UPDATE: Work completed!

Starting August 28th, there will be a detour on the Roanoke River Greenway at the Bennington Rd Trailhead. Access to the trailhead itself will be limited and users wishing to continue on ( or are coming from) towards the Sewage Treatment Plant will be routed onto Bennington Rd near the Shell Gas Station near Riverland Rd.

The closure is being made necessary by the construction of a new river access point under the 13th St Bridge. Construction is expected to be wrapped up by the end of October. Please obey the closure in the mean time and look forward to making use of the boat access in late fall or next year!

Crystal Spring Trail is in Mill Mountain Trail system.

The trail is closed in order for Roanoke Gas to run a high pressure larger line from Ivy down to Carilion.

If all goes well, it will be done by December 1st.

The long awaited “Bridge the Gap” section of the Roanoke River Greenway in the City of Roanoke, connecting the current Bridge St Trailhead with the section along Aerial Way, will open officially at 10am on July 28th. The public is invited to join in the celebration, there will be coffee and snacks as well as Blue Cow Ice Cream as an incentive for those who stroll or roll the new trail! see the details on the flyer below.

The City of Roanoke is asking Greenway users to refrain from using this section until then, especially during work hours, as they are still finishing up last minute projects and will have equipment blocking the greenway.

Come out and support the Greenways by participating in this family-friendly event. Sponsored by Cardinal Bicycles, Pathfinders for Greenways, PedalSafe ROA and the City of Roanoke’s Parks and Recreation Department, this ride is designed to give casual riders a non-competitive event experience and to support the organizations that make the Greenways possible. More details can be found on the sign up page here.

There are some optional tune up rides on Wednesdays in May, but the event is June 10th.

The Annual Roanoke Gives Fundraising Campaign is this Wednesday, April 19th. Pathfinders for greenways is participating, so if you would like to see the Greenways throughout the Roanoke Valley continue to grow and thrive, please consider giving this week. You can find more information here.

Here is a great video that provides a bird’s eye view of the Roanoke River Greenway Bridge St section as well as some behind the scenes discussion of the progress. The expected opening is Late Spring/Early July.

An Update from Roanoke City Parks and Recreation –

We got a lot of rain yesterday in the valley and surrounding mountains. This morning the Roanoke River is 5,000cfs, highest we have been since May 2022. With that, we are underwater in the following areas and will clean up debris once the water recedes. We do have almost an inch of rain forecast for Thursday, so water levels will rise again and I anticipate flooding for the end of the week in our lowest lying areas (low water bridge in Smith).

Roanoke River Greenway both low water bridges (between Wasena and 581), under Franklin Road, under Jefferson St, under 9^th Street and along Bennington Rd SE.

Tinker Creek Greenway under Dale Ave, near Kenwood under both RR trestles. Under the RR trestle near Wise may or may not be under. Staff are checking this morning.

Please check PlayRoanoke.com or the city’s social media accounts for updates as the river recedes.

Beginning today, January 9th, and lasting until late February, The Roanoke River Greenway near the Moyer Sports Complex will be closed as the City of Salem continues construction to the facility. We’ll update the site when the trail is re-opened. Thank you for your patience.

Roanoke County is conducting a Feasibility Study for the Roanoke River Greenway between Green Hill Park and Montgomery County. This proposed extension of the Greenway has long been a goal of the Greenway Commission and has appeared on every vision map since the first Greenway Plan was adopted. This section has gotten some new energy with the planning efforts around the Valley to Valley Trail, which would connect the New River Trail and the Huckleberry Trail in Christiansburg to the Roanoke River Trail.

In October 2022, Roanoke County will host two community meetings in the Glenvar community on October 19th and 20th. The meeting will be to solicit community feedback and help identify the desired potential corridors. For more information, please go to the Roanoke County website for the details.

Join Roanoke County and fellow trail enthusiasts at Explore Park for a day of giving back to our public lands. The project will be to reroute a section of the Yellow Trail between Chestnut Ridge Road and the Blue Ridge Bike Park. We will be constructing about 700 feet of new bench cut trail and a climbing turn, replacing several eroded sections and a series of steep switch backs.

