-OUTDOOR RECREATION AND BIODIVERSITY ON-
Explore the Clinch
Learning about biodiversity in the Clinch River Valley is one thing - seeing it for yourself is another. Use the digital trail guides and other information below (or on the map on our homepage) to get outdoors in the Clinch Valley and discover our region's unique wildlife and ecosystems. Many guides can be downloaded directly to your smartphone for free, using the EveryTrail application. After your trip, head over to our "help" page to learn more about how you can become active in preserving biodiversity in the Clinch Valley. Don't want to plan your own trip? Check out one of our pre-designed itineraries to help plan your visit and maximize your time within the Clinch Valley. We also are producing interactive, inquiry-based digital guides designed to help educators use the Clinch Valley to teach science in the classroom.
The Clinch is a special place - help us keep it that way. Practice Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics when on the trail or the river.
Banner's Farm to St. Paul (Clinch River)
Location: St. Paul, Virginia
Length/Difficulty: Approximately 3 miles; Class I-II
Description: Easy but scenic float from Banner's Farm (near Castlewood, Virginia) to Matthews Park in St. Paul. Outfitter Clinch River Adventures is located at the take-out and offers rentals and a shuttle service to the put-in.
Bluebell Island Trail
Location: St. Paul, Virginia
Length/Difficulty: 2 miles one-way; Easy
Description: One of the few trails directly following the Clinch, this new trail traverses a low floodplain along the river adjacent to Bluebell Island, an important biodiversity preserve along the Clinch. The trail can also be taken into downtown St. Paul and ultimately connects to the Sugar Hill Trail System, where multiple trails can be pieced together for a longer hiking experience (see other guides below).
Access more info, including an online trail guide, for this hike in EveryTrail.
Brumley Mountain Trail (Channels)
Location: Hayter's Gap, Virginia
Length/Difficulty: Approx. 6 miles roundtrip (out and back); Moderate
Description: Incredibly scenic hike along the southern rim of the Clinch Valley to the Great Channels of Virginia, a unique labyrinth of sandstone boulders atop Middle Knob. Summit provides long-range views of Mt. Rogers and Whitetop, the two highest mountains in the state, as well as much of the Clinch Valley.
Access more info, including an online trail guide, for this hike in EveryTrail.
Devil's Bathtub (Devil's Fork Trail)
Location: Fort Blackmore, Virginia
Length/Difficulty: Approx. 3 miles out and back; Difficult
Description: Streamside hike along the Devil's Fork to the Devil's Bathtub, a unique rock formation and scoured pool within the streambed. Popular in summer, this hike features more than 10 stream crossings, some of which may become hazardous after heavy or extended rainfall. Experienced hikers can continue past the Bathtub to the ridgetop to return to the trailhead on a 7-mile loop trail that is difficult to follow in places.
Access more info, including an online trail guide, for this hike in EveryTrail.
Flag Rock/Legion Park Trail
Location: Norton, Virginia
Length/Difficulty: Approx. 3 miles out and back; Difficult
Description: Scenic hike through a north-facing Appalachian cove forest to Flag Rock, a large, exposed sandstone formation with outstanding views of the City of Norton and upper Guest River Valley. Flag Rock can alternatively be reached via car through the City of Norton's Flag Rock Recreation Area.
Access more info, including an online trail guide, for this hike in EveryTrail.
Guest River Gorge Trail
Location: Coeburn, Virginia
Length/Difficulty: 5.5 miles one-way (no parking or access at lower terminus); Easy
Description: This wide, graveled, multiuse trail follows the path of an abandoned railbed along the Guest River's last few miles through an impressive sandstone gorge before it empties into the Clinch. Along the way, it passes towering cliffs, waterfalls, and scenic boulder gardens in the Guest River itself. Wildlife is also abundant on this trail.
Download a printable PDF guide for this trail here.
Access more info, including an online trail guide, for this hike in EveryTrail.
Kitchen Rock/Bark Camp Lake
Location: Jefferson National Forest
Length/Difficulty: Easy 0.6-mile loop trail (Kitchen Rock); Easy flatwater paddling on Bark Camp Lake; An additional easy, 3-mile loop trail around the lake is also available
Description: The Kitchen Rock Trail leaves the Bark Camp Lake Recreation Area and traverses a forested slope to a unique series of rock formations above the lake. An additional hike also circles Bark Camp Lake, and the much longer Chief Benge Trail also passes through this area, nearly midway between Little Stony Falls and High Knob.
Access more info, including an online trail guide, for this hike in EveryTrail.
Little Stony National Recreation Trail
Location: Jefferson National Forest
Length/Difficulty: 2.7-mile one-way (out-and-back); Moderate (Easy if only hiking upper trailhead to Little Stony Falls)
Description: Incredibly scenic hike through Little Stony Gorge from an upper trailhead near Coeburn, Virginia to the Hanging Rock Recreation Area near Dungannon. Passes a series of three waterfalls, including the impressive Little Stony Falls, one of the most photographed falls in the state.
Download a printable PDF guide for this trail here.
Access more info, including an online trail guide, for this hike in EveryTrail.
Pinnacle State Natural Area Preserve
Location: Lebanon and Cleveland, Virginia
Length/Difficulty: Approx. 2 miles one-way (out-and-back) easy hike if walking from main trailhead to Clinch River and past Big Falls; multiple other trails can be pieced together throughout
Description: Multiple hikes exist within this state Natural Area Preserve. The hike featured here is one of the preserve's most popular, passing the scenic Big Falls (pictured to left) and the Pinnacle, a towering dolomite formation that overlooks Big Cedar Creek. Trail ends at the Clinch River.
Access more info, including an online trail guide, for this hike in EveryTrail.
Sugar Hill Trail System
Location: St. Paul, Virginia
Length/Difficulty: Multiple hikes exist, the most popular being a 3.2-mile, moderate loop trail
Description: The Sugar Hill Loop Trail passes by Oxbow Lake, a unique park near downtown St. Paul and climbs to an open ridgetop for scenic views of the Clinch Valley before descending and returning to the trailhead along the Clinch River. Multiple trails branch off from the loop, including a connector trail that leads from the trailhead through downtown St. Paul to Bluebell Island.
Access more info, including an online trail guide, for this hike in EveryTrail.
UVa-Wise Wetlands Interpretive Trail
Location: Wise, Virginia
Length/Difficulty: 0.5 miles out-and-back; Easy
Description: Short educational trail traversing a series of wetlands constructed to remediate acid mine drainage in a headwater stream of the Guest River (a major tributary to the Clinch) on the UVa-Wise campus. Provides a great overview of conservation issues in the Clinch Valley and efforts being used to address them.
Access more info, including an online trail guide, for this hike in EveryTrail.