Tucked into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Martinsville reveals itself as an unexpected paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Anna Wheeler and Brian Williams from the Dan River Basin Association share their intimate knowledge of this small city with its outsized adventure potential.
The Smith River Blueway provides 45 miles of accessible paddling and world-class trout fishing on the crown jewel of Martinsville. Just beyond city limits, Philpott Lake offers 25 miles of undeveloped shoreline with camping, paddling, and hiking opportunities.
Bring your bike or borrow one for free and ride the Smith River Trail System, a network of local trails, including the 11-mile paved Dick & Willie Passage Trail, that serves as both recreation corridor and community connector.
Anna and Brian also highlight local museums, culinary gems, and fascinating history to add to your must-do Martinsville bucket list. Let’s Go!
Join us next week as we dive into Martinsville’s local attractions, including museums, culinary gems, and one of the newest state parks that is open and welcoming visitors.
Follow VAOA Podcast:
Instagram I Facebook I Newsletter Sign Up
Support the Show! Buy Me A Coffee
Shop the Virginia Outdoor Adventures Merch Store!
VAOA Podcast is Sponsored by:
Visit Martinsville Henry County
Virginia Association for Parks
Mentioned in this Episode:
Visit Martinsville Henry County
Connect with Anna Wheeler and Brian Williams:
Dan River Basin Association I Facebook I Instagram
Dick and Willie Passage Rail Trail
Fan Mail - Send Jessica a Text Message
Contact show host, Jessica Bowser:
jessica@virginiaoutdo
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jessica Bowser (00:00):
Announcer, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is amecca for outdoor travel and
adventure. Virginia outdooradventures Podcast is your local
guide for hiking, camping,kayaking, travel and so much
more. Get the information andthe inspiration to plan your own
adventure right here inVirginia. I'm your host. Jessica
(00:23):
Bowser, tucked into thefoothills of the Blue Ridge
Mountains, Martinsville revealsitself as an unexpected paradise
for outdoor enthusiasts. ANNAWheeler and Brian Williams from
the Dan River Basin Associationshare their intimate knowledge
of this small city with itsoutsized adventure potential,
(00:44):
the Smith River blue wayprovides 45 miles of accessible
paddling and world class troutfishing on the crown jewel of
Martinsville, just beyond citylimits, Philpott lake offers 25
miles of undeveloped shorelinewith camping, paddling and
hiking opportunities. Bring yourbike or borrow one for free and
ride the Smith River TrailSystem, a network of local
(01:07):
trails, including the 11 milepaved dick and Willie passage
trail that serves as bothrecreation corridor and
community connector. Ana andBrian also highlight local
museums, culinary gems andfascinating history to add to
your must do Martinsville bucketlist. Let's go. Anna and Brian,
(01:30):
welcome to Virginia outdooradventures.
Unknown (01:32):
Thank you. Thanks for having us glad
Jessica Bowser (01:34):
to be here. What do you love about martinsville?
Well,
Unknown (01:38):
as somebody who moved to the community, I've really
enjoyed the small town feel ofit, including the small town,
it's crazy how much outdooradventures there are around
here. What about you, Brian?
I love it because it is a smalltown. I lived in Atlanta. I've
lived in several differentstates, and once we moved here,
I realized how close we are tothe Blue Ridge Mountains and all
(01:58):
the opportunities that are here.
It's a it's a small town, butit's really close to some major
cities, so you've got a littlebit of everything, and it's just
a wonderful place to live. It'sinexpensive and convenient and
lots of outdoor
Jessica Bowser (02:11):
activities.
Could you describe Martinsvillefor the listeners, it is
Unknown (02:16):
a small town, about 14 15,000 population in the city,
and we have about 37,000 in thecounty of Henry. So Martinsville
is basically in the middle ofHenry County, and the Smith
River runs northwest tosoutheast, right through the
middle of our county, and itkind of connects all these
little small towns, fielddale,Bassett, Stanley town, Ridgeway
(02:36):
and right through martinsville.
So it has a small town field butwe also have big town things
here too. We've got greatrestaurants, like I said, great
outdoor activities, shopping,just about everything you would
want. So it's still got thatretains that small town feel.
You can walk around uptown andenjoy the sites, go into places
to eat and drink, and thenwithin five minutes, you can be
(02:58):
out looking at a beautiful vistaof the Blue Ridge Mountains or
beyond the river. One ofmy things that I love to
highlight about Martinsville,Virginia, is that it's about an
hour away from Floyd, RoanokeGreensboro, and of course, like
we're connected to Philpott Lakeand fairy stone state park out
here, along with the future MayoRiver State Park. So just a few
attractions that are, you know,nationally recognized, and
(03:21):
people from those cities can behere within an hour. Both
Jessica Bowser (03:26):
of you are with the Dan River Basin Association.
Could you talk about the missionof DARPA?
Unknown (03:31):
Yeah, so the Dan River Basin Association's mission is
to protect and promote the DanRiver Basin through recreation,
education and stewardship. Theway that we do that is take
people outside. So we get peopleoutdoors on our first Saturday
outings, hikes, things likethat, building trails, building
river accesses. And thenhopefully, once they're
outdoors, they want to learnmore about their area, so
(03:51):
they're going to read someeducational materials we have in
classroom presentations. Troutin the Classroom is a huge
project of ours. And then oncethey learn a little bit more
about it. We hope they becomestewards of our land. So we do
citizens water qualitymonitoring in general, you know,
showing people that they need toprotect it. We have people who
do river watch and check out ourrivers and creeks and make sure
(04:12):
that it's safe, along withplenty of other projects. You
know, the three tenants areEducation, Recreation and
stewardship. So we always sayplay, learn and care. So we know
that, you know people drivingacross the bridge and looking at
a river may see one thing, butif we can get your feet wet, get
you in a river, on a river, on atrail out there, playing in a
good, safe way with other peoplethat have already experienced
(04:33):
this, and then you can learnmore about it. And then, once
you do that, you start to becomea good steward of it. So that's
the caring part of it, andthat's the way we we've done it.
And as Ana mentioned, waterquality monitors, our Trout in
the Classroom, our educationoutreach programs all are based
around, how do we make a bettercleaner environment, cleaner
(04:53):
community, keep our river cleanand get people coming to see
exactly what we have here andwhat we have. Have to offer. So
it all ties in together with ourmission. Let's
Jessica Bowser (05:03):
jump into all of the things that you have to
offer, because there is quite abit of outdoor recreation in
Martinsville. I thought the gemof the town was the Smith River.
So why don't we start there?
Could you describe what theSmith River is like and what the
outdoor rec opportunities are?
Unknown (05:19):
Yeah, the Smith River.
It's about 45 miles long, and itcomes out of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. It starts. Theheadwaters are up on Mount
Belcher, the headwaters of theDan Rivers on the other side. So
you have these two major riversthat come off the Blue Ridge
Mountains, and they come down.
And the Smith River is dammed upby Phil pot Lake, and our US
Army Corps of Engineersreservoir. It's a beautiful
(05:40):
lake. No houses on the lake.
Fantastic recreation, ninedifferent boat ramps,
campgrounds, and then at thebottom of that, the dam is about
200 feet deep. So the tail race,part of this Smith River creates
a cold water fishery, becausethe water coming out of the
bottom of the dam is about 45degrees. So this dam was built
in the 50s, and once theyrealized, hey, we've just
(06:03):
created a trout fishery, theystarted stocking trout in the
Smith River. In addition tothat, the Smith River flows
right through the middle of thecounty, and it's a wonderful
river because it has somethingfor everybody. We have basically
class one and two Rapids is thebiggest thing we have on there.
So nothing too complicated, butit is controlled. Flood Control
is fill pots main priority. Theyalso generate power out there.
(06:25):
They're not doing that right nowbecause of some issues with a
powerhouse, but we have a good,steady flow of water, and a lot
of times we'll have water whenno one else does. Now, it does
vary. So you know, learning thedifferent flow rates and how to
find the information about thatis is paramount, but for the
most part, it's an easy riverthat most anyone can do. It's
(06:46):
got good paddling for peoplethat know how to paddle and are
white water experience that'sstill fun for them, but also
great for beginners. Let's see.
We have 13 accesses on the SmithRiver right now, and we've put
these accesses located aboutfour to five miles apart, so you
can pick your adventure and endup, you know, spend as much time
(07:09):
as you want to on the river, twoand a half hours, five hours,
whatever you want to do, you canfloat all day on the river and
then go, you know, stop in oneof these towns and have
something nice to eat. But it isa world class trout fishery.