DETAILS: Sign in and day of registration will be between 8:30 and 9am at the RV lot across from the Explore Park Visitor’s Center before heading to the worksite. No trail building experience necessary, just a willingness to learn and an ability to work hard. Dress appropriate for the weather, but long pants are encouraged. Boots are recommended, closed toe-shoes are required. Bring work gloves and water, Virginia’s Blue Ridge will be providing lunch and t-shirts for pre-registrants. Work should be concluded by 1pm.

Registration can be found here. https://roanokecountyparks.com/548/Volunteer-Work-Day

Help complete the East Roanoke River Greenway! Roanoke County and VDOT are working on the potential future alignment of the Greenway from Roanoke City to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Funding for this project is dependent on demonstrated community support, so the more people we can get to take the survey and say “yes, I want to see this happen”, the more likely it will be that the necessary funding will be made available. This will be a pretty unique section of the Greenway, winding through the river gorge towards Niagara Dam, before heading under the Blue Ridge Parkway and then on to Explore Park. Work on the section near Blue Ridge Parkway will start next year, and the goal is to continue on to Explore Park by 2025. That will leave the portion that is the focus of this survey as the missing link to connect the Roanoke River Greenway all the way from Salem to Explore Park. This project has long been talked about, now is the chance to help make it a reality. The survey closes July 15^th, so don’t wait too long to share your thoughts!

Link to the plan details and survey can be found here.

Come join us for a litter clean up on the Greenway April 9th from 9 until noon. We will be meeting at the Dale Ave SE Trailhead for Tinker Creek Greenway. Wear clothes you can get dirty and sturdy shoes, bring water, and we will provide the rest. Any questions please contact Frank Maguire.

Due to the rain and the forecast for more in the coming days, the section of the Roanoke River Greenway that parallels Wiley Drive between Wasena and the second low water bridge will be closed from today, Tuesday May 24th until further notice. Tinker Creek Greenway is also flooded near Dale Ave and near Kenwood, so please avoid these areas.

Even when the water recedes, debris will remain on the trail surface, creating potentially hazardous conditions. Please find alternative routes to avoid this area. Roanoke City Parks and Recreation Staff will monitor the situation and send cleaning crews as soon as feasible.

As AEP continues to work on upgrading their equipment, there will need to be another temporary closure and detour of the Roanoke River Greenway. This Wednesday, 1/26, the closure will be in the vicinity of the Walnut Avenue Bridge. Greenway users will be routed on to neighborhood roads from 6am to 6pm to avoid the work area. The reroute will be signed and does require crossing Walnut St. Work should not extend into a second day.

UPDATE: The work was completed on schedule and the trail is reopened as of the end of the day.

Roanoke City has awarded a contract to Allegheny Construction to construct the approximately one mile section of trail from the current Bridge St Trailhead to the section that currently ends at the Norfolk-Southern Materials Yard. This project has been the focus of the city, the Greenway Commission and the Pathfinders for Greenways for years, and will largely complete the Roanoke River Greenway within the Roanoke City limits. The project includes going under the Bridge St Bridge, under two NS bridges and a new, 270-ft bridge across the Roanoke River. Add into this some other design challenges and it explains the lengthy process to get this completed. Construction is slated to begin late Winter and should be completed by early Spring, 2023.

The work has been completed and the Greenway is now open. AEP will being doing utility work in the area where the Roanoke River Greenway goes under Jefferson St SW, near the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, necessitating a closure and detour. Greenway Users can follow Wiley Dr. under the Norfolk Southern bridge and return to the Greenway just past the pedestrian bridge. The work should be completed this week with the Greenway re-opening on Friday, January 14th.

