be either hotels, it could be unique lodging, it could be camping. So you can bike pack this trail too if you want, or you can go section by section. So they've got these itineraries laid out for people, maybe two days, three days, you know, even more days than that, depending on you know how many miles you want to ride a day. And it actually tells you, you know, how many miles you would need to ride each day to do these different itineraries that they have. So you can, by your experience level, decide where you want to go and for how long and where to stay, and also places to refuel, like where to eat, where to stock up on gear. So really all the information is here. If you're a cyclist and you're into this, like this is a thing. Like, I really think this is something that that people should look into.
SPEAKER_02:I think camping, you you touched on camping. Camping is a huge thing in this area as well. If you're in an RV, Freeze New River Trail RV Park, here in Freeze is a good place to go. Beautiful little campground. It's right in the middle of the Freeze, but you feel like you're in the wilderness when you get into the campground. There's primitive camping all over in the Mount Rogers National Recreational Area. The New River Trail has some primitive camping spots along the trail. So there are really hundreds of campsites in the area.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, you know what I forgot to mention? There is a ranger-led program from New River Trail State Park. It is a historical walking tour of the town of Freeze, and it happens on Thursdays before the jam session. Not every Thursday, but a lot of Thursdays. So if you wanted to get your own walking tour with a park ranger of Freeze, and then they drop you off at the jam session at the end, like you just need to go onto the park's website and sign up for that. I did the tour. I was really grateful that the ranger met up with me and took me around. And they have pictures that they show you. Um, they have other information that they bring along. So it's an interesting way to learn about the history of the mill, the houses, the restaurants, the river. There's a lot. And then, of course, the music too. So the whole idea is to sort of set the stage for what Freeze is all about before they drop you off at the jam session.
SPEAKER_02:That's correct. And they do a great job with that tour. Uh, there's a lot of history to freeze, and it's uh it's really helps you appreciate the town when you know the history of the town, when you understand why the houses all are built in a similar manner, or why you see sidewalk stairs going up the side of the hill.
SPEAKER_00:Are there any other lesser-known locations that you want to mention?
SPEAKER_02:You know, going outside of Freeze, there are opportunities all really all over the county. Um, Powerhouse Falls, for example, is a great place to just a little pocket park, really. It's near independence. It was actually uh, I think a private power provider for parts of Independence at one time. But there are some falls there, just beautiful. Several years ago, I just turned 60 and I was outside, it was like 15 degrees that day, and I'm a photographer. I was cry climbing all the way over these rocks, 15 degrees, freezing to death. I mean, just freezing cold. And I thought, if I slip here, nobody knows where I am. That's probably not too wise. So I I started trying to be a little more careful about the locations I chose, but it's a beautiful spot uh for photography, for picnicking and uh just spending a little time with the family.
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SPEAKER_02:Rugby Creek Animal Farm is a farm up in the western end of the county. It's near Grayson Highlands State Park in the community of Rugby. It's a rescue ranch. They have animals there who have been brought in. One of them is Fabio, is a very famous pony that was at Grayson Highlands Park. And they have also have lodging opportunities there. So it's a well worth the visit. Beautiful little place.
SPEAKER_00:I didn't realize that Fabio was living there now. And he is such a cute little old man. He's all wrinkled, like his arms and legs are wrinkled, his snouts wrinkled. He's so cute. And so uh I got to see Fabio, which was really exciting. And it was really funny because I was trying to take a selfie with, you know, Grayson County's biggest celebrity. And this other pony came and photobombed us. And so I've got this like series of photos where it's me holding up the phone and Fabio's behind me. And then here's this pony head getting closer and closer to me and then sniffing my face. And I'm like, I'm cackling and laughing through the whole thing. It was really cute. But the other thing that's really fun about it is that there are lots of animals in this location. There are other horses. There's a mini pony. He's like, oh, he's like 30-something years old. I think he's all white. He's beautiful. Then they had like a litter of puppies. There were um potbellied pigs, there were geese running around, cows. I'm trying to think of what else because there were so much. I mean, there's chickens, just animals from all over the place, and they're all living their best lives. And you can walk around and visit the animals. I don't think you can go inside the pens or anything like that, but you can get pretty close. And it's a great experience for the kids, especially. Um, but the other unique thing is they've got lodging all over the property, and there's tiny houses, there's little cabins, then there's this really gorgeous cabin I got to tour up on top of the mountain. You get views of all the mountains and the valleys in front of you. You can actually see Grayson Highland State Park. The cabin itself is luxurious. It's absolutely beautiful. I think when I go back, that might be a place that I'm gonna be staying. But the other nice thing is when you stay there, the proceeds. Go back to the animal farm, to the rescue farm. So you're helping to support the rescue efforts when you stay there. So it's it's very unique. I I think that's something that I would like to experience the next time that I'm in Gray Sun.
SPEAKER_02:Going back to Fabio, just one other thing. Uh the reason he's called Fabio, or reason he's such a celebrity, is he has this mane of golden hair. He's just very unusual, very striking and phony. People just have fallen in love with him.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we probably should have said that. I guess I just assumed everybody knows Fabio, but maybe not. Yeah, he's very dark. He's a very dark brown. And then his mane, you said it's golden, it almost looks white sometimes. So it's that striking difference between the two. And and also, like, let's be honest, some people go up to Grayson Highland State Park just to see the ponies, which is not the reason to go to Grayson Highland State Park. That park offers access to Mount Rogers, there's backpacking opportunities, there's waterfalls in the park, there's bouldering, like you mentioned, fantastic hiking, the scenery is gorgeous. But unfortunately, some people think that it's a petting zoo and they forget that those ponies are wild and we shouldn't be getting close to them and we shouldn't be feeding them. And unfortunately, they've gotten a little too used to people. So this is a great alternative to be able to go to Rugby Creek Animal Rescue Farm, see animals there where you can actually get up close to them and interact with them is a much better alternative.
