ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 11, 1996 TAG: 9608090141
SECTION: DISCOVER ROANOKE VALLEY PAGE: 88 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
Roanoke Valley residents need do little more than walk outside their front doors to be amid some of the most diverse outdoor recreation in the nation.
There are mountains for hiking, hunting, mountain biking and cross-country skiing. There are streams for fishing and canoeing. There are lakes for water sports. There are byways for leisure driving and biking, habitat for birdwatching and ranges for shooting.
Here's a look at some of the attractions, as well as the organizations designed to help you enjoy them (camping is covered elsewhere):
Hiking
The Appalachian Trail, the most famous footpath in the country, traverses the northern end of the Roanoke Valley on its 2,000-mile Maine to Georgia journey. It offers quick access to everything from an easy afternoon hike to six-month journeys.
One 28-mile stretch through Roanoke and Botetourt counties contains Dragon's Tooth, McAfee Knob, Tinker Cliffs and Hay Rock, all major attractions of this national scenic trail. McAfee Knob, which offers spectacular views of Catawba Valley, is one of the most photographed spots on the entire trail. The June issue of Backpacker Magazine, for example, included a centerfold picture.
A favorite jumping-off spot for hikers is atop Catawba Mountain, where you can leave your vehicle in a National Park parking lot along Virginia 311 north of Roanoke and hike north on the trail about 31/2 miles to McAfee Knob. This area gets heavy use, so don't expect to have it to yourself, except maybe on a winter midweek day.
Most hikers return to the parking lot (allow about a half day for a round trip), but for the strong and experienced there is the opportunity to continue north for a total of 20 miles and reach U.S. 220 at Daleville.
Second in popularity to McAfee Knob is Dragon's Tooth, a prominent stone monolith towering skyward on Cove Mountain. It can be reached following a 21/2-mile hike from a national forest parking lot on the left side of Virginia 311 about 21/2 miles north of Catawba. The round-trip hike is five miles and begins on a blue-blazed George Washington and Jefferson National Forests side trail, then meets the white blazes of the Appalachian Trail, where you turn right to reach the tooth.
The Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club sponsors hikes nearly every week throughout the year. The schedule is listed in this newspaper's Outdoors You Go on the Monday Outdoor Page and The Calendar in the Friday editions of the Extra section. Guests are welcome and are asked to share a modest fee for carpooling. The organized hikes are a great way to ``discover'' the trail and meet the people who love and support it.
The club welcomes new members, especially those willing to lend a hand to trail projects. Its president is Jimmy Whitney, 344-4117.
A detailed map of the trail is available for $5 from the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests headquarters at 5162 Valleypointe Parkway. Ask for the Glenwood-New Castle District map of the AT.
In addition to the highly touted Appalachian Trail through the Roanoke Valley, there are numerous other nearby trails, many located in the national forest, including War Spur-Chestnut Ridge Loop, the Nida Trail, the Spec Mines Trail, the Price Mountain-Sulphur Ridge Loop, the Hoop Hole Trail and the Cascades Trail. One way to learn about them is to converse with other hikers or get maps from the national forest headquarters.
The Blue Ridge Parkway passes through the Roanoke Valley on its way from Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountain National Park. There are a number of trails along the way, including a scenic climb to Sharp Top and a steep descent to Apple Orchard Falls, both in the Peaks of Otter area of Bedford County.
These trails, and others, are highlighted in ``Walking the Blue Ridge,'' by Roanoker Leonard Adkins. One of Adkins' favorites is Chestnut Ridge Trail, on Roanoke Mountain not far from the Mill Mountain Star. His trail guide is sold in local book stores.
Information on Blue Ridge Parkway hiking and other activities also is available from a ranger station just north of Vinton at milepost 112, phone 857-2458, or at the Peaks nouth of Roanoke.
Fishing
Urban trout fishing is available in the Roanoke River, Tinker Creek and Glade Creek, which are stocked by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries except during the summer months. The trout season is open year round. There is a new pay-fishing program on Glade Creek, called Lake Back-O-Beyond, 977-1880.
Other nearby state-stocked streams popular with fishermen include Jennings Creek in Botetourt County, Potts Creek in Craig County, Little River in Floyd County, South Fork of Roanoke River in Montgomery County and Smith River in Henry County.
