Kent's Cabin

06/07/2026

Check out Naturalist Week for the trail

📅 Mark your calendars for Naturalist Week: July 27-31.

Kick off your week with us as we explore the natural world from visiting caves to searching the New River! 🌳 Join expert naturalists each day for a new theme packed with discovery and adventure perfect for all ages.

💚 Come learn, explore and connect with nature in new and exciting ways. Hands-on activities, expert talks and outdoor adventures await! Here are the daily themes and experts:

🦇 Monday: Caving and Cave Ecosystems with Scientist Penelope Vorster
🤿 Tuesday: Freshwater Mussels and Snorkeling with Aquatic Biologist Tiffany Leach
🪨 Wednesday: Geology and Rock Formations with Program Director and State Geologist Matthew Heller
🦋 Thursday: Moth Night with rangers
🌅 Friday: River Detectives with Naturalist Brooks Lindamood

Learn more: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/events?park=2013-10-18-21-10-41-00021&start=06/01/2026&end=02/20/2027&search=naturalist%20week&template=all&type=all

Friends of New River Trail

29/06/2026

Info about our Chestnut log cabin

There was a time when one of every four trees in these mountains was an American chestnut, giants so tall and wide that folks called them the redwoods of the East. 🌳 They fed everything. Families fattened their hogs on the nuts, gathered them by the sackful to sell at Christmas, and built their cabins, barns, and fence rails from the straight, rot-resistant wood.

Then around 1904 a blight arrived on imported trees, and it moved through the forest like a wildfire with no smoke. Within forty years, billions of chestnuts were dead. An entire way of mountain life died with them. The old folks who watched it happen never forgot the sight of those grand trees standing gray and bare across whole mountainsides.

Their ghostly silver skeletons stood for decades, and even now you can find old chestnut wood holding up barns built a century ago. Scientists are still working to bring the tree back. 🍃 Did your family ever talk about the old chestnuts?

12/06/2026

Part of our beautiful Trail!

15/05/2026

More info on our favorite nearby State Park

Come learn what makes cave ecosystems so delicate and special during our Lone Ash Cave Adventure.

⚠️ Participants must be able to bend, stoop, duck, crawl, scoot, crouch and balance on uneven terrain. This tour is moderately strenuous and not recommended if you have a heart condition, breathing issues, poor balance, trouble walking, issues climbing stairs, claustrophobia or have back, knee, hip, ankle or foot problems.

📅 May 26, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
🎟️ $15 per person or $12 per person for groups of four or more
ℹ️ https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/event?id=2026-01-30-08-48-26-466227-5fk

Registration is required, and space is limited to 12. Please call 276-699-6778 to register.

11/05/2026

Great info!

23/04/2026

Smells so good!

Nothing says summertime like that sweet smell of Honeysuckle 🍯🌱

16/04/2026

Wytheville has won the 2026 Great American Main Street Award, claiming the top honor among the best Main Street communities in the country. The small Southwest Virginia town beat out much larger cities, including Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Astoria, Oregon — defeating competitors up to 50 times its size....

16/04/2026

Want to experience the trail in a new way? 🚐 Register for a Driving Through History Van Tour.

Tours run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include stops along the way. Lunch is not provided. Tours are weather-dependent. 🌧️ If the trail conditions aren't favorable, rides will be cancelled.

South end: Meets at the Cliffview Access Parking Area and heads toward Gambetta, Byllesby Dam, Buck Dam, Ivanhoe, Austinville and Foster Falls.

📅 Tuesday, May 5

North end: Meets at the Foster Falls Depot and heads toward Lone Ash, Allisonia, Hiwassee, Draper and Dora Junction.

📅 Tuesday, May 19

🎟️ $15 per participant
📞 Call 276-699-6778 to register
ℹ️ www.virginiastateparks.gov/newrivertrail-events

📷 Hiwassee Bridge