New River - An Unusual Linear State Park

September 7, 2022                                                           Most Recent Posts:
Stony Fork Campground                                     Another Visitor – Lucky Me!
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Wytheville, Virginia

While I was close by, I wanted to check out the New River Trail State Park.  It’s an unusual linear state park which follows the New River for 57.5 miles along the old railroad bed.  It’s wonderful biking.  But I didn’t bring a bike with me to the mountains so I hiked it which was just as lovely or more so since I wasn’t whizzing by anything.

The trail has several access points.  I drove to Foster Falls mistakenly thinking there might be falls there.  It’s at MP 24 on the trail and has the old train station made into a store as well as a small campground, boat, horse and bike rentals.  No falls exactly but cascading waters gliding over river bedrock with a background of limestone cliffs.   Very lovely but not a place I’d want to kayak.  Though there are two boat ramps I assume for when the river water is much higher.

The park is part of an historic district with 12 buildings built in the late-19th century. They include the iron furnace stack, the rail bed and frame railroad passenger station (c. 1887), a general store building, and a combination gristmill/sawmill. The district includes the fantastic Foster Falls Hotel, a late-Victorian style brick building. The hotel property includes two brick dependencies associated with an orphanage that occupied the hotel building beginning in 1938. It now serves as the headquarters of the New River Trail State Park though as it was under renovation when I was there, I’m not sure where the headquarters is now.  There wasn’t much in the train station except the place to get your $4 parking sticker and a small park store.

I hiked around the area before starting the trail.

In the 19th century dozens of iron furnaces and forges dotted the New River Valley due to its high mineral content.  Foster Falls was one of these built in 1880 and operated with water power from the New River.  The town sprang up around it and died with it.

Eerily there was no one around.  No campers or indication of programs in the amphitheater.

There were two of these buildings which based on the grille I took to be some sort of picnic shelter.

The campground was all walk in tent sites right along the river you can see in the far distance.

I’d never seen these before but the signs said they were carts to haul your camping gear in from your car.

I walked along the river as far as I could go imagining kayaking here.

I took it that these were the riffles that gave Foster Falls its name and the granite cliffs.

Benches along the banks at several spots but no one around.

It was very lovely and serene.  Not at all like the wild white water river I had heard about stretching over 300 miles with class I, II and III rapids.

I’m not a white water kayaker but I wonder if these even have a class.  Anyone know?

From there I headed back up to the rail bed and the trail.

A nice picnic spot along the river.

I wondered if the trains on the railroad had been as close to these rocks as the railbed made it look.

I wondered what happened to the train bridge as I doubt this was it.  I also wondered, if it was not, who built and paid for this pedestrian bridge.

After the bridge I stopped at an information sign for Jackson’s Ferry.  There’s no sign of where it might have been.  I learned that in 1770 established a ferry here across the New River, the only one in the region at that time.  After a huge dispute, the route was awarded to the builder and operator of the Shot Tower further on down the trail, Thomas Jackson.  His family ran the ferry until 1931 when an auto bridge was built.  No sign of that here either.

  

I arrived at a sign for the shot tower shortly and climbed the indicated set of stairs up to find a parking lot and information signs.

The information told me that Thomas Jackson came from England with “the trade secret of dropped shot” a process refined there.  The tower took 5 years to build, completed in 1807 to manufacture lead shot.  It was the first factory to mass produce shot in America.   It was in operation for only 32 years.  It appears they are right proud of this 19th century commercial venture in Southwest Virginia.  They have named this spot Shot Tower Historic State Park.  I guess that accounts for the parking lot.

Nice view from up here.

I walked down to the other side.  But there really wasn’t much to see.

I walked a bit further on before turning back and having the river on my left.

I was surprised to see buckeyes on the trail.   I didn’t see the tree.  I’m originally from the Buckeye State but left at age 21.   I think  Buckeyes are lovely with their shiny walnut color and distinctive eye.  Supposedly the color of a Buck’s eye.  But they are not edible and can be toxic.

It was a lovely shady walk.

It seemed a perfect bike path though I only saw two bikers the entire way.

By the time I returned to Foster Falls, I’d walked 6 miles.