A portion of the Smith, from Towne Creek downstream for three miles to Bassett, is highly attractive to fly fishermen as is the Jackson River below Gathright Dam north of Covington. The Smith is restricted to artificial lures only and all trout caught in the Jackson must be released alive. Care should be taken not to get on private property on the Jackson.
Nearby warm-water streams and lakes provide fishing for such species as black bass, sunfish and striped bass. Smith Mountain Lake is the state's top spot to land a trophy striped bass, with catches above 30 pounds a reality.
The James River, to the east of Roanoke, and the New River, to the west, are ideal for smallmouth bass and provide the best opportunity in the state for catching a muskie. The rivers are unmatched for float fishing in a canoe or johnboat.
Anglers ages 16 through 64 must have a $12.50 state fishing license, valid Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. When you fish a trout stream during the periods they are being stocked, you also must have a $12.50 trout license. On national forest streams, a $3.50 national forest stamp is required of fishermen ages 16 through 64. Older fishermen must have a $1 annual fishing license. New this year is a combination youth hunting license that sells for $15.50 and covers deer, bear, turkey, bow and muzzleloading.
Orvis, in Roanoke, offers information on fly fishing and schedules fly fishing schools, some for women only.
Biking
The Roanoke Valley offers numerous opportunities for biking, including organized rides most weekends by the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club. The ride schedule and the leader's phone number are listed on the Monday Outdoor Page of this newspaper under Outdoors You Go and in The Calendar of the Friday Extra section. Participants must wear a bicycle helmet. Minors must be accompanied by a responsible adult. The president of the club is Billie Abshire, 343-7632.
Wiley Drive, from Wasena Park to near Roanoke Memorial Hospital, provides a flat, two-mile elementary ride on Roanoke City's only marked bike trail. It is shared with auto traffic under a reduced speed limit.
Salem has a 17-mile bikeway along city streets that connects several parks. It is shared with traffic and is hilly in spots.
The Catawba Valley area, from Daleville to Blacksburg, is a favorite biking route, as are Bradshaw Road in Roanoke and Montgomery counties and the Troutville area of Botetourt County. The Catawba-Ellett Valley trip is part of the Oregon to Virginia TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, often called the Bikecentennial Trail. The trail is 20 years old this season. Another enticing stretch for local bikers is the section from Troutville to Buchanan.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is popular with experienced bikers capable of dealing with demanding hills.
In the nearby George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are trails and roads to accommodate the growing interest in mountain biking. An example is the Broad Run (Wildlife) Road reached off Virginia 311 near the Roanoke-Craig County line. A number of national forest backwoods roads in the Potts Mountain area of Craig County provide excellent mountain biking. The New Castle Ranger District map of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is a good way to discover these roads.
Hunting
The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests afford excellent deer and turkey hunting, along with decent action for grouse, squirrel and bear.
Maps are available for a modest fee from the forest headquarters, 5162 Valleypointe Parkway.
Still another public hunting spot is the Havens Wildlife Management Area in Roanoke County. This mountainous, mostly walk-in terrain is reached along Bradshaw Road and off Wildwood Road [Virginia 619]. It is managed by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
A hunting license is required of everyone seeking game in Virginia, with the exception of landowners and family members hunting on their own property. A resident license costs $12.50 annually.
Youngsters can purchase a hunting license for $7.50. Hunters age 12 to 15 must complete a safety course before they can purchase a license. Those under 12 must be accompanied by a licensed adult.
Information on safety courses and other hunting subjects is available from the field office of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, 209 E. Cleveland Ave., Vinton, 857-7704.
Hunters seeking deer, bear and turkey must have a $12.50 big-game license in addition to their regular license. Bow and muzzleloading licenses costs $12.50 apiece. Hunters on national forest property must purchase a $3.50 national forest stamp. The same stamp is good for fishing on the forest.
Hunting licenses are valid July 1 through June 30. Like fishing licenses, which are valid January through June, they may be purchased at most county clerk offices and at numerous tackle and gun shops in the area and Wal-Mart stores. Digests of hunting and fishing laws are available from license agents or they may be ordered from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, P.O. Box 11104, Richmond 23230.
Boating
The area's major boating attraction is 20,000-acre Smith Mountain Lake, which offers opportunities for power boating, sailing, water-skiing and personal watercraft.