It's been that way for a longtime, and is always getting
better. Fish and Game work realdiligently on this river, and we
work with them too. We have astocked trout program where they
(07:32):
stock rainbow and brook trout,and then we have a wild brown
trout fishery, which is whatwe're really famous for, the
brown trout raised wild in thisriver. And it is our guides out
there on the river rafting andtaking you fly fishing, that's
what they're really targeting.
And people come to the SmithRiver to catch wild brown trout.
It's one of the top rivers inthe state for that. So you can
paddle, you can fish, you canfloat, you can hang out. The
(07:54):
river's got everything.
You can check out all of that onthe Smith River, blueway.com
website. So if you're curiousabout seeing what your trip
times are going to be, what'snearby you on the river. That's
all on that website right there.
Jessica Bowser (08:10):
That is a wonderful resource. We had such
a lovely morning on the riverwhen I got to visit
Martinsville, I want to thankyou for such a great day. I
enjoyed how beautiful this riverwas, and also learning from you
two who are so knowledgeableabout the Smith River, about the
accessibility of the river andabout fishing on the river, and
(08:31):
all the ways that it stimulateseconomic development, but also
conservation and the visitorsthat come to town to fish and to
float and to paddle, as youmentioned, I have really had a
wonderful time. And I thinkanybody who comes to
Martinsville would be reallymissing out if they didn't take
advantage
Unknown (08:48):
of this. Yeah, it really is kind of a hidden gem.
On one hand, you like, want tokeep it all to yourself, but on
the other hand, you know thatthe more people have experienced
something like that, the easierit is to protect and for many
years, you know, this is the wehad the furniture industry, we
had the textile industry. We hada lot of different things going
on here, which we don't havequite as much anymore, but we do
(09:10):
have the river. We've always hadthe river, and keeping this
river clean and making it betterand promoting it, and getting
people to realize just how easyaccess it is, and how much fun
and how great it is to comehere. Do the river spend three
or four days or so many otherattractions here as well? But
the river, to me, is the key.
I've always said, you know, theheadwaters of revitalization for
(09:31):
this area is the Smith River.
And we've got more than theSmith we've got the north and
south mayo, and we got the DanRiver just downstream from us as
well, too. So it's kind of likesix or seven rivers, and pick
the one you want to get on, butthe Smith is beautiful. It's
clear, it's cold, and it's justa gorgeous river to be on. And
(09:52):
it's, it's, you know, it's wellknown in the trout community,
but not so much in the paddlingcommunity. So we're, we're
encouraged. People to come andvisit no matter what you want to
do. Wehave Dan River Basin Association
hosts for Saturday outings forpeople who are interested in
trying out a new section of theriver or a lake nearby, along
with seeing what we've done,which is build all of these
(10:13):
river accesses, we also give theopportunity for people to come
and visit them as well with us.
So when you go to a river accesson the Smith River, you will not
see anything that doesn't have aDan River Basin Association logo
on it. Thanks to Brian Williamsand all of the amazing
volunteers part of our communitythat have made that happen. So
(10:33):
Jessica, right, like, if youdon't have somebody hosting with
you, take a peek along the riveraccess, and you'll probably be
able to find something about theenvironment around there and
learn more
Jessica Bowser (10:43):
Absolutely. And do you have any advice for
gearing up? Because some peopleown their own kayaks, and if
they bring them, I think thatwould be great. But for anybody
who doesn't, do you have anythoughts on how they could
access gear?
Unknown (10:57):
Well, we do have Smith River campground here, and they
have a few boats. We used tohave an outfitter here, and
we're looking for another one.
So if you're a canoe or kayakingoutfitter, come on down. We've
got a great place for you. Mostpeople have their own boats
here. I mean, we have boatsavailable for sale, actually, in
Henry County, which is prettyamazing. But if you don't have
your own boat, then you need tofind, you know, a place to
(11:20):
rental. There is a rental up onPhilpott Lake. You have to look
on the Martinsville website andour website, and you can see
some links to get the boat. Butthe main thing is to know how to
get on the river and do itsafely, you know. So if you're
going to plan on doing that, youneed to definitely have your
personal flotation device andsome safety gear with you and
plan your trips accordingly,with the right clothing. You
(11:43):
know, we recommend technicalwicking clothing because the
water is chilly even in thesummertime. It's one of the
great things about the SmithRiver is it's a nature's air
condition. And you can go outthere on a hot July or August
day and the water's still goingto be chilly enough to be cool
and a nice breeze coming up, andwe have a real famous Smith
River fog that you'll see attimes of day when the cold water
(12:06):
collides with the moisture andthe warm air. But it's a great
place any time of year. Wepaddle all year round on it,
even in the winter time, but youjust need to be prepared for it,
you know. And most people, ifthey're going to purchase a
kayak, they're going tohopefully purchase a life jacket
with that, you know, so they canhave that and the correct
paddle. And know you're notusually paddling alone. So what
(12:28):
you're usually doing is puttingyour boat in in one access and
taking your vehicle down toanother one. We call that
setting shuttle. So you can do awhole run of the river, and then
when you get out one vehicle'sthere, you can load your boats
up and take them back up and getyour other vehicle. We also have
people around here that do runshuttles as well.
Jessica Bowser (12:49):
Are there any fly fishing guides that you want
to recommend for people who areinterested in fly fishing? We
have
Unknown (12:54):
the best. We have EJ stern with Smith River
Outfitters, and he's an Orvisendorse guide, one of the top
guides in the country. He's beenrunner up several times for top
Oros guide. I fish with him allthe time. He's personal friend
of mine. He's a fantasticfisherman and very patient. He
has about five different guidesworking for him. So we have a
(13:14):
lot of opportunity on the river.
If it's too low to float, we'llWade, but most of the time,
you'll still be floating in araft, and you can look him up.
Smith River outfitters.com it'spretty easy to find any
information on Smith riverguide. There is a Smith River in
California. So whenever youGoogle, put Smith River Virginia
in there, or Smith RiverOutfitters, or Smith River blue
way. Also the yes Martinsvillesite has information on there,
(13:38):
but it's very easy, and I dorecommend highly, if you've
never trout fish the SmithRiver, go with a guide at least
your first time, because they'regoing to show you everything
they know. They're going to putyou on fish. Especially you will
not go out and not catch fishwith EJ, I can guarantee that.
And you learn the river, becausea lot of people will come down
(13:58):
and not know where to go and notknow how to fish the Smith and
we have some pretty smart browntrout here, so learning the ins
and outs of what the hatch isand what they're hitting on and
and how to actually fish theriver is extremely important,
and it's well worth your time,especially if you plan on coming
back. But if you're just cominginto town for a day or two, you
probably would do do good to geta guide. And it's great because
(14:21):
you're getting on a raft, theguide is rowing you down the
river and hooking your lines upand telling you where to fish.
And they know the river betterthan anybody else. So yeah, we
have excellent guides on theSmith River.
Jessica Bowser (14:36):
Hey, adventure seekers, can you believe I
traveled 10,043 miles acrossVirginia last year. Yep, over
10,000 miles to bring youstories from Virginia's most
incredible adventure towns. Ifyou've enjoyed discovering these
hidden gems and want to hearmore, consider supporting the
podcast through my buy me acoffee page. Your contribution,
(14:58):
whether it's a one time. Tip ora monthly membership helps cover
the cost of creating theseepisodes and keeps the adventure
going every bit helps fuel thejourney, plus members get some
awesome perks. So head to my buyme a coffee page by clicking on
support the show. In your shownotes, shout out to the newest
members of Virginia outdooradventures. Anne from
(15:20):
Fredericksburg, Matt fromRoanoke. Barb from Chesterfield,
Lori from Norfolk, Raphael fromFalls Church, Kevin from
Richmond and Allison from clearBrook. Thanks for helping me
share Virginia's wildest, mostinspiring places one adventure
at a time. That's one thing I'mdefinitely adding to my list
(15:41):
when I come back toMartinsville, because, EJ, when
I was talking to him, I forgothow many trips he said he does a
year, but it's like several 100,right? Isn't it? Like in the 200
range, and he's he's so popular,like, I think if you're planning
a trip to Martinsville and thisis something you want to do,
maybe your first call ought tobe to Smith River Outfitters to
make sure that he's available totake you out, because I think
(16:03):
he's. He's awfully busy thesedays.
