Huckleberry Trail

Infobox Hiking trail
Name= Huckleberry Trail
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Location= Montgomery County, Virginia
Designation= Community Millennium Trail
Length= convert|5.762|mi|2
Use= hiking, other
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Sights= Appalachian Mountains, Virginia Tech
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The Huckleberry Trail is a convert|5.762|mi|2 rail trail in Montgomery County, Virginia, connecting Blacksburg and Christiansburg. The trail features a convert|12|ft wide trail with an asphalt surface at the middle, and unpaved shoulders.cite news
first = Robert
last = Freis
coauthors =
title = Trail picking up steam
publisher = The Roanoke Times
page = NRV1
date = August 22, 1993 ]

The trail takes its name from the former route of the Virginia Anthracite & Coal Railroad, nicknamed "the Huckleberry", upon which the trail was constructed.cite news
first = Kim
last = Sunderland
coauthors =
title = Huckleberry Trail proposed as first county bike path
publisher = The Roanoke Times
page = NRV2
date = February 6, 1990 ] The huckleberry moniker was developed by the railroad's passengers, who would pick huckleberries alongside the tracks during the railroad's frequent service interruptions and break downs.

History

With passenger service ending in 1958, and the subsequent abandonment of the line in 1967, the former railroad right-of-way remained unused until the idea of its conversion to a pedestrian trail arose in the 1980s. In February 1990, Montgomery County approved what was deemed the Huckleberry Trail as the county's first bikeway. After a successful grass roots fundraising campaign for the trails construction, in October 1993 the Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded the Huckleberry project $453,424 towards its construction.cite news
first = Rick
last = Lindquist
coauthors =
title = Huckleberry Trail takes next steps
publisher = The Roanoke Times
page = Virginia, A1
date = October 22, 1993 ]

Originally scheduled to commence construction in early 1994, delays resulting from ADA accessibility and prehistoric archaeological sites along the trails path resulted in some adjustments to its route.cite news
first = Robert
last = Freis
coauthors =
title = Trail project runs out of funds
publisher = The Roanoke Times
page = NRV1
date = November 17, 1994 ] Additionally, higher costs resulting from the construction of a tunnel and enhanced emergency vehicle access resulted in the project running out of its initial funds and being placed on hold. After delays, and when additional funding was secured, construction commenced on the initial convert|3.2|mi segment between the Blacksburg Library and the intersection of Hightop and Merrimac Roads on April 5 1996.cite news
first = Robert
last = Freis
coauthors =
title = Patience will pay off for users of Huckleberry
publisher = The Roanoke Times
page = NRV1
date = April 6, 1996 ] Although utilized by citizens prior to, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the trail occurred on December 7 1996.cite news
first = Robert
last = Freis
coauthors =
title = Huckleberry trail milestone marked today
publisher = The Roanoke Times
page = NRV1
date = December 7, 1996 ]

Immediately following the completion of the initial phase, bidding for the construction of the second phase with an initial completion date estimated for late 1997. However, estimated costs for the completion of the second segment came in well over-budget resulting in the project being pushed back until additional funding could be secured.cite news
first = Tom
last = Angleberger
coauthors =
title = Trail's end now late fall
publisher = The Roanoke Times
page = NRV8
date = August 28, 1998 ] With Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Montgomery County all contributing additional funding, construction of the second phase was complete in late 1998, with the ribbon-cutting ceremony occurring on December 1 1998.cite news
first = Robert
last = Freis
coauthors =
title = Trail's end is just the start
publisher = The Roanoke Times
page = NRV1
date = December 2, 1998 ] The completed trail cost $1.4 million to complete with federal transportation grants covering about $690,000 of the total cost.

By 2000, the success of the trail was recognized by the federal governments as the Huckleberry Trail was named as one of the nation's 2,000 Community Millennium Trails on June 1 2000.cite news
first = Christopher
last = Calnam
coauthors = Mike Gangloff
title = Three trails to join national list
publisher = The Roanoke Times
page = NRV1
date = June 1, 2000 ] Future expansions of the trail may include a connection with the New River Trailcite news
first = Paul
last = Dellinger
coauthors =
title = Planners discuss connecting Huckleberry and New River Trails
publisher = The Roanoke Times
page = NRV10
date = September 17, 2003 ] and both the Jefferson National Forest and downtown Christiansburg.cite news
first = Donna
last = Alvis-Banks
coauthors =
title = Huckleberry Trail set to expand
publisher = The Roanoke Times
page = NRV4
date = June 17, 2007 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.montva.com/departments/parks/htmap.php Huckleberry Trail] from Montgomery County Parks & Recreation
* [http://www.huckleberrytrail.org/ Friends of the Huckleberry]