Portions of New River Trail State Park reopen after Hurricane Helene

Portions of New River Trail State Park reopen after Hurricane HeleneMAX MEADOWS, Va. – Roughly 25 miles of New River Trail State Park have reopened to the public after Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to the trail.

Visitors can now enjoy hiking, biking and horseback riding along the following sections:

  • Roughly 9 miles from the Galax park entrance to the Gambetta park entrance. This portion of the trail includes Chestnut Creek Falls.
  • Roughly 3 miles from mile marker 33 through mile marker 29. This portion of the trail includes the Ivanhoe park entrance, Ivanhoe River Bridge and Austinville park entrance.
  • Roughly 12 miles from the Shot Tower park entrance to mile marker 13. This portion of the trail includes Foster Falls.
  • Roughly 8 miles from mile marker 10 to the Dora Junction park entrance. This portion of the trail includes the Dalton Bridge, Sloan Creek Trestle, Draper park entrance, McAdams Trestle and Peak Creek Trestle.

To access these sections of the trail, guests can park at the following entrances: Galax, Cliffview, Chestnut Yard, Gambetta, Austinville, Shot Tower, Foster Falls, Draper and Dora Junction.

Before navigating the trail, guests are encouraged to download the geo-referenced park map from Avenza Maps. This free app is available on both iOS and Android. Learn more at virginiastateparks.gov/park-trail-maps.

Although significant progress has been made, roughly 17 miles of the trail remain closed for ongoing repair, including:

  • From the Fries park entrance to the Trestle Rd. boat ramp (mile marker 33). This closure includes Fries Junction, Byllesby Dam and Buck Dam.
  • From the Gambetta park entrance to Fries Junction (mile marker 40). This closure includes Gambetta Tunnel.
  • From the Austinville park entrance through Indian Branch Bridge (mile marker 28.5). This closure includes the Austinville Tunnel and Indian Branch Bridge.
  • From mile marker 13 to mile marker 10. This closure includes the Allisonia park entrance, Hoover Mountain Bike Area, the Hiwassee park entrance and Hiwassee River Bridge.

These areas are expected to reopen once they are deemed safe for public use. For guest safety and the safety of park rangers and emergency response workers, visitors should not attempt to access portions of the trail that are closed.

In addition to trail closures, the Hoover Mountain Biking Area is closed until further notice, and all park campgrounds are closed through Feb. 28, 2025.

For updates on trail closures, please go to virginiastateparks.gov/new-river-trail.