Unknown (16:06):
Yeah, he is. He's and it's getting busier all the
time. But he, EJ, has beenaround a while. I used to guide
on the Smith River, and hecalled me up, and that's first
thing he did. He said, I want tolearn the Smith River. And I
said, come on up. I'll show itto you. And then eventually he
just basically took over thebusiness, which I'm very happy
about. And he's done such afantastic job. I don't think
(16:27):
anybody knows the river as faras trout fishing better than EJ
does, so definitely worth acall. I just want people to make
sure that they're safe. Youknow, there's people here you
can call. You can get the waterrelease schedule. Right now.
They're not releasing out of thegenerators, they will be
probably in another year. Butcall ahead, get your
information. You know, we've gotplenty of information online. As
(16:49):
Ana said, the Smith River blueway, all you got to do is type
that in. You're going to get themap of the Smith River basic
times that it might take you tofloat, estimated times it takes
to float. We have a Smith riverguide available through Dan
River Basin website. It's a,actually a paddlers guide. So
the the key thing is to knowwhere you're going, and
especially where your nextaccess is. You know, learn,
(17:12):
learn as much as you can. Andthere's plenty of people here,
whether you call the tourismoffice or Dan River basin or
Henry County Parks and Receverybody knows, everybody knows
the river. Our 911, people knowthe river. We've spent a lot of
time teaching people about theriver, so we've got a lot of
good river ambassadors here. Andeven if you come here and you're
on the river with other peoplethat may live here locally and
(17:36):
you need some help, they'regoing to help you out. That's
the great thing. You know, we'vegot everyone here is just so
very helpful. And if you'rethere and say, Hey, I'm not sure
about this section of river,somebody's gonna be there and
tell you, you know, theinformation that you need about
it. So that's the main thingkeeping people safe, making sure
you have a good time on theriver. I'd
encourage everybody to have asafety trip plan when they go,
(17:57):
you know, make sure people knowwhere you're going, where you're
getting on. Where are yougetting off? Estimated time, all
of those things, you know, food,water, first aid kit on your
trip, all of those things, alongwith the specific safety that we
have along the Smith rivers.
Jessica Bowser (18:10):
Fantastic. Let's move on to Philpott Lake,
because I think this is probablyin contention for the gem of
Henry County. Philpott Lake isabsolutely gorgeous. And I have
I told you when we were togetherthat for the number of times
that I've driven by, it neverstopped. I don't know what's
wrong with me. Like people havesaid to me, Well, you drove to
(18:31):
fairy stone. Didn't you stop atPhilpott lake? And I'm like, No,
should I? And then when we gotto the overlook, I was like, Oh
my gosh, what was I doing allthose times, I definitely should
have stopped at Philpott Lake.
Why don't you talk a little bitabout it? Well,
Unknown (18:46):
you did see the place that we take everybody
immediately, because you'relooking out over the dam, and
you've got this beautiful vista,the Blue Ridge Mountains and
this gorgeous Lake. PhilpottLake has around 25 miles of
shoreline. It's 500 somethingacres. It is the water supply
for Henry County. We have someof the best water in Virginia
(19:07):
because of Phil pot Lake, andthere's not much above it that's
causing any problems that runsinto fill pot Lake pollution and
things like that. So it's agorgeous lake. It's usually
mostly clear most of the year.
We do have nine accesses on it.
We have the Philpott Lake blueway, which Dan River Basin, in
partnership with the US ArmyCorps of Engineers created that
(19:29):
means you can go to any accessramp, and you'll see a sign
right there that gives you twodifferent paddle trips. If
you're just paddling, you can goin your motor boat too. That's
fine, whatever you've got. Butit'll say, and we've got a
brochure for it. It'll say,Okay, you're, you're right here
at run it bag. You can go up toCalico rocks. You can go up to
Everson falls, whatever. And youjust saw a small portion of it.
(19:49):
I mean, you saw an a bigoverview of the lake when we
were up there. But each accessplace has its own character, and
it's beautiful. When you getdown there on the lake, it's,
it's gorgeous. We have a. Marinaright there near Philpott dam.
People keep boats there. There'sa store there. You can launch
there. Each one of these accessramps you can launch a boat at,
(20:10):
and then there's threecampgrounds. Is that right? And
it brings in a lot of lot oftourism, and the campgrounds
Stay, stay very busy. So bookahead if you're planning on
camping at Philpott Lake. Butyou're right. It is something
you don't want to miss. It'sbeautiful for swimming, fishing,
paddling, whatever you want todo. My favorite part is no
houses. I mean, it's justunbelievable to see a lake that
(20:32):
big and not see houses and, youknow, crowded with jet skis and
things like that. It's a verypeaceful lake because
there aren't a lot of houses onthere, there's a lot of wildlife
available. To see whether you'recamping there, you can always
stop to hike at a lot of theseareas. So dogwood Glen Trail is
a huge one that's like, right onthe other side of the county
line, along with a bunch at theVisitor Center. So take a peek
(20:56):
when you guys go out there, ifyou look up Philpott Lake and
look at their map or the Bluewayguide, it'll have all those
accesses available on it, alongwith some trail suggestions. So
it's a really beautiful spot.
Jessica Bowser (21:08):
Yeah, we popped into the visitor center when we
were there, and there's a lot ofgreat displays, but all the maps
and all the information that youneed, I was surprised that there
was an island in the middle ofthis lake, and I guess it's only
accessible by boat, right? Butthere's campsites on this island
that's pretty unique.
Unknown (21:26):
Yeah, there's two islands. There actually Deer
Island and Turkey Island, andthere's actually another aisle
Rabbit Island on the other side.
But the two, the one you'retalking about, do have
campsites. They're available.
You can paddle out, or you cantake a boat out to them. It's,
you know, just got to makereservations in advance, but a
lot of people do, and they theylove it because they're out
there isolated on that island,but it's only like, a mile off,
(21:47):
you know, from where you put in.
So it's not like you can't getback quick if you need to, but
it is really neat to be campingon an island out there and have
the whole access to the lake,and it's
bring your own boat. Yes, right?
Important.
Jessica Bowser (22:00):
Yes, important to note. And the other thing
that I thought was superinteresting, that I learned at
the Visitor Center is that theyhave a concert series in the
summer. Do you know anythingabout that?
Unknown (22:11):
The concert series is hosted by Franklin County, and
they're at Twin Ridge recreationarea, but it's a whole summer
series. You can pull up yourboat, you can be at the access
area, and it's just a whole slewof concerts throughout the
summer. Soyeah, big music scene up there.
You can enjoy the music fromyour boat, or go to twin Ridge
Marina and set up a lawn chairand enjoy it there. They've been
(22:31):
doing that for a long time.
Concerts
Jessica Bowser (22:34):
by canoe. What a concept. I love it. Okay, Smith
river trail system. And thereare many parts of the Smith
River Trail System, and we'regoing to get into some of the
details. But could you give usan overview of the trail system?
You know,
Unknown (22:49):
we started that many years ago. It's been 1819, years
ago. The idea was we wanted tobuild trails. There was no
trails here. It's like we wantedto build trails. And the Dan
River Basin Associationpartnered with Henry County
Parks and Rec and otherorganizations to try to start
figuring out how we could gettrails on the ground. Of course,
(23:10):
we worked really closely withthe county in getting easements
in different locations. And thethe original plan was like,
Okay, let's put a trail whereverwe can get it. If it's a half
mile trail. If it's a one miletrail, we're going to put it
down. And then as we progress,we'll try to connect these
trails and make a network ofthem. So that's where the idea
came from. Well, we got to callit something. You know, we've
(23:32):
got all these individual trails,Lauren mountain preserve, and
the fielddale Trail and the dickand Willie. So what are we going
to call it? So we said, let'scall it the Smith River Trail
System, mainly because when DanRiver Basin started up here and
the county said, well, we don'thave any trails, and it's like
you've got a trail. It's theSmith River blue way. That's
your water trail. It's the firstthing you you've got. So let's
(23:52):
just work around that. So thatbecame the Smith River Trail
system since that time, we'vegot, I don't know, over 25 miles
of trail on the ground. Now, wegot the dick and Willie Rail
Trail passage, which is 11miles. And we have a lot of
individual trails. And honeststill working on those. I used
to work on those, and honeststill doing that. Now,
(24:14):
along with just being a trailsystem, we use it as an
opportunity as well to educateeverybody about the local area,
either, you know, naturalhistory or cultural history in
the area. We do that a lot insome of our locations, just
because this area is so rich inhistory, you know, from Native
Americans all the way to, youknow, the industrial revolution
(24:35):
here it's, it's huge in how muchhas happened in this area. So
we'd like to add all of thatalong to our trails, and each
one of our trails also has aunique experience along it. You
think, oh, well, I'm just goingout on a trail. There's
something different at each oneof these locations, and that's
what makes it unique. Andwhether or not you think a mile
long trail is going to be foryou or not, you're going to find
(24:55):
something along that trailthat's for you.