The lake's 500 miles of shoreline contain numerous full-service marinas, where boat sales, repairs, mooring, launching, fuel and rentals are available.
In addition to the marina facilities, there are several state launching ramps on the lake. The nearest to the Roanoke Valley is at Hardy, reached by traveling east from Vinton on Virginia 636.
The open-water areas of the lower section of the lake provide the best opportunities for sailing. There are two major sailing clubs, the Virginia Inland Sailing Association [VISA], with facilities on the lower Roanoke River arm of the impoundment, and Blackwater Yacht Racing Association [BYRA], which operates out of the the Pelican Point Yacht Club.
The Smith Mountain Lake Water Ski Club promotes family and competitive skiing. The organization has a slalom course and ski jump for its members. A contact is Tom Tanner, (540) 297-7833.
The Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce/Partnership is a source of information - everything from boat rentals to bed and breakfasts - on the lake, (800) 676-8203.
Water sport activities also are available at Claytor Lake, in Pulaski County; Philpott Reservoir, near Bassett; and Moomaw Lake, northeast of Covington.
In addition to their fishing opportunities, the James and New rivers provide excellent canoeing. There are numerous public launching sites listed in ``Virginia Boating Guide," free from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, P.O. Box 11104, Richmond 23230.
State boating safety courses are presented monthly, except December, at the Safety Council of Southwest Virginia in Roanoke, 344-4676.
Canoe rentals and shuttles are provided on the upper James by the James River Basin Canoe Livery in Lexington. The livery is on U.S. 60, about seven miles west of the Blue Ridge Parkway and 1.5 miles east of I-81 Exit 51. The phone number is (540) 261-7334.
On the New River, canoes can be rented and shuttles are available from New River Canoe Livery in Pembroke, (540) 626-7189.
The Roanoke Valley Chapter of Float Fishermen of Virginia provides a format for people interested in canoeing and conservation. The club generally meets the last Wednesday of the month at Famous Anthony's in Salem. It organizes several floats each year and has its own rafts that are frequently used for whitewater adventures in the New River Gorge. A club contact is Mike Byrd, 297-6381.
Shooting
The largest private shooting organization is the Roanoke Rifle and Revolver Club, which has range facilities and a clubhouse in Franklin County east of Roanoke (cross Windy Gap Mountain on Virginia 116, then left on 678, go one mile and turn left on gravel road across from white church).
Established in 1934, the club sponsors a variety of matches for rifles, shotguns and handguns. Guests are welcome to participate. The matches are listed in Outdoors You Go on the Monday Outdoor Page. A good way to view club facilities and meet members is to show up for a match. The organization's mailing address is P.O. Box 8252, Roanoke 24014.
The Ridge Rifle Association has a range near Fincastle and sponsors public matches, which are listed on the Outdoor Page.
The Sherwood Archers club maintains target facilities and competitive events for archers and bowhunters on club property in the Hanging Rock area. The facilities include three outdoor ranges and an indoor range. A contact is Jimmy Brugh, 254-2490.
Commercial ranges are provided for firearm shooters by On Target in Roanoke and for 3-D archers by Two Flags in Craig County.
Snow sports
Less than a four-hour drive from Roanoke are a dozen skiing resorts. The most popular include Snowshoe-Silver Creek, near Marlinton, W.Va.; Wintergreen, near Waynesboro; The Homestead at Hot Springs; and Winterplace Ski Resort in Flat Top, W.Va.
The Roanoke Ski Club caters to the interests of skiers in the valley, with meetings, socials and organized trips. Watch for announcements of meetings and trips on the Monday Outdoor Page. The president is Jim Beamer, 884-2659.
When it snows, cross-county skiing opportunities are bountiful in local parks, on farms and in the national forest.
The Virginia Snowmobile Association is headquartered in the Valley. Information is available from P.O. Box 1444, Salem 24153.
Birdwatching
The Roanoke Valley Bird Watchers Club holds monthly meetings and sponsors events such as the Christmas Bird Count, hawk watching on the Blue Ridge Parkway and a bluebird house project. The president is Roger Dalton, 774-3727.
Woodpecker Ridge Nature Center, in Troutville, has become a popular spot for observing birds, butterflies and wildflowers. It is the headquarters for a new butterfly club. Information is available from Kathy Summers, 890-4984.
LENGTH: Long : 251 linesby CNB