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Crooked Road
Caravan, Part 3.

Highways · Crooked Road Caravan 2026 · Part 3

Trip 03 · Fall 2026 · Part 3
An aerial view of Airstream trailers and tow trucks parked in rows on a green grass field, with awnings out and white yard lines marked on the grass at the upper right

Our third and final base camp, from the air.

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This is Part 3 of our first Airstream Caravan on Virginia's Crooked Road. Part 1 covers our first base camp and Part 2 our second. This part starts on moving day.

Day 8 ·

Day 8: Moving to Big Stone Gap, the Powell Valley Overlook and Balsam Range

Dan Written by Dan

Moving Day to Big Stone Gap

Today we made the short 15-mile move from Base Camp 2 to our last base camp in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, for a few more days of bluegrass music at the famous Blue Highway Fest.

An aerial view of Airstream trailers and tow trucks parked in rows on a mowed green field, with awnings out and white yard lines on the grass at the upper right

Our rigs set up on the grass at the Big Stone Gap base camp, from the air.

A black, white, red and blue mural on a roadside building showing an eagle and flag, a motorcycle and an old pickup truck, with the words American Pride and Roots Run Deep and Four Seasons

A roadside mural we passed on the drive that afternoon. The wall credits it to Team Davis.

The Powell Valley Overlook

Once we got set up, we spent a few hours visiting the Powell Valley Overlook on Route 23 to take in the stunning views of the distant mountains that surround Powell Valley.

A wide panoramic view over Powell Valley from the overlook, with forested mountains, small green farm fields in the valley and a curving highway on the right under a deep blue sky

A wide view of Powell Valley from the overlook. Route 23 is on the right side of the picture.

The overlook sits on the northbound side of US 23, in the valley between Powell Mountain and Little Stone Mountain, where the Powell River flows down from the mountains of western Wise County. Below you can see homes, farms and a church. Nearby Grindstone Ridge climbs about 2,000 feet in only 0.8 mile, one of the biggest short-distance changes in elevation in the southern Appalachians.

A paved path and wooden rail along the edge of the overlook, with two people walking away and distant mountains across Powell Valley
The path along the rail at the overlook.
Looking down from the overlook at US 23 curving along the mountainside on a concrete bridge, with Powell Valley and blue mountains beyond
US 23 curves along the mountainside below the overlook.
Dan in a gray shirt and sunglasses and Heather in a pink shirt and visor, smiling close together in a selfie at the overlook, with Powell Valley and mountains behind them

Heather and me at the Powell Valley Overlook.

There's also a Virginia historical marker at the overlook called Benge's Gap. It tells the story of Chief Benge, who led raids along the frontier starting in 1774. In April 1794, after he took several people prisoner from a farm on the Holston River, Lee County militiamen led by Lt. Vincent Hobbs ambushed his party in the Powell Mountain gap just south of here, killed Benge with the first volley and freed the captives.

A Virginia historical marker titled Benge's Gap, number X-22, standing at the overlook against a blue sky
The Benge's Gap historical marker at the overlook.
Where
US 23 northbound, Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Grindstone Ridge
Drops about 2,000 feet in 0.8 mile
Historic marker
Virginia marker X-22, Benge's Gap
The Powell Valley Scenic Overlook, US 23 northbound, Big Stone Gap, Virginia Open the full map Get directions

Dinner at the Fox House Museum

We returned to the base camp and relaxed for a few hours before making the short walk into town to have a catered dinner at the Fox House Museum.

The Fox House is the John Fox Jr. House Museum, the former home of one of Appalachia's best-known authors. It was begun around 1890 for Fox's two older brothers, who came to Big Stone Gap as mining investors, and it kept growing as more of the family moved in. John Fox Jr. lived and wrote there from 1890 until he died in 1919, and his wife, the Viennese prima donna Fritzi Scheff, lived there too. The Fox family owned the house until 1971, and today the Lonesome Pine Arts and Crafts Association keeps it up as a museum.

The dark-shingled John Fox Jr. House Museum behind a wire and wood fence, with leafless vines across the front porch, a hanging sign reading The home of John Fox Jr. with a red fox on it, and a brown museum sign in front of two round shrubs

The John Fox Jr. House Museum on Shawnee Avenue East, with the fox sign out front.