We have a variety of trails too.
We have everything from just a.
Footpath through the middle ofthe woods at gravelly nature
preserve, which is fantastic. Alot of people love that to the
dick and Willie passage, whichis paved. You know, we got 11
miles of paved trail. And Anacan tell you, because she's a
runner and she's run races onthat trail before. So we've got
enough to basically run amarathon on that but the YMCA
(25:19):
utilizes that heavily. So wehave a lots of different races
that are geared around all ourtrails, which we didn't have
that before, and we have thatnow. Plus you can go to a trail
and be out along the river oncertain trails with no paved,
you know, just a gravel trail orjust a dirt footpath. So it's
it's a trail. There's trails foreveryone. It's not just one
(25:40):
single trail, and you can go toLauren mountain preserve and
climb up to the top of amountain. Have an overlook a
Basset walk along the river, youknow, hike through wild flowers.
And every trail we have, as Annasaid, has something unique on
it. They're all going to have akiosk with a map tell you where
to go, where you are, and whatsites that you can see. And some
of our trails are much moreinterpretive, so we might have
(26:02):
some interpretive signage alongthe trail, like the textile
Heritage Trail. Well, you canwalk along Jordan Creek and
learn in view of the field crestLodge and the field crest
textile industry, and learn moreabout the history of the area
from that trail as well, andalong the dick and Willie too.
Jessica Bowser (26:19):
I really like learning about the history of an
area when I'm on a trail, so Iappreciated those signs a lot.
And as somebody who had onlybeen to Martinsville once
before, I was vaguely familiarwith like the railroad history
and the textiles heritage andthe tobacco farming, but I
learned so much more by being onthe trail. And I think that
(26:39):
that's just such a unique way tolearn to appreciate a place,
especially if you're unfamiliarwith it, to learn about the
history and to familiarizeyourself with it so that you can
appreciate, you know, what madethat town, and to be able to
appreciate what they areoffering now. So all of these,
you know, trails, some of themare natural, like the the blue
(27:00):
ways, but then some of them are,you know, old rail beds. And so
there's, there's a history therethat we are now benefiting from.
So I really enjoy that there'ssignage, and I hope that people
take advantage of learning aboutthe history of Martinsville and
Henry County too.
Unknown (27:14):
Yeah, the dick and Willie trail in particular, we
started that on the old Danvilleand Western Line. The Dick and
Willie was named after the firstengineer and conductor. It was
Richard and William. So theycalled it the dick and Willie
line. In addition to that, wefollowed the old rail line, but
it also follows some new placesthat were not part of the old
rail line, and we got down tothe Smith River. So you've got
(27:35):
the city of Martinsvilleconnected to the sports complex
via the dick and Willie passage.
That's the name of the railtrail. As I said, it's 11 miles
worth of trail on the groundnow, and phase sevens in
operation, which is a plan tomove it all the way up to fill
pot so we're not stopping. Imean, we've got a lot of trail
on the ground already, but it'sstill going. And everyone here
is on board with it. You know,back during COVID, when a lot of
(27:59):
places were shut down, ourtrails and our river accesses
were overrun. I mean, we had ourparks and rec work in overtime
to keep these places clean forpeople, and we were so thankful.
And we had meetings and said,Hey, are we going to keep this
stuff open? And our countycommission chairman and every
everyone agreed, yeah, we'regoing to keep them open for
(28:20):
people. And I'll tell you what,people were very thankful that
we had these places open thatthey could go to and they want
more.
Jessica Bowser (28:29):
Yes. And Anna and I wrote a section of the
dick and Willie passage trail.
And I just have to tell you,before I even went to
Martinsville, and I was tellingsome of my friends, oh yeah, I'm
going to Martinsville, and I'mgonna do this feature. Everybody
said to me, are you going on thedick and Willie trail? And I was
like, What? What is so specialabout the dick and Willie trail?
But I think everybody thinks thename is hilarious as wine,
(28:50):
that's the first thing. But thenthe second thing is, it actually
is really special. And we had areally fun time, didn't we?
Anna, yeah, it
Unknown (28:58):
was a lot of fun. We actually rented bikes at the
YMCA bike barn along the trail.
And anybody is able to do that,you use ideas, your collateral.
They're free, and you can spendas long as you want on the
trail, as long as you're back bythe time they close. So it's a
great opportunity for people tofirst have bikes available for
people. They have child sizedbikes too. So if you're thinking
(29:21):
about coming and like, Man, I'mcoming from a really far away
place, or, you know, I'm notsure if my bike fits my kid
anymore, we have lots of optionsfor those. And along with that,
you know, just having thatopportunity to see a little bit
more than maybe what some peoplemay be able to walk, right? So,
Jessica, we got a good amount inless than an hour. We went,
(29:43):
what, six miles in an hour.
Maybe I forget. I think it wasjust about that. And so just
thinking about how quicklypeople can go and see these
things, along with, you know, Icould ride my bike up to Uptown
Martinsville, go to the groundfloor the coffee shop and get a
snack. And. Then ride back downand drop my bike off, you know.
So there's so many opportunitiesfor us to explore where we are,
(30:06):
especially around the dick andWillie trail, especially since
it's paved, that makes itavailable to a lot more people.
There's restrooms at everyaccess point, multiple parking
sites. So you can look all ofthat up on the visit
Martinsville website as well. Ijust like, love running and
riding on that trail.
Jessica Bowser (30:23):
Yeah,
Unknown (30:24):
and I want to give a shout out to the county and the
city both, because the trailruns through the city and the
county both. So both of themwork to maintain and they do an
excellent job of keeping thistrail open. You know, if a tree
goes down or something there,they're right on it. We have a
really good network of peoplethat'll call and say, Hey,
there's something going on, andour county people personnel are
(30:47):
very quick to respond, and theyhave a lot of other stuff to do.
We have the sports complex, wehave the fair and all this other
festivals and things to do, butthey really keep these trails
open for us. So it's not likesome of those places where you
go, and you're like, oh my gosh,when's the last time somebody
worked on this trail? You're notgoing to see that here. They are
sustained well. And we have somelocals that are friends of
(31:11):
certain trails that also keepthem clean too. So we try to
make things that aresustainable. And so when you
come to town, you know thatyou're going to get on a decent
trail, and the dick and Williein particular, since it's all
paved, you can do, you know,take a stroller down there, or
rollerblade and whatever youwant, or just hike it. And it
(31:31):
does go through some remoteplaces. I mean, even though it's
going through the city, justlike you experienced on the
river, we took you right throughthe city, and you didn't even
know you were going through thecity, the trail is the same way.
I mean, we see a lot of wildlifeon that trail as well.
Jessica Bowser (31:46):
I really enjoyed the trail because, for lots of
reasons. First of all, I was soimpressed with the bike barn
that was the coolest thing I'veever seen. I don't think I've
seen that anywhere else, and Iloved that the YMCA has made it
possible for everybody to haveaccess to a bike, so anybody who
wants to ride can have a helmetand a bike. And, you know, even
(32:08):
those carts that you attach tothe bike to put your kid in. I
mean, that's that was awesome.
But the trail itself isabsolutely beautiful. I mean,
when you start to ride away fromMartinsville and you're riding
through Henry County. It followsa creek, so it's super Scenic.
It's really beautiful. I wasfreaking out because I saw
Louisiana water thrush, becauseit was a bird that I was really
(32:30):
excited about. But there'slittle waterfalls on the stream,
and it was absolutely gorgeous.
But what I think is soimpressive about this trail is
the connectivity. And everysingle day that I was in
Martinsville, I was on thattrail, either walking it or
hiking it or biking it. Andevery day I saw people in the
community using it. Some wereusing it for recreational
(32:52):
purposes. Some were using it forsocial purposes. Some people
were just walking like throughtown and were using it to get
from one point to another. Soclearly, a lot of thought was
put into this, and it's beingtaken advantage of by locals and
people who are coming to visits.
Yeah,
Unknown (33:08):
we love it, and we want to keep working on that and
connecting to that. That's kindof the backbone of our trail
system there with the dick andWillie. So we're, we're excited
to continue on. I mean, we'renot, we're not stopping. We'd
love to connect other countieswith that as well. That's in the
master plan, to connect it toPatrick County and connect it to
Pennsylvania County.
