Peaceful Blueberry Farm Harvest Host Near Highlands NC: Quiet Country Road U‑Pick RV Stay
River Road Farms is a beautiful Harvest Host location about ten miles from desirable Highlands.
It lies on River Road, which is famous for having very little traffic.
If you plan a trip to Highlands, this is the very best place to stay.
River Road Farms is spacious, and full of blueberries July through mid-August.
There also are blackberries for picking.
There are 180 trees with 12 varieties. You are encouraged to pick blueberries!
The entrance to the farm is very subtle. Jeremy and his wife have owned it about a year. He said they are learning all about the blueberry bushes.
According to Jeremy, he will increase the number of plants in the future.
The property is almost four acres. Jeremy spreads the campers out around the perimeter.
One can plug in at the barn, and two can boondock far from each other.
We were ran a very quiet generator. The blueberry bushes completely muffled the sound from the other campers.
The view at River Road Farms is incredible. The property is located in a valley, near Gneiss, NC.
The Cullasaja River runs between the property and State Road 64 to Highlands.
The river dampens the sound of road traffic from the farm.
A turn off 64 onto Peaceful Cove brings you to the intersection of River Road.
River Road connects to the East to Goldmine Road. Exploring by car yields delightful views.
The location is perfect for day trips to Franklin, Highlands, and dozens of waterfalls.
The views of the surrounding mountains are incredible from the farm. Sunsets and sunrises are gorgeous.
A stay at River Road Farms gives you early morning access to walks, rides, and spectacular views.
Unlike the low-lying Maine blueberries; the blueberry bushes at River Road Farm are shoulder-height.
Picking is so easy – no stooping down.
Owner Jeremy says his dog likes to eat the blueberries that fall on the ground.
A gallon of blueberries goes a long way.
We picked a gallon in about a half hour. It goes quickly when you are can stand up to pick.
For comparison, we put some in an empty blueberry container to guess volume.
From one gallon, we filled several resealable bags for gifting to friends and family.
Larger berries that fall off the bush are sweeter. If you have to tug, they might not be ready.
When you come to River Farm, there is an honor system for picking berries.
This box has instructions, and it contains bags. Next to it are the gallon buckets. On the other side is an honor mailbox for your cash.
The berries are organic, and no pesticides are used. Only a little fertilizer is applied.
The fee for a gallon bucket is a very reasonable $12 at time of publication.
Jeremy says to lay your berries out on a cookie sheet for a day or two, and they will become sweeter.
His instructions say to leave the berries on the cookie sheet. Put the whole cookie sheet into the freezer. Once frozen, bag the berries to remain as individuals and maintain their texture.
Our berries did not make it to day two of sweetening. They ended up in our mouth straight out of our bags for snacks.
My friend baked two blueberry cobblers; one for us, one for a friends’ family. We ate the cobbler warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.
Really Easy Blueberry Crumble
Topping: 3/4 c flour, 3/4 c oats, 1/2 c brown sugar, 1 stick butter. Melt butter, combine.
Filling: 2 pints berries mixed with 2T sugar.
Bake all at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with vanilla ice cream.
From River Road Farms, River Road winds in both directions. Turn left out of the farm, then take a right on Peek’s Creek Road, then a right onto Fish Hawk Road.
That leads you to a very private swimming hole close to a bridge.
All round River Road Farms, there are fantastically walkable roads.
I enjoyed walking them and riding a gravel bike in the neighborhood.
River Road is excellent for cycling, walking, and running. Every turn brings you to a new delightful view.
Following River Road around, I came across a huge field. Of course, there were deer in the field. This was after passing a farm with a couple horses.
Then, on the corner, waits the world’s friendliest golden retriever.
There’s no need to head to crowded hiking trails. Cellular service is fine, and you can follow your phone map easily.
Jeremy and Sharon encourage everyone to leave reviews on Yelp or follow them on Facebook. At the barn, there is a yellow pad of paper for subscribing to their “Berry Blast” newsletter. I can’t wait to get my first issue!
After staying at Harvest Hosts from South Florida to North Maine; this one really stands out. It’s peaceful, quiet, big and spread out, and has access to an incredible area. Plus, I met three neighbors; all long-term residents. They had so much positive to say about the area.
I Don’t Go Anywhere Without:
- Stream2Sea Reef Safe SPF 20 or 30 mineral, regular or tinted sunscreen, mask defog, shampoo, conditioner, rash guards and more reef-safe supplies. Use my code “DeepWH” for 10% off. Yes, using boating and camping shampoo and conditioner protects our waterways and runoff.
- Mustang Survival pfd’s and foul weather gear for military specifications equipment.
- RoadId for $5 off your cycling/running/kayaking/travel/sailing id. Sailors are now wearing them!
- Harvest Hosts for the wineries, breweries, alpaca farms, honey apiaries, camping on the fly!
- Crisis Medicine Tactical Casualty Care Course knowledge so we can help ourselves.
- MyMedic Individual Bleeding Control Kits. We take ours everywhere.
- North American Rescue CAT tourniquets.
- Travelex is our trip insurer – click for a free quote.
- Girls That Scuba – members discount card for all things diving.
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