Fox wrote 15 novels and more than 500 short stories while he lived there. The two that people remember are The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, which is said to be the first novel in the country to sell a million copies. It became Virginia's official outdoor drama, and it was made into a 1936 movie, the first outdoor Technicolor feature. Fox also served with Teddy Roosevelt as a Rough Rider. The house is still filled with original furnishings from the turn of the century, and it's open by scheduled appointment.

Where
117 Shawnee Avenue East, Big Stone Gap, Virginia
276-870-2604
Begun
c. 1890
Visiting
By scheduled appointment. Groups of 20 or more can book any time of year.
The John Fox Jr. House Museum, 117 Shawnee Avenue East, Big Stone Gap, Virginia Open the full map Get directions

Balsam Range at the Blue Highway Fest

After dinner, we went into the center of town to take in some more live music from Balsam Range. They were one of the Thursday headliners at the Blue Highway Fest.

A yellow Big Stone Gap Fire Department ladder truck parked on a downtown street with its stabilizers down and its ladder raised, beside a large cream-colored building
A Big Stone Gap Fire Department ladder truck on the festival street.
A giant American flag hanging from a raised fire truck ladder against a sunset sky, with trees, a hillside and festival fencing below
A giant flag hangs from the ladder at sunset.

Balsam Range is a bluegrass band from Haywood County, North Carolina. They formed in 2007 when five guys from the same county got together just to play music for fun, and they took their name from the Great Balsam Mountains around their home county. They've done a lot more than play for fun since. The International Bluegrass Music Association named them Entertainer of the Year in 2014 and again in 2018, and Vocal Group of the Year in 2014 and 2015. Their album Papertown spent five straight months at number one on the Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey, and in 2018 they teamed up with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra for an album called Mountain Overture.

A wide night view of the festival crowd in folding chairs along East 3rd Street, facing a stage lit in red at the far end where Balsam Range is playing, with a Big Stone Gap sign tower at the left

Balsam Range on the stage Thursday night, with the crowd along East 3rd Street.

A giant American flag hanging from a raised fire truck ladder above a black fence with a sign reading Virginia is for Music Lovers
The flag again. The sign on the fence says Virginia is for Music Lovers.
A lit sign tower at night reading Big Stone Gap, with a small mountain logo above the name
The Big Stone Gap sign at night.
A band of five musicians on the Blue Highway Fest stage, with a mountain scene behind them and a crowd in folding chairs in the foreground

Another band on the Blue Highway Fest stage, earlier in the evening.

It was then a short walk back to the trailer to run the generator to charge up our batteries before settling in for the night.

Where
Downtown Big Stone Gap, mostly at Bullitt Park, with Thursday's opening events at the 3rd Street Stage
2026 dates
Oct 8–11
Tickets
Day passes from $30. A four-day pass is $220, plus fees.
Blue Highway Fest: the downtown stage area on East 3rd Street (T) and Bullitt Park (B) Open the full map Get directions

Powell Valley Overlook from the town of Big Stone Gap and the Virginia historical marker. John Fox Jr. House from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the town's museum page and Virginia 250. Balsam Range from Wikipedia. Blue Highway Fest from the town's festival page and GratefulWeb's schedule.

Part 3 FAQ

Where is the Powell Valley Overlook?
The Powell Valley Scenic Overlook is on the northbound side of U.S. Route 23 in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, with views over Powell Valley between Powell Mountain and Little Stone Mountain. A Virginia historical marker there tells the story of Benge's Gap.

What is the John Fox Jr. House Museum in Big Stone Gap?
The John Fox Jr. House Museum, at 117 Shawnee Avenue East, is the former home of author John Fox Jr., who wrote The Trail of the Lonesome Pine while living there. The house was begun around 1890 and is open by scheduled appointment.

Who is Balsam Range?
Balsam Range is a bluegrass band formed in 2007 in Haywood County, North Carolina. The International Bluegrass Music Association named it Entertainer of the Year in 2014 and 2018.

What is Blue Highway Fest?
Blue Highway Fest is a bluegrass festival in downtown Big Stone Gap, Virginia, hosted by the town and the band Blue Highway. It started in 2022, and the 2026 festival runs October 8 through 11.

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