Jessica Bowser (33:29):
Join us next week as we dive into
Martinsville local attractions,including museums, culinary gems
and one of the newest stateparks that is open and welcoming
visitors. Virginia OutdoorAdventures is inspired by and
supported by listeners like you,which is why your messages and
feedback mean so much to me. Youcan text me directly by clicking
(33:52):
on Send me a text message inyour show notes. I answer
questions, respond to commentsand share your feedback on the
show. Never miss an update, geteven more information and
inspiration by signing up for mynewsletter. Click on newsletter.
Sign up in your show notes orvisit virginiaoutdoor
adventures.com thanks forlistening until next time.
(34:14):
Adventure on Virginia is foroutdoor lovers, and you'll love
everything Martinsville, HenryCounty has to offer you.
Announcer, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is amecca for outdoor travel and
adventure. Virginia outdooradventures Podcast is your local
guide for hiking, camping,kayaking, travel and so much
more. Get the information andthe inspiration to plan your own
adventure right here inVirginia. I'm your host. Jessica
(00:23):
Bowser, tucked into thefoothills of the Blue Ridge
Mountains, Martinsville revealsitself as an unexpected paradise
for outdoor enthusiasts. ANNAWheeler and Brian Williams from
the Dan River Basin Associationshare their intimate knowledge
of this small city with itsoutsized adventure potential,
(00:44):
the Smith River blue wayprovides 45 miles of accessible
paddling and world class troutfishing on the crown jewel of
Martinsville, just beyond citylimits, Philpott lake offers 25
miles of undeveloped shorelinewith camping, paddling and
hiking opportunities. Bring yourbike or borrow one for free and
ride the Smith River TrailSystem, a network of local
(01:07):
trails, including the 11 milepaved dick and Willie passage
trail that serves as bothrecreation corridor and
community connector. Ana andBrian also highlight local
museums, culinary gems andfascinating history to add to
your must do Martinsville bucketlist. Let's go. Anna and Brian,
(01:30):
welcome to Virginia outdooradventures.
Unknown (01:32):
Thank you. Thanks for having us glad
Jessica Bowser (01:34):
to be here. What do you love about martinsville?
Well,
Unknown (01:38):
as somebody who moved to the community, I've really
enjoyed the small town feel ofit, including the small town,
it's crazy how much outdooradventures there are around
here. What about you, Brian?
I love it because it is a smalltown. I lived in Atlanta. I've
lived in several differentstates, and once we moved here,
I realized how close we are tothe Blue Ridge Mountains and all
(01:58):
the opportunities that are here.
It's a it's a small town, butit's really close to some major
cities, so you've got a littlebit of everything, and it's just
a wonderful place to live. It'sinexpensive and convenient and
lots of outdoor
Jessica Bowser (02:11):
activities.
Could you describe Martinsvillefor the listeners, it is
Unknown (02:16):
a small town, about 14 15,000 population in the city,
and we have about 37,000 in thecounty of Henry. So Martinsville
is basically in the middle ofHenry County, and the Smith
River runs northwest tosoutheast, right through the
middle of our county, and itkind of connects all these
little small towns, fielddale,Bassett, Stanley town, Ridgeway
(02:36):
and right through martinsville.
So it has a small town field butwe also have big town things
here too. We've got greatrestaurants, like I said, great
outdoor activities, shopping,just about everything you would
want. So it's still got thatretains that small town feel.
You can walk around uptown andenjoy the sites, go into places
to eat and drink, and thenwithin five minutes, you can be
(02:58):
out looking at a beautiful vistaof the Blue Ridge Mountains or
beyond the river. One ofmy things that I love to
highlight about Martinsville,Virginia, is that it's about an
hour away from Floyd, RoanokeGreensboro, and of course, like
we're connected to Philpott Lakeand fairy stone state park out
here, along with the future MayoRiver State Park. So just a few
attractions that are, you know,nationally recognized, and
(03:21):
people from those cities can behere within an hour. Both
Jessica Bowser (03:26):
of you are with the Dan River Basin Association.
Could you talk about the missionof DARPA?
Unknown (03:31):
Yeah, so the Dan River Basin Association's mission is
to protect and promote the DanRiver Basin through recreation,
education and stewardship. Theway that we do that is take
people outside. So we get peopleoutdoors on our first Saturday
outings, hikes, things likethat, building trails, building
river accesses. And thenhopefully, once they're
outdoors, they want to learnmore about their area, so
(03:51):
they're going to read someeducational materials we have in
classroom presentations. Troutin the Classroom is a huge
project of ours. And then oncethey learn a little bit more
about it. We hope they becomestewards of our land. So we do
citizens water qualitymonitoring in general, you know,
showing people that they need toprotect it. We have people who
do river watch and check out ourrivers and creeks and make sure
(04:12):
that it's safe, along withplenty of other projects. You
know, the three tenants areEducation, Recreation and
stewardship. So we always sayplay, learn and care. So we know
that, you know people drivingacross the bridge and looking at
a river may see one thing, butif we can get your feet wet, get
you in a river, on a river, on atrail out there, playing in a
good, safe way with other peoplethat have already experienced
(04:33):
this, and then you can learnmore about it. And then, once
you do that, you start to becomea good steward of it. So that's
the caring part of it, andthat's the way we we've done it.
And as Ana mentioned, waterquality monitors, our Trout in
the Classroom, our educationoutreach programs all are based
around, how do we make a bettercleaner environment, cleaner
(04:53):
community, keep our river cleanand get people coming to see
exactly what we have here andwhat we have. Have to offer. So
it all ties in together with ourmission. Let's
Jessica Bowser (05:03):
jump into all of the things that you have to
offer, because there is quite abit of outdoor recreation in
Martinsville. I thought the gemof the town was the Smith River.
So why don't we start there?
Could you describe what theSmith River is like and what the
outdoor rec opportunities are?
Unknown (05:19):
Yeah, the Smith River.
It's about 45 miles long, and itcomes out of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. It starts. Theheadwaters are up on Mount
Belcher, the headwaters of theDan Rivers on the other side. So
you have these two major riversthat come off the Blue Ridge
Mountains, and they come down.
And the Smith River is dammed upby Phil pot Lake, and our US
Army Corps of Engineersreservoir. It's a beautiful
(05:40):
lake. No houses on the lake.
Fantastic recreation, ninedifferent boat ramps,
campgrounds, and then at thebottom of that, the dam is about
200 feet deep. So the tail race,part of this Smith River creates
a cold water fishery, becausethe water coming out of the
bottom of the dam is about 45degrees. So this dam was built
in the 50s, and once theyrealized, hey, we've just
(06:03):
created a trout fishery, theystarted stocking trout in the
Smith River. In addition tothat, the Smith River flows
right through the middle of thecounty, and it's a wonderful
river because it has somethingfor everybody. We have basically
class one and two Rapids is thebiggest thing we have on there.
So nothing too complicated, butit is controlled. Flood Control
is fill pots main priority. Theyalso generate power out there.
(06:25):
They're not doing that right nowbecause of some issues with a
powerhouse, but we have a good,steady flow of water, and a lot
of times we'll have water whenno one else does. Now, it does
vary. So you know, learning thedifferent flow rates and how to
find the information about thatis is paramount, but for the
most part, it's an easy riverthat most anyone can do. It's
(06:46):
got good paddling for peoplethat know how to paddle and are
white water experience that'sstill fun for them, but also
great for beginners. Let's see.
We have 13 accesses on the SmithRiver right now, and we've put
these accesses located aboutfour to five miles apart, so you
can pick your adventure and endup, you know, spend as much time
(07:09):
as you want to on the river, twoand a half hours, five hours,
whatever you want to do, you canfloat all day on the river and
then go, you know, stop in oneof these towns and have
something nice to eat. But it isa world class trout fishery.
It's been that way for a longtime, and is always getting
better. Fish and Game work realdiligently on this river, and we
work with them too. We have astocked trout program where they
(07:32):
stock rainbow and brook trout,and then we have a wild brown
trout fishery, which is whatwe're really famous for, the
brown trout raised wild in thisriver. And it is our guides out
there on the river rafting andtaking you fly fishing, that's
what they're really targeting.
And people come to the SmithRiver to catch wild brown trout.
It's one of the top rivers inthe state for that. So you can
paddle, you can fish, you canfloat, you can hang out. The
(07:54):
river's got everything.
You can check out all of that onthe Smith River, blueway.com
website. So if you're curiousabout seeing what your trip
times are going to be, what'snearby you on the river. That's
all on that website right there.