The City of Roanoke’s Parks and Recreation Department has completed the repaving of the Roanoke River Greenway from the the Bridge at Bennington Road to the Shell Station. This project was necessitated by the growth of invasive trees along the greenways, which had buckled the pavement. The Pathfinders’ Midweek Crew helped city staff remove the invasives over the course of several weeks, and the paving was completed ahead of schedule.

Long in the making, the Catawba Greenway was formally unveiled on the last day of September. Connecting Virginia Tech’s Catawba Sustainability Center with the Appalachian Trail near McAfee Knob, the new trail creates a little over a 5 mile-loop for hikers who wish to access the AT without worrying about parking on the top of 311.

The trail itself utilizes parts of the original RT 311 roadbed, before transitioning onto purpose-built trail completed by the Pathfinders for Greenways Midweek Crew. The crew’s work includes impressive stone tread and several stair sections that will help hikers ascend the elevation changes. The trail also showcases VA Tech’s agricultural research facility, from American chestnut plantings to riparian buffer crop studies. The first six-tenths of a mile is intended to be a more accessible trail and includes a bridge across the Catawba Creek and a shelter complete with accessible picnic tables.

The Catawba Greenway Trailhead is located at 5061 Catawba Creek Road. Please consider using this access area for the AT if you arrive at the top of 311 and see that the parking area is full.  The surfaced lot will hold 25 vehicles, but there is optional overflow parking as well. Additionally, another dozen or so parking spots are available at the Roanoke County Catawba Community Center, located at 4965 Catawba Creek Rd.

For a better sense of the trail, the scenery you’ll encounter and the partnerships it took to bring the trail to life, check out this video from the ribbon cutting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8l282vCaDs

If you plan your trip for a Thursday, be sure to visit the Catawba Farmers Market, open May through October. More details can be found at Catawbafarmersmarket.com

If you have traveled on the Roanoke River Greenway near the Bennington Rd Trailhead, you have undoubtedly noticed the pavement has risen up in several sections, making for a jarring, possibly dangerous surface. These pavement heaves are caused by the adjacent invasive trees, whose roots have grown under the pavement in search of water.

Beginning the week of October 4^th, Roanoke City’s Parks and Recreation department will begin to tackle this issue head on. The offending trees are slated to be removed, replaced by new plantings that shouldn’t create this headache in the future. Once the tree removal is completed, a stretch of the greenway will be repaved, greatly improving the experience for all users.

The work will take several weeks, so in the meantime the trail will be closed (between Bennington Rd Trailhead and the Shell station) until the work is complete. Consider exploring another section of the greenway and look forward to a smooth trail soon!

For more information and updates, please check the Roanoke City Parks and Recreation Blog.

Roanoke, VA, May 13, 2021 – Liz Belcher will retire in August as the Roanoke Valley Greenway Coordinator after 25 years. Liz began working as coordinator in 1996 when the Greenway Steering Committee was a fledgling organization at the Fifth Planning District Commission. The regional Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission was formally established in 1997 by the City of Roanoke, Roanoke County, City of Salem, and Town of Vinton. Botetourt County joined in 2016. Liz has been the only employee of the Commission, coordinating with the local governments to build a greenway network.

During Liz’s time with the Commission, the greenway network has grown to include over four hundred miles of off-road greenways and trails, with the 1996 Greenway Plan updated twice (2007 and 2018) to reflect the expanded vision for the region. The Roanoke River Greenway, running west to east through the valley, is the backbone of the network, with north-south routes connecting to the public lands encircling the valley. Mason Creek, Lick Run, Tinker Creek, Garden City, Glade Creek, Wolf Creek, and Mill Mountain Greenways provide the core of the north-south routes, connecting to the Blue Ridge Parkway, National Forests, Carvins Cove, Read Mountain, Appalachian Trail, and state preserves. Liz has been closely involved in protection of these public lands through conservation easements on over 13,000 acres with Virginia Outdoors Foundation and Blue Ridge Land Conservancy. She also helped organize the purchase and donation of lands for Read Mountain Preserve and Hinchee Park.

