Looking for suggestion on route to VA Airstream park.

[carl2591]

we are heading to the Virginia highlands airstream park later next month and was looking for a good back way from Raleigh that is not a lot of switchbacks like the google map route takes us.

I have heard about going up 220 to blue ridge parkway and down but that is almost up to Roanoke area, quite a bit out of the way, can come down to the park.

any suggestions appreciated..

6517 Highland Haven Road NE, Copper Hill, VA 24079

[CRH]

The Roanoke entrance to the BRP is not that far from the park.... I would likely go 220 to the BRP.

[SilverCabin]

The park is off US-221 north of Floyd. 221 from I-77 to the road into Highland Haven is an easy drive. You can travel the BRP fairly easily. There is an exit to 221 north of the park. Do not take 221 into Roanoke — steep descent into town.

[Foiled Again]

Ditto silver cabin. Look up "BENT MOUNTAIN" A road that is interactive without am RV and nerve wracking with one.

[CRH]

The OP can get on the parkway from 220 and avoid 221 and Bent Mountain. Going up Bent Mountain on 221 pulling a trailer is really no big deal unless your TV is underpowered.

[Hopeful1]

Going up 221 is probably ok, but going down from Floyd to Roanoke is another. We will be headed to that park in a few weeks and the google maps looks like lots of switch backs if not doing 221 from Roanoke to Floyd. I would definitely look into Blue Ridge Parkway to the park and skip 221 if at all possible.

[OSCS]

I was just up there for 10 days or so and from Raleigh I'd head up 220 to Roanoake and take the Parkway over. It's beautiful up there. Enjoy the sunsets!

[369goose]

Yes, as CRH said: "Going up Bent Mountain on 221 pulling a trailer is really no big deal unless your TV is underpowered."

We did it last year, both up & back down, even though a resident at VHH Airstream park told us it was awful & to be feared. Wasn't bad at all. Don't rush just take your time for safety as well as to enjoy the scenery!

The park is beautiful and the owners are very welcoming and friendly but many rules & folks to check to be sure they are enforced which I guess is to be expected.

[Murphalex]

I hope you got my message. Love the picture would like to use it please send me your name for credit!

[OSCS]

The pic is from the parks FB page. I was up there when the picture was taken, but can't take the credit.

[Hans627]

Originally Posted by 369goose

Yes, as CRH said: "Going up Bent Mountain on 221 pulling a trailer is really no big deal unless your TV is underpowered."

We did it last year, both up & back down, even though a resident at VHH Airstream park told us it was awful & to be feared. Wasn't bad at all. Don't rush just take your time for safety as well as to enjoy the scenery!

The park is beautiful and the owners are very welcoming and friendly but many rules & folks to check to be sure they are enforced which I guess is to be expected.

We were thinking of staying at this park in Oct. Just curious about "many rules". Could you elaborate just a bit?

Looks like a really nice place. Curious if the fall foliage will be nice then.

[369goose]

Hans627

Hopefully my verbiage "many rules" will not keep you from visiting this scenic park!

We visited at the end of the season when the park wasn't crowded. There were quite a few vacant sites. We were told that some owners had already moved their rigs for the winter.

Upon our arrival we were handed a two sided, printed sheet that included rules as well as a printed "welcome." The rules are somewhat your typical campers rules that most of us Airstreamers are accustomed to complying with. We felt the folks here tended to check on us more frequently than necessary though. In our case several shareholders and the on duty host visited our site or knocked on our door multiple times to remind or enforce the can/cannot do rules. The list is not all inclusive but here are a few that I recall:

- sites are narrow and close together so picnic tables are not provided. First night we put our small collapsible table out to cook on & intended to sit at it to eat outside while watching the sunset. A shareholder stopped to let us know that that typically isn't done so we put it away.

- outside wood fires are also not allowed. We were visited again when a couple walking by saw us preparing our mini Green Egg to grill our dinner. They were ok with that once they got a closer look and verified that it was indeed a charcoal grill "made for food preparation" (their words) and not a wood fire pit. Not sure if that visit would've happened if we had used our more familiar looking propane grill or not.

- There are no trash receptacles on site either so you have to keep ALL trash inside your AS or TV until you can drive it a distance (not a short walk away) for disposal - a slight hassle but not a big deal.

- pads are required under the AS jacks. I suppose to prevent any damage to the concrete slabs; the sites are pristine.

- use of laundry facilities "must be reserved" so you can't just use the machines even if they seem to be available. We did not need to use but were reminded of this too.

- oh yes, and pet's...we don't have any but were asked more than once if we did.

I seem to recall other requirements such as using our odor free water connectors, items which we do carry, but in 30+ years of camping have never had any staff feel it necessary to check for compliance.

As stated in my previous post: "The park is beautiful and the owners are very welcoming and friendly but many rules & folks to check to be sure they are enforced which I guess is to be expected."

Perhaps we simply enjoy our privacy and did not expect to be looked after that closely. Ironically, on our last day, the shareholder/owner of the site next to us asked if we'd be interested in purchasing a permanent site there! 🤔

[khollister]

Originally Posted by Murphalex

I hope you got my message. Love the picture would like to use it please send me your name for credit!