Jessica Bowser (08:10):
That is a wonderful resource. We had such
a lovely morning on the riverwhen I got to visit
Martinsville, I want to thankyou for such a great day. I
enjoyed how beautiful this riverwas, and also learning from you
two who are so knowledgeableabout the Smith River, about the
accessibility of the river andabout fishing on the river, and
(08:31):
all the ways that it stimulateseconomic development, but also
conservation and the visitorsthat come to town to fish and to
float and to paddle, as youmentioned, I have really had a
wonderful time. And I thinkanybody who comes to
Martinsville would be reallymissing out if they didn't take
advantage
Unknown (08:48):
of this. Yeah, it really is kind of a hidden gem.
On one hand, you like, want tokeep it all to yourself, but on
the other hand, you know thatthe more people have experienced
something like that, the easierit is to protect and for many
years, you know, this is the wehad the furniture industry, we
had the textile industry. We hada lot of different things going
on here, which we don't havequite as much anymore, but we do
(09:10):
have the river. We've always hadthe river, and keeping this
river clean and making it betterand promoting it, and getting
people to realize just how easyaccess it is, and how much fun
and how great it is to comehere. Do the river spend three
or four days or so many otherattractions here as well? But
the river, to me, is the key.
I've always said, you know, theheadwaters of revitalization for
(09:31):
this area is the Smith River.
And we've got more than theSmith we've got the north and
south mayo, and we got the DanRiver just downstream from us as
well, too. So it's kind of likesix or seven rivers, and pick
the one you want to get on, butthe Smith is beautiful. It's
clear, it's cold, and it's justa gorgeous river to be on. And
(09:52):
it's, it's, you know, it's wellknown in the trout community,
but not so much in the paddlingcommunity. So we're, we're
encouraged. People to come andvisit no matter what you want to
do. Wehave Dan River Basin Association
hosts for Saturday outings forpeople who are interested in
trying out a new section of theriver or a lake nearby, along
with seeing what we've done,which is build all of these
(10:13):
river accesses, we also give theopportunity for people to come
and visit them as well with us.
So when you go to a river accesson the Smith River, you will not
see anything that doesn't have aDan River Basin Association logo
on it. Thanks to Brian Williamsand all of the amazing
volunteers part of our communitythat have made that happen. So
(10:33):
Jessica, right, like, if youdon't have somebody hosting with
you, take a peek along the riveraccess, and you'll probably be
able to find something about theenvironment around there and
learn more
Jessica Bowser (10:43):
Absolutely. And do you have any advice for
gearing up? Because some peopleown their own kayaks, and if
they bring them, I think thatwould be great. But for anybody
who doesn't, do you have anythoughts on how they could
access gear?
Unknown (10:57):
Well, we do have Smith River campground here, and they
have a few boats. We used tohave an outfitter here, and
we're looking for another one.
So if you're a canoe or kayakingoutfitter, come on down. We've
got a great place for you. Mostpeople have their own boats
here. I mean, we have boatsavailable for sale, actually, in
Henry County, which is prettyamazing. But if you don't have
your own boat, then you need tofind, you know, a place to
(11:20):
rental. There is a rental up onPhilpott Lake. You have to look
on the Martinsville website andour website, and you can see
some links to get the boat. Butthe main thing is to know how to
get on the river and do itsafely, you know. So if you're
going to plan on doing that, youneed to definitely have your
personal flotation device andsome safety gear with you and
plan your trips accordingly,with the right clothing. You
(11:43):
know, we recommend technicalwicking clothing because the
water is chilly even in thesummertime. It's one of the
great things about the SmithRiver is it's a nature's air
condition. And you can go outthere on a hot July or August
day and the water's still goingto be chilly enough to be cool
and a nice breeze coming up, andwe have a real famous Smith
River fog that you'll see attimes of day when the cold water
(12:06):
collides with the moisture andthe warm air. But it's a great
place any time of year. Wepaddle all year round on it,
even in the winter time, but youjust need to be prepared for it,
you know. And most people, ifthey're going to purchase a
kayak, they're going tohopefully purchase a life jacket
with that, you know, so they canhave that and the correct
paddle. And know you're notusually paddling alone. So what
(12:28):
you're usually doing is puttingyour boat in in one access and
taking your vehicle down toanother one. We call that
setting shuttle. So you can do awhole run of the river, and then
when you get out one vehicle'sthere, you can load your boats
up and take them back up and getyour other vehicle. We also have
people around here that do runshuttles as well.
Jessica Bowser (12:49):
Are there any fly fishing guides that you want
to recommend for people who areinterested in fly fishing? We
have
Unknown (12:54):
the best. We have EJ stern with Smith River
Outfitters, and he's an Orvisendorse guide, one of the top
guides in the country. He's beenrunner up several times for top
Oros guide. I fish with him allthe time. He's personal friend
of mine. He's a fantasticfisherman and very patient. He
has about five different guidesworking for him. So we have a
(13:14):
lot of opportunity on the river.
If it's too low to float, we'llWade, but most of the time,
you'll still be floating in araft, and you can look him up.
Smith River outfitters.com it'spretty easy to find any
information on Smith riverguide. There is a Smith River in
California. So whenever youGoogle, put Smith River Virginia
in there, or Smith RiverOutfitters, or Smith River blue
way. Also the yes Martinsvillesite has information on there,
(13:38):
but it's very easy, and I dorecommend highly, if you've
never trout fish the SmithRiver, go with a guide at least
your first time, because they'regoing to show you everything
they know. They're going to putyou on fish. Especially you will
not go out and not catch fishwith EJ, I can guarantee that.
And you learn the river, becausea lot of people will come down
(13:58):
and not know where to go and notknow how to fish the Smith and
we have some pretty smart browntrout here, so learning the ins
and outs of what the hatch isand what they're hitting on and
and how to actually fish theriver is extremely important,
and it's well worth your time,especially if you plan on coming
back. But if you're just cominginto town for a day or two, you
probably would do do good to geta guide. And it's great because
(14:21):
you're getting on a raft, theguide is rowing you down the
river and hooking your lines upand telling you where to fish.
And they know the river betterthan anybody else. So yeah, we
have excellent guides on theSmith River.
Jessica Bowser (14:36):
Hey, adventure seekers, can you believe I
traveled 10,043 miles acrossVirginia last year. Yep, over
10,000 miles to bring youstories from Virginia's most
incredible adventure towns. Ifyou've enjoyed discovering these
hidden gems and want to hearmore, consider supporting the
podcast through my buy me acoffee page. Your contribution,
(14:58):
whether it's a one time. Tip ora monthly membership helps cover
the cost of creating theseepisodes and keeps the adventure
going every bit helps fuel thejourney, plus members get some
awesome perks. So head to my buyme a coffee page by clicking on
support the show. In your shownotes, shout out to the newest
members of Virginia outdooradventures. Anne from
(15:20):
Fredericksburg, Matt fromRoanoke. Barb from Chesterfield,
Lori from Norfolk, Raphael fromFalls Church, Kevin from
Richmond and Allison from clearBrook. Thanks for helping me
share Virginia's wildest, mostinspiring places one adventure
at a time. That's one thing I'mdefinitely adding to my list
(15:41):
when I come back toMartinsville, because, EJ, when
I was talking to him, I forgothow many trips he said he does a
year, but it's like several 100,right? Isn't it? Like in the 200
range, and he's he's so popular,like, I think if you're planning
a trip to Martinsville and thisis something you want to do,
maybe your first call ought tobe to Smith River Outfitters to
make sure that he's available totake you out, because I think
(16:03):
he's. He's awfully busy thesedays.
Unknown (16:06):
Yeah, he is. He's and it's getting busier all the
time. But he, EJ, has beenaround a while. I used to guide
on the Smith River, and hecalled me up, and that's first
thing he did. He said, I want tolearn the Smith River. And I
said, come on up. I'll show itto you. And then eventually he
just basically took over thebusiness, which I'm very happy
about. And he's done such afantastic job. I don't think
(16:27):
anybody knows the river as faras trout fishing better than EJ
does, so definitely worth acall. I just want people to make
sure that they're safe. Youknow, there's people here you
can call. You can get the waterrelease schedule. Right now.
