Hiking – Life In & Around Martinsville-Henry County

Haw River Park in the Fall

One last blast from 2021 before we get started on 2022. So many events have already been planned for 2022, I started the 2022 Events page to try to keep track.

But here’s the last hike from 2021.

The Iron Ore Belt Access trail in Haw River State Park is about 45 minutes south of Martinsville. The official address is 6068 N Church, Greensboro, North Carolina. Somehow the address makes it sound like it is in or near a developed area but it has a remote feel to it as you are driving out to get to it.

This trail is in the Haw River State Park, a 1,485 state park that straddles Rockingham and Guilford counties in North Carolina. This is a newer park with the first trails having been built in mid-2016.

The Dan River Basin Association, which announces their monthly hikes and kayaking trips on Meetup, met here in November of 2021 to hike the Iron Ore Pit Trail and take in the changing leaves.

There are actually two trails here. The primary trail is the 3.2 mile long Great Blue Heron Loop Trail, which winds through hardwood forest, along wetlands, and by old farm fields. The Iron Ore Pit Trail is a .35 mile cut-off from the Great Blue Heron Trail.

Well Marked Trails Wander Through the Park

The Iron Ore Pit Trail is essentially a cut-through that takes you by one of several historic surface level pits that has been used for mining ore from the 30-mile long iron ore belt that stretches from Salem to the Haw River.

Hikers Gathered Around the Fenced Off Iron Ore Pit

There is nothing actually in the pit except for some Christmas ferns. In fact, if it didn’t have a fence around it, you might miss it.

But if you pay attention to the area around you, there are whispers along the trail to tell you that this place is a little different. Our Hike Leader, Wayne Kirkpatrick, encouraged us to pick up one of the rocks along the trail and feel the weight. Iron ore makes them a great deal heavier than you would expect.

If you are the type to enjoy contemplating the passage of time and people through a space, these rocks are the tip-off to let you know that you have arrived.

Lesley, J. P. (1871). Note on the Titaniferous Iron Ore Belt, near Greensboro, North Carolina. *Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society*, 12(86), 139–158. http://www.jstor.org/stable/981685

According to the state brochure for this trail, the Speedwell Furnace was established about 5 miles north of the park in 1770 and could very well have harvested ore from this site. There are now only remnants of Speedwell, later Troublesome Creek Ironworks, but this belt was actively harvested from at least that time until after World War II.

River fans will appreciate that these are the headwaters of the Haw River. It is spring fed and moves imperceptibly. It seems like little more than a swamp just off of the trail; however, in reality, this is the beginning of a 110 mile journey down to Cape Fear River.

If you are interested in kayaking the Haw River, check out the Haw River Trail site. It lists several area outfitters and gives descriptions of what you can expect from the river at each put-in. The Haw River Trail is part of a state-wide Mountains-to-Sea Trail and extends 80 miles from the Haw River State Park to Jordan Lake in Chatham county.

The Haw River is enjoying a resurgence in interest and, per American Rivers, is the most popular whitewater paddling river in the North Carolina Piedmont Region.

It looks like the first available put in on this part of the Haw is Brooks Bridge. According to the River Kings, a local group of whitewater kayakers and prolific YouTubers, anyone can run this stretch. It’s just a beautiful 4.5 mile stretch of river with nothing to trip anyone up.

All in all, a beautiful hike.

I really recommend taking advantage of guided hikes when you can. Wayne Kirkpatrick is a one of the hike leaders for both Homestead Hikers and Dan River Basin Association and is a wealth of information.

For instance, he taught us how to identify Christmas ferns by the odd notch at the base of the pinnules. (I had to look up “pinnule”. It’s the individual leaf that connects to the stem up the middle, or “midrib”).

And, believe it or not, this is a muscadine vine crawling up the tree.

One of the many things that I enjoy about living in the Martinsville/Henry County area is the number of trails available. I come home with a lot of pictures of trees but, can you blame me? I particularly like this one.

Roanoke Outdoor Adventure Group is currently planning “Hike & Pint” hikes that pair up a group hike with a visit to a local brewery. I haven’t been out with that group yet but this hiking series is tempting, even though the weather is questionable this time of year. Be sure to take a look at them if you are local and getting a little cabin fever.

Fall Leaves at Beaver Creek Reservoir

Our peek leaf color for 2021 was in November. If asked, I would normally tell you to expect it the second week of October but that certainly wasn’t the case this past year.

On November 14th, the Homestead Hikers hit the trail at Beaver Creek Reservoir and we caught some breathtaking color. The Homestead Hikers is a hiking group through the College for Older Adults with the Reynolds Homestead. Annual dues in 2021 were $10 and it’s a very fun and friendly good. There’s probably not a better investment in fun in the area.

