Site of future multi-use trails on Brush Mountain
Work on new trails for the Brush Mountain Park and Preservation Project has begun. Work on this first phase will take about 8-9 weeks to complete.
The New River Land Trust currently owns two properties totaling 552 acres of intact forestland on Brush Mountain between the Jefferson National Forest boundary and the Town of Blacksburg. The trust plans to build as many of the proposed trails as possible on the properties before turning them over to the Town of Blacksburg within two years to be managed as a town park.
With the funding received from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation Forest CORE grant, the Robert and Dee Leggett Foundation, and the support from individuals and businesses in the community, the land trust is prepared to build 2.5 miles of new trail on Property One. This will add to the existing 1.7 mile dirt/gravel roadbed that will be part of the property’s trail system. Plans are in the works for additional sections of new trail on the upper portion of Property One. Building more trails will depend on balancing the funding on hand between Property One and Property Two and success in raising additional funds.
“All the partners on this project appreciate the high level of interest from the community. We are making every effort to move things along so that people can enjoy the park and trails as soon as possible,” said land trust Executive Director John Eustis.
The Poverty Creek Trail Coalition will be organizing volunteer work groups. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will use only very small groups and will observe all necessary precautions while working on the trail. The land trust is working with the Town of Blacksburg on plans for other infrastructure like parking and signage that will make public access possible in the future.
At this time, the properties are closed to the public until they can be safely opened.
“It’s been amazing to see the greater community get involved in this project.” said Michael Carnrike, owner of Eastern Trail Company, the contractor building the trails. “There are a lot of moving parts and hoops to jump through to build a trail network from scratch. The land trust is successfully navigating these to build trails that serve the needs of all trail users.”