The Halterman Weekend that Nearly Failed: High Bridge Trail State Park

Walking part of High Bridge Trail State Park was on Kim's annual bucket list, so we all headed to Farmville, VA, to enter the trail and walk out to the bridge.  It was a breezy day, and in the spirit of full disclosure, we need to share that K and G were not feeling their best.  Nonetheless, this Halterman Weekend falls in an odd category in that, overall, we were at best lukewarm about our experiences.

Firstly, we found it difficult to access timely information about High Bridge State Park, which made enjoying it difficult.  We don't explore the Virginia State Park system as often as we'd like, so we're not experts--but our impression is that first-time visitors are at a real disadvantage when it comes to figuring out the practical ins-and-outs of enjoying the day.  For instance, for a family with small children, there's a big difference in "restrooms" and "vault toilets" and a huge difference in a 5-mile walk and a 1.5-mile walk.  While we saw many others enjoying what seemed to be rich interactions with a wandering education ranger, our only interaction was with park staff who told us to park in a specific space and then criticized us for doing so.

Now, we've had good experience in state parks previously.  Natural Tunnel is also on Kim's current to-do list, we've always heard Fairy Stone is fun, and Douthat was simply lovely to J when he completed a digital history project about Civilian Conservation Corps activity there when he was in graduate school.  We may not visit Virginia State Parks all the time, but we are proud of their reputation--and the national awards they've won.  After all, we're Virginians, and we want folks to enjoy the outdoors here.  So, let us emphasize the brighter side and share a summary:  High Bridge State Park is really a trail, incorporating a walk to, literally, a high (and long) bridge.  It affords lovely views, and the trail area near the bridge is essentially flat (fine for strollers) and easy to access from the parking lot closest to the bridge (the "River Road" lot).  The bridge also has shaded seating at various stops on the way across, good for a pause for conversation or a snack and capable of helping make the trail more accessible to children and other folks who may have trouble walking.  

Farmville appeared to be a pleasant town for a walk in and of itself, complete with a LOVE Virginia sign for photo ops.  However, we must admit we really didn't feel welcomed by the town, down to less-than-adequate service in a local restaurant we patronized.  Kim especially feels comfortable in most settings--formal to informal, rural to urban, affluent and humble--so when Kim in particular feels uncomfortable in a place, that's saying something.

There have been many Halterman Weekends since we started this tradition, so to have just a few that didn't go as well as we'd like is a nice record.  We'd be willing to give High Bridge another shot.