Carvins Cove Trail Plan - Roanoke

Carvins Cove Natural Reserve
2010 Trail Management Plan
1.4 Plan Partners and Scope of Work
In the winter of 2009, the Parks and Recreation Department recruited a team of
volunteers and staff from the Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission, Roanoke Valley-
Alleghany Regional Commission, and Pathfinders for Greenways to address the
growing need for managing Carvins Cove’s trails. The team worked with Department
staff to develop a format for trail assessment and recruited and trained volunteers to
assess existing, official trails. The volunteers included hikers, mountain bikers, and
equestrians. In addition to assessing the trails, the group developed a ranking of trail
difficulty, recommended changes and improvements, proposed new trail options, and
discussed management considerations in order to make recommendations to staff on
management of the Cove trails.
The Trail Plan Task Force’s objectives were:
1. To assess conditions on the existing trails and roads shown and numbered
on the Carvins Cove trail map.
2. To map with a GPS unit other roads and trails.
3. To evaluate the suitability of each existing trail for use by hikers, equestrians,
and mountain bikers.
4. To review the official trail network for the Cove and recommend opportunities
for additional trails.
5. To identify the issues, challenges, and opportunities for managing the trail
system.
6. To recommend improvements to trails and ancillary facilities.
7. To recommend operation and maintenance policies in relation to trail
management.
8. To provide input from representative trail users for the planning process.
9. To compile the information cited above into a trail management plan, within
the framework of the Carvins Cove Natural Reserve Park Management Plan,
to guide the City’s trail program at the Cove for the next 5-10 years.
1.5 Management Direction
1.5.1 Existing Direction
Carvins Cove is recognized in a variety of state and regional plans as an important
natural and recreational resource. On the state level the Cove is included on the
Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail and in the 2007 Virginia Outdoors Plan. Regionally,
the 2007 Update to the Roanoke Valley Conceptual Greenway Plan recognized the
entire Cove trail network as a greenway destination.
Direction for the Cove and for trail management is included in several previous City
plans. This information is summarized in Table 1.
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