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Trail Maps
For more maps/info including photos, see Friends of the Huckleberry
About the Trail The Huckleberry Trail, an asphalt-paved bike/pedestrian path, runs from the Blacksburg library to the New River Mall. There are lines on the trail marking every half mile starting from the point the trail crosses Miller Street. At 2.83 miles it crosses the road to Warm Hearth, at 3.43
miles it crosses Hightop, and at 3.90 it crosses Merimac. The total distance from Miller to the Mall is 5.762 miles. The following items give a chronological recent history of developments of the trail.
In June 2006, this article reported about the completion of Phse I, the first of a planned two-phase project to connect the Huckleberry trail to the Hethwood bike paths. Two Collegiate Times articles: June 2008 and June 2010, discuss two further expansions: extending the trail from the New River Valley Mall over Route 114 to downtown Christiansburg, and an extension from Hethwood to the Jefferson National Forest where it touches Glad Road.
October 1, 2010 report: The paving of the additional section of Trail behind the NRV Mall will be done in the
next couple of weeks. It has been authorized to go
forward with Friends of the Huckleberry paying the $28,000 cost.
Here is an aerial view of the extension near the NRV mall. Although the funding is in place for the bridge over Route 114, it is not k nown at this time when that part will be completed.
Hopefully, in Spring 2011, the two-tunnel connector, which will link the Huckleberry Trail to the Hethwood bike path, will be completed. The Town of Blacksburg Parks/Greenways site now says Fall 2011 (May 11).
October 21, 2010 update: The extension from the New River Mall to (but not crossing) Route 114 is now paved. Here is a report from a usually reliable source: “The length of extension is 0.40 miles.
The distance from the 5.5 mile mark to the end of the extension is 0.60 miles,
The distance from 0.0 mile mark to 5.5 mile mark is 5.48 miles.” From the 0-mile mark at Miller Street to Rout 114 and back is thus 12.2 miles. Extra credit will be given to anyone who can tell us with some certainty what the starting point will be for a round trip equal to a half marathon. (Bollo’s?)
April 13, 2011 : The Huckleberry Trail bridge over Southgate Drive in Blacksburg must remain closed for several months as a new bridge is installed, engineers have determined. The bridge was inspected last month after corrosion was found on structural supports. The engineers determined a new bridge must be installed, which should be completed by late summer.
Earlier this week, the town installed temporary stairs at the south end of the bridge. Because there were already stairs at the north end of the bridge, the full trail is once again “open” with an at-grade crossing of Southgate Drive. However, for a while that last downhill mile will no longer be your fastest.
Huckleberry Trail is sprouting Trail organizers are doing some pruning as they build out the trail — including repairing a rusting bridge in Blacksburg (by Lerone Graham, June 2, 2011). This feature article in the Roanoke Times NRV Durrent has updates of many of the above threads. For example, the replacement bridge has been ordered, and it will be two feet wider than the old bridge.
June 8, 2011 : Huckleberry Trail Improvements (from Blacksburg Alert)
Several construction projects over the next month may cause minor delays along the Huckleberry Trail starting June 13.
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Several bridges will receive new wooden decking and railing, causing either that trail section to close temporarily or delays up to 15 minutes, according to Parks and Recreation Director Mitchell Haugh. Two of the bridges are between Hightop and Merrimac and one bridge is between Merrimac and Christiansburg. There will be signage posted before the bridges when there are delays.
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On June 20–21, a new restroom facility will be installed in the Coal Miners Park area. The toilet facility is being paid for by donations from the Friends of the Huckleberry, a private donor and a contribution from the County.
November 9, 2011: The bridge on the HT over Southgate Drive (1/2 mile from Miller Street) showed signs of rust so was closed in June. Over the summer, a new brige was installed and the stairs from the trail to the street level were also replaced (with ones that are more bike firendly). The new bridge is 12' wide — two feet wider than the old bridge. The work was completed before the end of October.
February 2012: The first mile of the Huckleberry Trail was widened about 2 feet (to match the bridge width). The widened path extends from Miller Street (Mile 0) to the gazebo (mile 3/4) and then towards Airport Road. The part along the gravel road was not widened.
Blacksburg launches expansion of Huckleberry Trail (Collegiate Times, February 20, 2012).
April 3, 2012: The widening of the first mile is completed. Asphalt is yet to come.
Last updated 8 April 2012.
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