I am the webmaster and admin for the Facebook page for Highland Haven and I took the photo. If you would like to PM me about how you want to use the photo I will be glad to discuss it with you, but the photo is copyrighted and should not be used without permission.

[khollister]

Originally Posted by 369goose

Hans627

Hopefully my verbiage "many rules" will not keep you from visiting this scenic park!

We visited at the end of the season when the park wasn't crowded. There were quite a few vacant sites. We were told that some owners had already moved their rigs for the winter.

Upon our arrival we were handed a two sided, printed sheet that included rules as well as a printed "welcome." The rules are somewhat your typical campers rules that most of us Airstreamers are accustomed to complying with. We felt the folks here tended to check on us more frequently than necessary though. In our case several shareholders and the on duty host visited our site or knocked on our door multiple times to remind or enforce the can/cannot do rules. The list is not all inclusive but here are a few that I recall:

- sites are narrow and close together so picnic tables are not provided. First night we put our small collapsible table out to cook on & intended to sit at it to eat outside while watching the sunset. A shareholder stopped to let us know that that typically isn't done so we put it away.

- outside wood fires are also not allowed. We were visited again when a couple walking by saw us preparing our mini Green Egg to grill our dinner. They were ok with that once they got a closer look and verified that it was indeed a charcoal grill "made for food preparation" (their words) and not a wood fire pit. Not sure if that visit would've happened if we had used our more familiar looking propane grill or not.

- There are no trash receptacles on site either so you have to keep ALL trash inside your AS or TV until you can drive it a distance (not a short walk away) for disposal - a slight hassle but not a big deal.

- pads are required under the AS jacks. I suppose to prevent any damage to the concrete slabs; the sites are pristine.

- use of laundry facilities "must be reserved" so you can't just use the machines even if they seem to be available. We did not need to use but were reminded of this too.

- oh yes, and pet's...we don't have any but were asked more than once if we did.

I seem to recall other requirements such as using our odor free water connectors, items which we do carry, but in 30+ years of camping have never had any staff feel it necessary to check for compliance.

As stated in my previous post: "The park is beautiful and the owners are very welcoming and friendly but many rules & folks to check to be sure they are enforced which I guess is to be expected."

Perhaps we simply enjoy our privacy and did not expect to be looked after that closely. Ironically, on our last day, the shareholder/owner of the site next to us asked if we'd be interested in purchasing a permanent site there! 🤔

As a owner at VHH, I'm sorry you were disappointed in the hospitality. Let me set a few things straight:

• there is absolutely no issue with using your own tables to eat outside - the individual that implied that was "not done" was out of line
• While open wood fires are not allowed due to concerns about smoke and fire due to the proximity of the sites and woods, it is unfortunate you were questioned about the use of a Green Egg - many of us have charcoal grills (including Green Eggs) and that should not have happened.
• While we ask guests upon registering if they have pets, there was no reason for repeated inquirires and we apologize for any inconvenience - that is NOT a normal experience.
• It is not a "rule" that you use pads under stabilizers, nor is it written in the rules given to guests. The parking spaces are gravel and I myself have my stabilizers directly on the gravel.
• The owners or the host do not make a habit of reminding guests of the rules unless there is a clear violation that is inconveniencing other guests or owners. I again apologize if an over zealous individual behaved inappropriately.
• I have never known anyone to inquire about sewer connections, nor do I believe the rules distributed mention it.
• While we do encourage guests to reserve the laundry (and respect existing reservations), you are absolutely free to use the laundry if there is not an existing reservation that you would interfere with.
  

We pride ourselves on providing a hospitable experience for our guests. However, there are 46 owners and it is possible that a particular individual behaved in a way we do not condone. Assuming your post is accurate, please accept our apology. Feel free to PM me with further details - we would like to understand what happened in more detail to prevent future misunderstandings.

[CRH]

I have stayed at Highland a few times. Sure, there is a list of rules, but none of them really are anything surprising. They do have their way of doing things and I respect that. I found all of the shareholders to be very friendly and outgoing.

As far as pets go, we always had a dog. She was required to be leashed in the campground near the campers as she should have been. However, if I recall correctly, pets are allowed to be taken off leash in a big field just over the hill.

[paiceman]

We have stayed at HH twice now, most recently last week. There are rules, but no one reminded us of any rule, no one bothered us, lots of friendly hello's and petting our two Labradors.

We received and accepted an offer one evening to take a walk to the waterfall by one of the stockholders and had a great time and much appreciated the guided tour. Thanks again Ian.

We plan on visiting again.

Bud

[thiel]

Heading there today, but probably arriving too late to enjoy anything more than the sunset :-( Anybody know how late an arrival is too late? We will likely roll in around 7:30pm.

[CRH]

I certainly wouldn't consider an arrival when the sun is still up too late.

[khollister]

7:30 is fine

[thiel]

Originally Posted by khollister

7:30 is fine

Awesome. Thanks!