ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996 TAG: 9605210019
SECTION: DISCOVER PAGE: 56 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
New River Trail State Park is barely a decade old, but already its 57 miles of scenic beauty draws an estimated 100,000 users a year into Pulaski, Wythe, Carroll and Grayson counties to hike, bike, camp or ride horses along its length.
That translates into a lot of tourism potential.
Recently, the state bought 165 additional acres to patch a two-mile interruption in the former rail bed near the Shot Tower State Park in Wythe County, ending a property dispute with Neuhoff Farms.
Now the state owns everything near Shot Tower State Park, from the old rail bed to the river in Wythe County, including the remains of a turn-of-the-century community at Foster Falls. The community includes a train depot, an old hotel, orphanage, iron furnace and farm buildings.
The park plans to open the village to the public near the end of June if renovations are complete. The depot, to be restored as close as possible to its original, will become a museum and gift shop by late June.
The New River Trail park office also will move to Foster Falls. The farm buildings will be reconstructed as they existed in the early 1900s. The furnace will be open for viewing eventually.
"So, actually, what we're building is a park," said Mark Hufeisen, park manager. "We get a lot of calls now from people wanting to go down and see it." They are out of luck, though, until renovations are complete.
Future facilities will include fishing, boating, canoeing, camping and stables. Canoe camping may be a 1997 project.
The state will seek bids to restore and operate the old hotel as a bed and breakfast. Bids also will be sought on concessions such as bicycle and possibly horse rentals, perhaps by spring.
Hufeisen said the Neuhoff Farms folk helped map the property. "They were very good people to work with," he said. "We owe them a lot of thanks, because it really went well."
The park had its start in 1986, when Norfolk Southern Corp. donated to the state its abandoned rail right-of-way, from Dora Junction near Pulaski to Galax and Fries. The meandering park has since been featured in magazines and in books such as last year's "Forty Great Rail Trails of the Mid-Atlantic," by Karen-Lee Ryan.
"So we're kind of out there," Hufeisen said. "I think we've been discovered. There are times we can't even drive down here because of the crowds."
Last year's winter snows drew some cross-country skiers. The flat rail beds, averaging 80 feet in width, are good for that, too.
"It's the busiest I've seen it. I've been here almost four years," Hufeisen said. Much of the growth has come from bicyclists. And more horses are being hauled from North Carolina into Virginia by trailer to ride the trail.
"We are starting to build primitive campgrounds along the trail," he said. The first of five will be north of the Cliffview southern access.
The 1807 Shot Tower, where molten lead was dropped 150 feet into water to form shot, is getting more visitors. A small admission charge helps with its maintenance and has allowed improvements such as restrooms, running water, tours and a parking area.
The northern end of the linear park now stops just outside the town of Pulaski. But it will be extended for another two miles into town to hook up with Pulaski's 1888 train station, now housing the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce and the Raymond Ratcliffe Memorial Museum.
"We know what we want to put in there, and we have a proposed route," Hufeisen said. The next step will be buying the necessary property, and the timetable for that is not final. We're still in the talking stage."
Once the trail is into Pulaski, it could be extended without too much trouble along U.S. 11 to the Draper Mountain Wayside and Overlook. That facility has been closed for several years because of problems with litter and trash, but Pulaski County is looking into reopening and renovating it.
Park officials plan a senior van tour May 11. If the response is strong, a second tour may be scheduled during the fall color season.
|PLEASE SEE MEANDER/57 Meander|
FROM PAGE 56| |By PAUL DELLINGER| |STAFF WRITER|
PULASKI - New River Trail State Park is barely a decade old, but already its 57 miles of scenic beauty draws an estimated 100,000 users a year into Pulaski, Wythe, Carroll and Grayson counties to hike, bike, camp or ride horses along its length.
That translates into a lot of tourism potential.
Recently, the state bought 165 additional acres to patch a two-mile interruption in the former rail bed near the Shot Tower State Park in Wythe County, ending a property dispute with Neuhoff Farms.
Now the state owns everything near Shot Tower State Park, from the old rail bed to the river in Wythe County, including the remains of a
turn-of-the-century community at Foster Falls. The community includes a train depot, an old hotel, orphanage, iron furnace and farm buildings.
The park plans to open the village to the public near the end of June if renovations are complete. The depot, to be restored as close as possible to its original, will become a museum and gift shop by late June.
The New River Trail park office also will move to Foster Falls. The farm buildings will be reconstructed as they existed in the early 1900s. The furnace will be open for viewing eventually.
"So, actually, what we're building is a park," said Mark Hufeisen, park manager. "We get a lot of calls now from people wanting to go down and see it." They are out of luck, though, until renovations are complete.
Future facilities will include fishing, boating, canoeing, camping and stables. Canoe camping may be a 1997 project.
The state will seek bids to restore and operate the old hotel as a bed and breakfast. Bids also will be sought on concessions such as bicycle and possibly horse rentals, perhaps by spring.
Hufeisen said the Neuhoff Farms folk helped map the property. "They were very good people to work with," he said. "We owe them a lot of thanks, because it really went well."
The park had its start in 1986, when Norfolk Southern Corp. donated to the state its abandoned rail right-of-way, from Dora Junction near Pulaski to Galax and Fries.
The meandering park has since grown in popularity. It has been featured in magazines and in books such as "Forty Great Rail Trails of the
Mid-Atlantic," by Karen-Lee Ryan, published last year.
"So we're kind of out there," Hufeisen said. "I think we've been discovered. There are times we can't even drive down here because of the crowds."
Last year's winter snows drew some cross-country skiers. The flat rail beds, averaging 80 feet in width, are good for that, too.
"It's the busiest I've seen it. I've been here almost four years," Hufeisen said. Much of the growth has come from bicyclists. And more horses are being
hauled from North Carolina into Virginia by trailer to ride the trail.
"We are starting to build primitive campgrounds along the trail," he said. The first of five will be north of the Cliffview southern access.
The 1807 Shot Tower, where molten lead was dropped 150 feet into water to form round shot, is getting more visitors. A small admission charge helps with its maintenance and has allowed improvements, such as restrooms, running water, tours and a parking area.
The northern end of the linear park now stops just outside the town of Pulaski. But it will be extended for another two miles into town to hook up with Pulaski's 1888 train station, now housing the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce and the Raymond Ratcliffe Memorial Museum.
"We know what we want to put in there, and we have a proposed route," Hufeisen said. The next step will be buying the necessary property, and the timetable for that is not final. We're still in the talking stage."
Once the trail is into Pulaski, it could be extended without too much trouble along U.S. 11 to the Draper Mountain Wayside and Overlook. That
facility has been closed for several years because of problems with litter and trash, but Pulaski County is looking into reopening and renovating it.
Park officials have scheduled a senior van tour May 11. If the response to the spring tour is strong, a second tour may be scheduled during the fall color season.
LENGTH: Long : 182 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON/Staff. Bicyclists like this part of theby CNBnation's Rails to Trails system. So do hikers, skiers and horseback
riders. color. Graphic: Map. color.