Dogwoods along Fort Valley Road
Fort Valley is a fascinating place. It is a valley formed when a continental plate crumpled, pushing mountain ranges upward and this valley downward. The eastern side is Massanutten Mountain, which runs the entire length of the valley. The western side is composed of three mountains almost forming a solid wall but with a couple gaps. To the north is a small gap where Passage Creek leaves the valley somewhere between Strasburg and Front Royal, and where Fort Valley Road enters the valley. From the south requires driving up and down a windy mountain road to get over the mountain. On the western front the two gaps between the mountains have roads heading over to Woodstock and Edinburg. It appears at least one of these roads may also travel up and down over a mountain before completely leaving the valley, though we’ve yet to drive them. For this trip we entered from the north and existed over the mountain to the south.
A first spring view of Passage Creek in Fort Valley
Redbud, dogwood and Fort Valley Road
The valley is almost a sealed system and because of that and how difficult it was to access at the time, George Washington had reportedly thought to use the valley as a natural fort to retreat to had the Continental Army been defeated by the British during the Revolutionary War. Seeing as that didn’t happen the valley was never used in that way, though it did become home to a couple blast furnaces used to create pig iron which were shipped to foundries and forged into other products. During the Civil War the Confederacy made use of the furnaces until Union troops destroyed them. One of the furnaces was rebuilt after the war but it closed shortly after as it was no longer competitive enough to stay in business.
Rustic views along Fort Valley Road
Redbud and the road
These days the valley is lightly populated with private homes and farms and is home to several recreational areas. We saw a number of folks fishing along the length of Passage Creek, and saw a number of areas for camping. And it’s also great for an early spring drive.
Bends in Fort Valley Road
Rolling valley hills
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