The 45-mile Roanoke River Blueway (water trail) runs from the South Fork Roanoke River at East Montgomery County Park to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) Hardy Ford boating access at Hardy Road (634) in Bedford County at Smith Mountain Lake. The Roanoke River Flows flow through, connects or borders seven localities in the upper Roanoke River watershed including:
City of Roanoke
City of Salem
Montgomery County
Roanoke County
Bedford County
Franklin County
Town of Vinton
The Roanoke River Blueway provides river access for canoeing, kayaking, fishing, tubing, wading, wildlife viewing, and other recreational opportunities, while connecting to numerous local parks, Roanoke River Greenway, Tinker Creek Greenway, Mill Mountain Greenway, Blue Ridge Parkway, Explore Park, and Smith Mountain Lake. The Roanoke River Blueway also includes sections of the South Fork Roanoke River, Tinker Creek, and Back Creek. Plan your trip today!
Roanoke River Blueway Receives Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award
The 2016 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards were announced at the 27th Environment Virginia Symposium in Lexington. The awards recognized the significant contributions of environmental and conservation leaders in four categories: sustainability, environmental project, land conservation, and implementation of the Virginia Outdoors Plan. The Roanoke River Blueway received a Silver Medal Award for implementation of the Virginia Outdoors Plan.
Roanoke River Blueway Designated as a Virginia Treasure
The Roanoke River Blueway has been designated as a Natural, Cultural and Recreational Treasure as part of the Virginia Treasures program, an initiative by Governor McAuliffe to preserve, protect and highlight Virginia’s most important ecological, cultural, scenic and recreational assets as well as its special lands. A recreational treasure is a one that provides new public access to a natural, cultural or scenic outdoor recreation resource. These are projects that help the public by enhancing outdoor recreation and foster stewardship of natural and cultural resources.
Roanoke River Blueway Presentation (Roanoke River Currents Conference, October 9, 2015)