They're not releasing out of thegenerators, they will be
probably in another year. Butcall ahead, get your
information. You know, we've gotplenty of information online. As
(16:49):
Ana said, the Smith River blueway, all you got to do is type
that in. You're going to get themap of the Smith River basic
times that it might take you tofloat, estimated times it takes
to float. We have a Smith riverguide available through Dan
River Basin website. It's a,actually a paddlers guide. So
the the key thing is to knowwhere you're going, and
especially where your nextaccess is. You know, learn,
(17:12):
learn as much as you can. Andthere's plenty of people here,
whether you call the tourismoffice or Dan River basin or
Henry County Parks and Receverybody knows, everybody knows
the river. Our 911, people knowthe river. We've spent a lot of
time teaching people about theriver, so we've got a lot of
good river ambassadors here. Andeven if you come here and you're
on the river with other peoplethat may live here locally and
(17:36):
you need some help, they'regoing to help you out. That's
the great thing. You know, we'vegot everyone here is just so
very helpful. And if you'rethere and say, Hey, I'm not sure
about this section of river,somebody's gonna be there and
tell you, you know, theinformation that you need about
it. So that's the main thingkeeping people safe, making sure
you have a good time on theriver. I'd
encourage everybody to have asafety trip plan when they go,
(17:57):
you know, make sure people knowwhere you're going, where you're
getting on. Where are yougetting off? Estimated time, all
of those things, you know, food,water, first aid kit on your
trip, all of those things, alongwith the specific safety that we
have along the Smith rivers.
Jessica Bowser (18:10):
Fantastic. Let's move on to Philpott Lake,
because I think this is probablyin contention for the gem of
Henry County. Philpott Lake isabsolutely gorgeous. And I have
I told you when we were togetherthat for the number of times
that I've driven by, it neverstopped. I don't know what's
wrong with me. Like people havesaid to me, Well, you drove to
(18:31):
fairy stone. Didn't you stop atPhilpott lake? And I'm like, No,
should I? And then when we gotto the overlook, I was like, Oh
my gosh, what was I doing allthose times, I definitely should
have stopped at Philpott Lake.
Why don't you talk a little bitabout it? Well,
Unknown (18:46):
you did see the place that we take everybody
immediately, because you'relooking out over the dam, and
you've got this beautiful vista,the Blue Ridge Mountains and
this gorgeous Lake. PhilpottLake has around 25 miles of
shoreline. It's 500 somethingacres. It is the water supply
for Henry County. We have someof the best water in Virginia
(19:07):
because of Phil pot Lake, andthere's not much above it that's
causing any problems that runsinto fill pot Lake pollution and
things like that. So it's agorgeous lake. It's usually
mostly clear most of the year.
We do have nine accesses on it.
We have the Philpott Lake blueway, which Dan River Basin, in
partnership with the US ArmyCorps of Engineers created that
(19:29):
means you can go to any accessramp, and you'll see a sign
right there that gives you twodifferent paddle trips. If
you're just paddling, you can goin your motor boat too. That's
fine, whatever you've got. Butit'll say, and we've got a
brochure for it. It'll say,Okay, you're, you're right here
at run it bag. You can go up toCalico rocks. You can go up to
Everson falls, whatever. And youjust saw a small portion of it.
(19:49):
I mean, you saw an a bigoverview of the lake when we
were up there. But each accessplace has its own character, and
it's beautiful. When you getdown there on the lake, it's,
it's gorgeous. We have a. Marinaright there near Philpott dam.
People keep boats there. There'sa store there. You can launch
there. Each one of these accessramps you can launch a boat at,
(20:10):
and then there's threecampgrounds. Is that right? And
it brings in a lot of lot oftourism, and the campgrounds
Stay, stay very busy. So bookahead if you're planning on
camping at Philpott Lake. Butyou're right. It is something
you don't want to miss. It'sbeautiful for swimming, fishing,
paddling, whatever you want todo. My favorite part is no
houses. I mean, it's justunbelievable to see a lake that
(20:32):
big and not see houses and, youknow, crowded with jet skis and
things like that. It's a verypeaceful lake because
there aren't a lot of houses onthere, there's a lot of wildlife
available. To see whether you'recamping there, you can always
stop to hike at a lot of theseareas. So dogwood Glen Trail is
a huge one that's like, right onthe other side of the county
line, along with a bunch at theVisitor Center. So take a peek
(20:56):
when you guys go out there, ifyou look up Philpott Lake and
look at their map or the Bluewayguide, it'll have all those
accesses available on it, alongwith some trail suggestions. So
it's a really beautiful spot.
Jessica Bowser (21:08):
Yeah, we popped into the visitor center when we
were there, and there's a lot ofgreat displays, but all the maps
and all the information that youneed, I was surprised that there
was an island in the middle ofthis lake, and I guess it's only
accessible by boat, right? Butthere's campsites on this island
that's pretty unique.
Unknown (21:26):
Yeah, there's two islands. There actually Deer
Island and Turkey Island, andthere's actually another aisle
Rabbit Island on the other side.
But the two, the one you'retalking about, do have
campsites. They're available.
You can paddle out, or you cantake a boat out to them. It's,
you know, just got to makereservations in advance, but a
lot of people do, and they theylove it because they're out
there isolated on that island,but it's only like, a mile off,
(21:47):
you know, from where you put in.
So it's not like you can't getback quick if you need to, but
it is really neat to be campingon an island out there and have
the whole access to the lake,and it's
bring your own boat. Yes, right?
Important.
Jessica Bowser (22:00):
Yes, important to note. And the other thing
that I thought was superinteresting, that I learned at
the Visitor Center is that theyhave a concert series in the
summer. Do you know anythingabout that?
Unknown (22:11):
The concert series is hosted by Franklin County, and
they're at Twin Ridge recreationarea, but it's a whole summer
series. You can pull up yourboat, you can be at the access
area, and it's just a whole slewof concerts throughout the
summer. Soyeah, big music scene up there.
You can enjoy the music fromyour boat, or go to twin Ridge
Marina and set up a lawn chairand enjoy it there. They've been
(22:31):
doing that for a long time.
Concerts
Jessica Bowser (22:34):
by canoe. What a concept. I love it. Okay, Smith
river trail system. And thereare many parts of the Smith
River Trail System, and we'regoing to get into some of the
details. But could you give usan overview of the trail system?
You know,
Unknown (22:49):
we started that many years ago. It's been 1819, years
ago. The idea was we wanted tobuild trails. There was no
trails here. It's like we wantedto build trails. And the Dan
River Basin Associationpartnered with Henry County
Parks and Rec and otherorganizations to try to start
figuring out how we could gettrails on the ground. Of course,
(23:10):
we worked really closely withthe county in getting easements
in different locations. And thethe original plan was like,
Okay, let's put a trail whereverwe can get it. If it's a half
mile trail. If it's a one miletrail, we're going to put it
down. And then as we progress,we'll try to connect these
trails and make a network ofthem. So that's where the idea
came from. Well, we got to callit something. You know, we've
(23:32):
got all these individual trails,Lauren mountain preserve, and
the fielddale Trail and the dickand Willie. So what are we going
to call it? So we said, let'scall it the Smith River Trail
System, mainly because when DanRiver Basin started up here and
the county said, well, we don'thave any trails, and it's like
you've got a trail. It's theSmith River blue way. That's
your water trail. It's the firstthing you you've got. So let's
(23:52):
just work around that. So thatbecame the Smith River Trail
system since that time, we'vegot, I don't know, over 25 miles
of trail on the ground. Now, wegot the dick and Willie Rail
Trail passage, which is 11miles. And we have a lot of
individual trails. And honeststill working on those. I used
to work on those, and honeststill doing that. Now,
(24:14):
along with just being a trailsystem, we use it as an
opportunity as well to educateeverybody about the local area,
either, you know, naturalhistory or cultural history in
the area. We do that a lot insome of our locations, just
because this area is so rich inhistory, you know, from Native
Americans all the way to, youknow, the industrial revolution
(24:35):
here it's, it's huge in how muchhas happened in this area. So
we'd like to add all of thatalong to our trails, and each
one of our trails also has aunique experience along it. You
think, oh, well, I'm just goingout on a trail. There's
something different at each oneof these locations, and that's
what makes it unique. Andwhether or not you think a mile
long trail is going to be foryou or not, you're going to find
(24:55):
something along that trailthat's for you.
We have a variety of trails too.
We have everything from just a.
Footpath through the middle ofthe woods at gravelly nature
preserve, which is fantastic. Alot of people love that to the
dick and Willie passage, whichis paved. You know, we got 11
miles of paved trail. And Anacan tell you, because she's a
runner and she's run races onthat trail before. So we've got
enough to basically run amarathon on that but the YMCA
(25:19):
utilizes that heavily. So wehave a lots of different races
that are geared around all ourtrails, which we didn't have
that before, and we have thatnow. Plus you can go to a trail
and be out along the river oncertain trails with no paved,
you know, just a gravel trail orjust a dirt footpath. So it's
it's a trail. There's trails foreveryone. It's not just one
(25:40):
single trail, and you can go toLauren mountain preserve and
climb up to the top of amountain. Have an overlook a
Basset walk along the river, youknow, hike through wild flowers.