First off, our Beaver Creek Reservoir is NOT the reservoir built in 1964 for the town of Crozet. That one is about three hours northeast of here, just east of Staunton, Virginia. (This is not the only place in Henry County with a more famous counterpart, so you have to pay attention).

The Martinsville Reservoir is 174 acres and is about 8 minutes from downtown Martinsville. It has a fishery maintained by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. The game fish population includes largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish, catfish and yellow perch.

It also has a beautiful trail that is just incredible when the leaves change.

Now that we’ve established that there is some confusion over the name of this place, I’m going to call it the Martinsville Reservoir going forward. That’s how the state has it.

Both the trail and the reservoir are open for public use only on the weekends between sunrise and sunset. They are very literal about this. Memorial Day and Labor Day Mondays do not count and you will arrive only find the entrance barred by a metal gateway.

When open, there are two entrances to the park but either will get you to the trail head.

The trail is easy for all ages and abilities. It wanders all around, snaking its way down to the shoreline of the lake and then back again. If you take a gander at the Homestead Hiker’s Facebook page, Betty Kirkpatrick took an absolutely stunning photo of the group all gathered on a point that juts out into the lake a little, canopied by bright yellow and orange leaves.

The Upper Part of the Reservoir Through the Trees

It was a fun hike out and back, starting from the picnic shelter.

Picnic Facilities at Martinsville Reservoir

The picnic shelter accommodates sixty (60) people, has restroom facilities, water access, three grills, four large trash cans, and electric outlets. It can be rented from the city for $50 for the day or $30 for a half day. Check the Martinsville Parks & Rentals page for more info (and, pro tip, the area code is 276).

Just below it is the boat launch/parking area.

The Boat Launch at Martinsville Reservoir

We crossed the road after having circled back to the picnic pavilion and continued along a trail that was less obvious and more densely wooded. The trees are blazed so you should be able to find your way. The walk through fall foliage was gorgeous.

This trail crested at a spot that overlooks that reservoir and has features left over from some previous use. I asked a private Facebook group that specializes in area history if anyone knew what the history of these were and the consensus was that this used to be a picnic area.

Thanks to them, I can now see that the picture below is of an old grill. I imagine that there would have been a metal grate over it back in the day. The stonework is beautiful. I can see where the black metal grills on poles are probably safer but they lack the character of this one.

Someone mentioned that there used to be numbered picnic areas here so there may be more stonework grills like this tucked away in the woods. It’s something to look for if you decide to try to follow the blazed trees on this side of the road.

The trail eventually leads down to the banks of the reservoir, not far from the dam. The PHCC Loop Trail, so named because of its connection with Patrick & Henry Community College, approaches the dam from the other side. Our hike leader said that extensions to the existing trails are planned.

From there, it is a short walk to the boat launch and picnic area. The open metal shelter visible on the boat launch houses kayaks that are available to the public for kayaking from April through October. The rental for a kayak/canoe is $10 a day plus there is a $10 refundable deposit for the key needed to unlock them. There is a Canoe Rental Form available on the city’s website here.

Non-gasoline powered boats are allowed on the reservoir but must have a permit. The permit fee posted to the Virginia DWR webpage in February of 2022 is $3 a day or $15 for a calendar year. This water is the water supply for the City of Martinsville so there may be other restrictions on what kinds of motors or boats will be permitted. The Lake Warden can answer more specific questions.

Boating fees for active, retired and disabled military veterans are waived.

If you like to fish, you might be interested in the 2020 video below where they show the construction and launch of “fish attractors” along the banks of the reservoir. They put in twenty in 2019 and another thirty-four in 2020. The attractors are made out of concrete and corrugated drainage pipe so that the fish have some structures that won’t be as prone to snag hooks as other materials might be.

Another Hidden Gem: Laurel Ridge Trail and Twin Ridge Park

On the heels of having made it out to Hamlet Vineyards for the first time, I have found another local attraction hiding in plain sight. I’ve been here since 2014 and I had never heard anything about how pretty Twin Ridge Park is on Philpott Lake or seen any pictures of the amenities there.

In fact, prior to this, the only true access point for Philpott Lake that I had been to was the Philpott Marina (The yellow 1 in the shot below, lower right).

Today I want to share some photos from a recent hike with the Homestead Hikers. Homestead Hikers is a hiking club (dues are $10 a year) connected with Reynolds Homestead, a historic property and extension of Virginia Tech. This extension is host to the College for Older Adults and they have some A MAZING programs. Honestly (and I am not kidding) I was looking forward to turning 50 because of the programs for seniors here. But I digress. Again.