SPEAKER_02:That's definitely true.
SPEAKER_00:Ricky, I'm so excited to be talking to you about paddling the new river. You and I had a wonderful paddling trip when I was in Grayson. I'm so excited to tell everybody all about it. Let's kick it off by talking about the New River, which is one of the oldest rivers in the world and one of the most accessible for paddling. So, what makes this river so special from a paddler's perspective?
SPEAKER_01:This is just a really dynamic stretch that's in Grayson County. The New River Water Trail app, which is at GraysonCountyva.com, when you open that up, it'll show you every uh rapid that's in the system. So if you get that app open, you can kind of pick where you want to go uh depending on your skill level. So it offers really long flat sections, but it also offers, you know, a lot of drop and some fast water. So that's pretty unique to have all that into one county. You know, usually you've got a really long section through the whole county or you've got a seasonal float, which is really weird, you know, because the water's low, you can't even get down the river. I've never been to this river when I couldn't get in and have a good time. Kevin was right about the fishing is phenomenal. You can fly fish out of a canoe because the canopy is so wide, you're not completely covered in canopy the whole time. From a recreation perspective, you know, you can bring your kids, it's a great place to float because there's sections that, you know, you would have to jump out of the boat, you know, to get into a situation to where, you know, it was uh a jeopardizing situation. But so when we when we first started in the county, we we had some we had a few problems, and mostly it was we don't know where the access points are, and um there's no service at these access points. So when I get out, how do I get a ride? Or what if something were to happen? So I think that the great work that Grayson County's done with with some final leadership is to put this thing together, uh, mostly for uh, you know, the folks that are visiting. And I heard Kevin speak earlier to towns that were transitioning away from their original economies and kind of drifting into recreation, and that happens. And it's really, really cool to see how that's happened here. And I run into people on this river all the time from all over the place. You know, there are a lot of locals that use the river, but I've seen a lot more people on the water in the past two years, especially after the the massive flood that we had. You know, I don't know if that was just to come and see the damage or to experience what what a river could really do when Mother Nature gets her fangs out.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, that was definitely wild. And we saw some of that when we were paddling together. But Ricky, when I was introduced to you, I was told that nobody knows this section of the new river better than you do. So for someone who's never paddled here before, what kind of river experience should they expect specifically around freeze?
SPEAKER_01:The last section of the water trail app ends at right before the freeze dam. So, you know, you and I, I think we floated riverside to Old Town. So that's a really good beginner section. That's just outside of Freeze, you know, Old Town. We probably should focus on getting a better access point above the dam so we could get out there at freeze, you know, in the future. But um, that section will sure enough plug you into freeze. You're not very far outside of Old Town. You can put in there, like I said, with your family, it's a good flat float. Maybe there was two ripples that you and I went over, Jessica. And if you paddle, you know, you can be through that section in two and a half, three hours. But if you're just floating and fishing, you can imagine like a one mile an hour day. And you can totally relax and tube down that section also.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, when you and I did it, I felt like it was very beginner-friendly and it wasn't a super long section. How long were we on the water for? A couple of hours?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, two and a half, three hours. It's and and like I said, with the generational gaps that you see now, you know, the first 30 minutes for the kids are like, I don't know about this. But once you get on that water, hey, you're here. You know, let's have some fun. But it's not a six-hour float where everybody's sunburnt and everybody's like, I never want to come back, you know, I'm so burnt. This is a quick float. It's beautiful. Like this, the landscape is amazing. There's a really good representation of this river through the Department of Wildlife Resources. So if you look at the Virginia DWR site, these guys are laser focused on the wildlife habitat, you know, for animals, even the woods, the river, what have you. There's there's great opportunities to to see birds, eagles, you know, all kinds of raptors. But and and Jessica, if you have her with uh with you, then she she'll know every sound of every bird on the river, which is awesome. I had no idea. I had no idea there was a cuckoo bird.
SPEAKER_00:You were like, Do you hear that? And I was like, What? And you're like, listen. And then I we were both listening, and you're like, That, what is that? And I was like, Oh, that's a yellow-billed cuckoo. And you were like, Oh, what?
SPEAKER_01:That is so cool. And you know, you get that that peace and that that really unique opportunity to just be still, be quiet in a wild, beautiful place. I mean, it's it's so awesome, and uh, you're gonna love it. I just know it.
SPEAKER_00:Join us next week as we dive deeper into the details of planning your next paddling trip on the New River. You'll also hear recommendations for lodging and dining to round out your visit to Grayson County. Virginia Outdoor Adventures is inspired by and supported by listeners like you, which is why your messages and feedback mean so much to me. You can text me directly by clicking on Send Jessica a text message in your show notes. I answer questions, respond to comments, and share your feedback on the show. Never miss a new episode. Sign up for my email newsletter and receive my listener resource guide with the top podcast episodes, a Virginia outdoor bucket list, and exclusive brand discounts for my listeners. Click on Newsletter Sign Up in your show notes or visit Virginia Outdoor Adventures.com. Thanks for listening. Until next time, Adventure On.
