Carvins Cove Trail Plan - Roanoke

Carvins Cove Natural Reserve
2010 Trail Management Plan
2.2.5 Watershed Protection
The 630-acre Carvins Cove Reservoir provides approximately 45% of the drinking
water for Roanoke City and County. Watershed protection is of paramount importance
and a central focus of the 2007 Park Management Plan as well as the 2000 Land Use
Plan. It was a driving force behind the conservation easement placed on the Cove.
Trail-building crews working at the Cove follow the standards of USDA Forest Service
and the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) to ensure that water quality is
not adversely impacted by the construction of trails. The trail assessment process
makes note of soil erosion and other potential impacts on water quality so that these
conditions can be corrected. While eroding trails are recognized as problematic, for
most trails at the Cove there is a substantial buffer zone where sediment is able to
settle before reaching streams or the reservoir.
2.3 Data Collection Process and Methods
2.3.1 Process
The Trail Plan Task Force used the following process:
1. Assessment of Trails
a. Development of assessment forms and system.
b. Training and procedure review with Assessment Team.
c. Assessment of official trails and road beds.
d. Review of unofficial trails and connections.
2. Mapping of official and other existing trails.
3. Research on issues and standards.
4. Review of trail data by Assessment Team to determine user suitability
and difficulty.
5. Input from stakeholders and trail maintainers.
6. Coordination and review with Parks and Recreation staff.
7. Development of recommendations for each trail of actions needed.
8. Development with Assessment Team of recommendations for new
trails and connections.
9. Authorization by the City.
2.3.2 Assessment Method
The Trail Plan Task Force reviewed several existing trail assessment systems, including
the USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy,
Universal Trail Assessment Process (UTAP), and IMBA. The Task Force used a form
similar to the one developed for Mill Mountain Trail Plan, with modifications
recommended during that process. The form is shown in Figure 6, with the data for
each trail summarized in Section 3 of this plan.
Each trail was assessed by a team of two to five people. Trail Assessment teams
attended a training session, with classroom and field instruction on using the tools and
forms. For each trail, the assessors recorded the trail width, surface, and features. All
trails were measured, using Rolatape-type measuring wheels recording in feet. Grades
on the trail and hillside slope were recorded section by section, with two people using
clinometers. The inventory data was collected in leaf-off season in the winter of 2009.
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