In 1999 the Greenway Commission and local governments hosted the first Governor’s Conference on Greenways and Trails. That Conference grew into a biannual event and then later into a state-led effort to expand greenway and trail networks statewide and capitalize on the economic impacts of outdoor recreation. In the Roanoke area, Roanoke Outside was born as part of the Roanoke Regional Partnership’s efforts to build an economy that valued our natural resource assets and to attract businesses, employees, and economic development to a bikeable/walkable community with great outdoor recreation opportunities. Greenways have been the foundational infrastructure for that vision and repeatedly appear in surveys and public input as one of the best things the region has ever done. 

Liz has served on numerous boards and organizations, including the Roanoke Valley Urban Forestry Council, Transportation Technical Committee of the Transportation Planning Organization, State Trails Advisory Committee, Virginia Outdoors Plan Advisory Committee, Virginia Trails Alliance, Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club, Western Virginia Land Trust, and Blueway Committee. She has been a speaker for many civic organizations, an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech, and an instructor at Roanoke College and Hollins University. In addition to the greenway plans, she led development of the first local trail plans for Carvins Cove, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Green Hill Park, and Mill Mountain.

Frank Simms, Chair of the Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission, said that Liz “has been the face of greenways for the region and, although she is often given credit for their existence, this has been a community effort with the Greenway Commission, localities, staff, volunteers, and many, many supporters providing the impetus and expertise to make it happen. We all get great joy from seeing so many people from all walks of life using the greenways, loving the river and streams, and making greenways an integral part of their life and their family. Thanks to Liz Belcher and many partners, the Roanoke Valley Greenway system has become a reality.”

With the announcement of Liz’s retirement, the Greenway Commission will begin the search for a new Coordinator. Questions can be directed to Frank Simms at fmsimms51@gmail.com. For further information, see www.greenways.org . 

There is a new yellow center line on the most heavily used sections of Roanoke River Greenway, from Memorial Avenue to Piedmont Park. Remember: travel on the right, pass on the left. Notify those in front of you when you need to pass.

Roanoke City Council approved on December 21, 2020 the acquisition of right-of-way across Walker Foundry for the Roanoke River Greenway. This will allow the City to move forward on “bridging the gap”, connecting the greenway at Bridge Street to the greenway near the Materials Yard off Aerial Way. Construction is expected to begin in about six months.

The City is also moving forward with construction of a bridge across Barnhardt Creek to connect to Roanoke River Greenway behind Cook Drive in Salem. Construction of that link will begin in January 2021.

(December 4, 2019) A new Roanoke Valley Greenways (RVG) website is coming soon thanks to a grant from the American Electric Power Foundation. At the December 4th Joint Meeting of the Greenway Commission and Pathfinders for Greenways, Appalachian Power presented a check on behalf of the AEP Foundation for $30,000 to “power” the development of a sleek, modern website that will feature robust interactive maps.

This redesign of www.greenways.org is intended to attract new users to regional greenways and help longtime users discover new greenways and trailheads. The project, scheduled to go live in the spring of 2020, requires significant funding to update maps and replace an existing site that has become outdated. The new site will share important information about the greenway network like route characteristics and changes, nearby amenities and volunteer opportunities.

Appalachian Power is passionate about being involved in the communities where their employees work and live. The AEP Foundation, funded by AEP and its utility operating units, including Appalachian Power, provides a permanent, ongoing resource for charitable initiatives involving higher dollar values and multi-year commitments in the communities served by AEP. Information about AEP’s community impact is available at www.aep.com/community.

“Our greenways are a tremendous asset to our community,” said Larry Jackson, Appalachian Power external affairs director. “We’re grateful to have this opportunity to partner with the Roanoke Valley Greenways to make more people aware of our community’s network of greenways and trails.”

Appalachian Power in Virginia has a long history of environmental stewardship and of supporting nonprofits in the Roanoke region. This has been exemplified in the past by race and event sponsorships and by contributions to projects such as development of the Tinker Creek canoe and kayak launch on the Roanoke River in Vinton.