And every trail we have, as Annasaid, has something unique on
it. They're all going to have akiosk with a map tell you where
to go, where you are, and whatsites that you can see. And some
of our trails are much moreinterpretive, so we might have
(26:02):
some interpretive signage alongthe trail, like the textile
Heritage Trail. Well, you canwalk along Jordan Creek and
learn in view of the field crestLodge and the field crest
textile industry, and learn moreabout the history of the area
from that trail as well, andalong the dick and Willie too.
Jessica Bowser (26:19):
I really like learning about the history of an
area when I'm on a trail, so Iappreciated those signs a lot.
And as somebody who had onlybeen to Martinsville once
before, I was vaguely familiarwith like the railroad history
and the textiles heritage andthe tobacco farming, but I
learned so much more by being onthe trail. And I think that
(26:39):
that's just such a unique way tolearn to appreciate a place,
especially if you're unfamiliarwith it, to learn about the
history and to familiarizeyourself with it so that you can
appreciate, you know, what madethat town, and to be able to
appreciate what they areoffering now. So all of these,
you know, trails, some of themare natural, like the the blue
(27:00):
ways, but then some of them are,you know, old rail beds. And so
there's, there's a history therethat we are now benefiting from.
So I really enjoy that there'ssignage, and I hope that people
take advantage of learning aboutthe history of Martinsville and
Henry County too.
Unknown (27:14):
Yeah, the dick and Willie trail in particular, we
started that on the old Danvilleand Western Line. The Dick and
Willie was named after the firstengineer and conductor. It was
Richard and William. So theycalled it the dick and Willie
line. In addition to that, wefollowed the old rail line, but
it also follows some new placesthat were not part of the old
rail line, and we got down tothe Smith River. So you've got
(27:35):
the city of Martinsvilleconnected to the sports complex
via the dick and Willie passage.
That's the name of the railtrail. As I said, it's 11 miles
worth of trail on the groundnow, and phase sevens in
operation, which is a plan tomove it all the way up to fill
pot so we're not stopping. Imean, we've got a lot of trail
on the ground already, but it'sstill going. And everyone here
is on board with it. You know,back during COVID, when a lot of
(27:59):
places were shut down, ourtrails and our river accesses
were overrun. I mean, we had ourparks and rec work in overtime
to keep these places clean forpeople, and we were so thankful.
And we had meetings and said,Hey, are we going to keep this
stuff open? And our countycommission chairman and every
everyone agreed, yeah, we'regoing to keep them open for
(28:20):
people. And I'll tell you what,people were very thankful that
we had these places open thatthey could go to and they want
more.
Jessica Bowser (28:29):
Yes. And Anna and I wrote a section of the
dick and Willie passage trail.
And I just have to tell you,before I even went to
Martinsville, and I was tellingsome of my friends, oh yeah, I'm
going to Martinsville, and I'mgonna do this feature. Everybody
said to me, are you going on thedick and Willie trail? And I was
like, What? What is so specialabout the dick and Willie trail?
But I think everybody thinks thename is hilarious as wine,
(28:50):
that's the first thing. But thenthe second thing is, it actually
is really special. And we had areally fun time, didn't we?
Anna, yeah, it
Unknown (28:58):
was a lot of fun. We actually rented bikes at the
YMCA bike barn along the trail.
And anybody is able to do that,you use ideas, your collateral.
They're free, and you can spendas long as you want on the
trail, as long as you're back bythe time they close. So it's a
great opportunity for people tofirst have bikes available for
people. They have child sizedbikes too. So if you're thinking
(29:21):
about coming and like, Man, I'mcoming from a really far away
place, or, you know, I'm notsure if my bike fits my kid
anymore, we have lots of optionsfor those. And along with that,
you know, just having thatopportunity to see a little bit
more than maybe what some peoplemay be able to walk, right? So,
Jessica, we got a good amount inless than an hour. We went,
(29:43):
what, six miles in an hour.
Maybe I forget. I think it wasjust about that. And so just
thinking about how quicklypeople can go and see these
things, along with, you know, Icould ride my bike up to Uptown
Martinsville, go to the groundfloor the coffee shop and get a
snack. And. Then ride back downand drop my bike off, you know.
So there's so many opportunitiesfor us to explore where we are,
(30:06):
especially around the dick andWillie trail, especially since
it's paved, that makes itavailable to a lot more people.
There's restrooms at everyaccess point, multiple parking
sites. So you can look all ofthat up on the visit
Martinsville website as well. Ijust like, love running and
riding on that trail.
Jessica Bowser (30:23):
Yeah,
Unknown (30:24):
and I want to give a shout out to the county and the
city both, because the trailruns through the city and the
county both. So both of themwork to maintain and they do an
excellent job of keeping thistrail open. You know, if a tree
goes down or something there,they're right on it. We have a
really good network of peoplethat'll call and say, Hey,
there's something going on, andour county people personnel are
(30:47):
very quick to respond, and theyhave a lot of other stuff to do.
We have the sports complex, wehave the fair and all this other
festivals and things to do, butthey really keep these trails
open for us. So it's not likesome of those places where you
go, and you're like, oh my gosh,when's the last time somebody
worked on this trail? You're notgoing to see that here. They are
sustained well. And we have somelocals that are friends of
(31:11):
certain trails that also keepthem clean too. So we try to
make things that aresustainable. And so when you
come to town, you know thatyou're going to get on a decent
trail, and the dick and Williein particular, since it's all
paved, you can do, you know,take a stroller down there, or
rollerblade and whatever youwant, or just hike it. And it
(31:31):
does go through some remoteplaces. I mean, even though it's
going through the city, justlike you experienced on the
river, we took you right throughthe city, and you didn't even
know you were going through thecity, the trail is the same way.
I mean, we see a lot of wildlifeon that trail as well.
Jessica Bowser (31:46):
I really enjoyed the trail because, for lots of
reasons. First of all, I was soimpressed with the bike barn
that was the coolest thing I'veever seen. I don't think I've
seen that anywhere else, and Iloved that the YMCA has made it
possible for everybody to haveaccess to a bike, so anybody who
wants to ride can have a helmetand a bike. And, you know, even
(32:08):
those carts that you attach tothe bike to put your kid in. I
mean, that's that was awesome.
But the trail itself isabsolutely beautiful. I mean,
when you start to ride away fromMartinsville and you're riding
through Henry County. It followsa creek, so it's super Scenic.
It's really beautiful. I wasfreaking out because I saw
Louisiana water thrush, becauseit was a bird that I was really
(32:30):
excited about. But there'slittle waterfalls on the stream,
and it was absolutely gorgeous.
But what I think is soimpressive about this trail is
the connectivity. And everysingle day that I was in
Martinsville, I was on thattrail, either walking it or
hiking it or biking it. Andevery day I saw people in the
community using it. Some wereusing it for recreational
(32:52):
purposes. Some were using it forsocial purposes. Some people
were just walking like throughtown and were using it to get
from one point to another. Soclearly, a lot of thought was
put into this, and it's beingtaken advantage of by locals and
people who are coming to visits.
Yeah,
Unknown (33:08):
we love it, and we want to keep working on that and
connecting to that. That's kindof the backbone of our trail
system there with the dick andWillie. So we're, we're excited
to continue on. I mean, we'renot, we're not stopping. We'd
love to connect other countieswith that as well. That's in the
master plan, to connect it toPatrick County and connect it to
Pennsylvania County.
Jessica Bowser (33:29):
Join us next week as we dive into
Martinsville local attractions,including museums, culinary gems
and one of the newest stateparks that is open and welcoming
visitors. Virginia OutdoorAdventures is inspired by and
supported by listeners like you,which is why your messages and
feedback mean so much to me. Youcan text me directly by clicking
(33:52):
on Send me a text message inyour show notes. I answer
questions, respond to commentsand share your feedback on the
show. Never miss an update, geteven more information and
inspiration by signing up for mynewsletter. Click on newsletter.
Sign up in your show notes orvisit virginiaoutdoor
adventures.com thanks forlistening until next time.
(34:14):
Adventure on Virginia is foroutdoor lovers, and you'll love
everything Martinsville, HenryCounty has to offer you.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.