Twin Ridge Park is actually in Franklin County, Henry County’s neighbor. The trail we were hitting today was the Laurel Ridge Trail heading to Salthouse Branch. We would do a 3-mile round trip out-and-back hike.

There is parking along the side of the road at the trail head. A small stretch has stone put down for traction while the rest is mown grass. There’s room for maybe 8 to 10 cars parked perpendicular to the road. The boat launch is about a half a mile down the road so there is additional parking there but add a mile onto your hike if you park there.

The trail head sign says that this is a 2.5 mile long trail of moderate difficulty (1 hour to complete one way) and that it is open to hikers, bicyclists, and hunters. It describes the trail this way:

“Laurel Ridge Trail traverses through beautiful forested mountains, with stretches that hug the Philpott Lake shoreline, connecting Salthouse Branch Park and Twin Ridge Park. The trail is marked by trees with blue markings.”

Don’t worry about the “forested mountains” part. If that is true, it is in only the most technical sense. This is a nice woodland walk with only a slight decline as you progress along the path. It wouldn’t have been noticeable at all except that we did notice the slight incline when we reversed for our return.

The blue markings are critical. This is a beautiful path that is very visible most of the time but there are times when the trail forks and you need to know which way to go.

There were some things we all enjoyed looking at along the path. This tree had grown up right next to the path and then fell away from it, leaving a canopy of roots for an opportunistic woodland vine to climb.

While this trail is going from point A to point B along the lake, the lake’s shoreline narrows until it becomes little more than a creek. You have to go a distance away from the body of the lake before you can get to a crossing. At one point, it is no more than a foot or two wide and it winds back and forth like a snake.

There, before we crossed, we found a foundation or basement for a structure now long gone. No one knows what its history is.

You do eventually have to cross the water but, by the time that you do, it’s not a significant crossing. At least, this is what it looked like when we did it.

We saw a turtle. It was right on the trail but it blended in so well that it very nearly got stepped on.

Being woodland, much of the trail looks alike and it was challenging to get good photos. I would see something I considered beautiful, snap a shot, and then, once I got home, not be able to make out what in particular I was seeing. I think that it is worth continuing to try.

We were all pleased with our hike. Afterwards, some of our group went on down to the boat launch area to investigate and swim.

This is Philpott Lake, standing on the Twin Ridge Ramp. In the photo below, I’ve labeled the horizon (loosely) with the points of interest. That whole mass on the right is Goose Point Campground. Turkey Island is the only island on Philpott Lake that allows camping. There is an island behind it that does not have a name. Deer Island is somewhere over towards the shore between Salthouse Branch and Turkey Island.

Points of interest standing on Twin Ridge Park boat ramp

There is a placard that gives you this information, a little more accurately. I, honestly, had not paid any attention to the new Philpott Lake Blueway Water Trail went I first heard of it. Every time I saw a photo of Philpott Lake, it was from the same vantage point. I thought that that must be all there was. I was incredibly wrong. There so much more to see. I could take a whole season to see all of the points of interest, maybe more.

The informational placard at Twin Ridge Park

The placard also suggests the following kayaking trips:

Deer Island Kayak Trip – 4 miles round trip – From the ramp, paddle southeast across the mouth of the cove and continue along this shoreline. Deer Island is the landmass on your right as you round the point. The scenic and secluded shores of the largest island on the lake it is only accessed by boat, and the only island on Philpott used for camping. Continue around Deer Island between Turkey Island and the western side of Deer Island.

Rabbit Island – 3.5 miles round trip – The open water of the lake must be crossed to reach the secluded shores of Rabbit Island. It is recommended this trip not be attempted by paddle craft during high wind or heavy motorized boat traffic conditions. Head west from Twin Ridge to make the scenic round trip to Rabbit Island. A compass is always recommended when negotiating large open water. No camping is allowed on Rabbit Island.

The park itself is beautiful. The pavilion is big, well maintained, and clean. The person emptying the trash bin while I was there ducked out of the shot above.

There is a dedicated swimming area. River shoes might be a good idea for the rocky terrain.

They also have concerts in the park designed for an audience of boaters, kayakers, and paddle boarders. One of our cohort was local to this particular area and he said that it is a very safe area and that the concert series have been well managed.

There is a lot here. I didn’t expect so many photos from a short hike but, there you are. The dappled light of the path was too challenging for me to come away with any truly good shots but that only means that I need to try again. The launch photos have not been tinkered with for saturation. It is just, honest to God, is that pretty.

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