On May 2 the Dan River Basin Association will float the most popular section of the Smith River—Marrowbone Creek Access to Mitchell Bridge in Henry County, Virginia.

Meeting at 10:00 a. m. at the Richard P. Gravely, Jr. Nature Preserve, 2525 Eggleston Falls Road in Ridgeway, Virginia, the group will launch their boats at the nearby access point. The 3.5-mile “blueway” Smith River Trails section, rated Class 1, is suitable for novice paddlers.

After the float, participants in this First Saturday Outing may take an optional self-guided hike in the nature preserve, using a brochure, signage, and trails created by the Association’s staff and volunteers.

Trip coordinator is Wayne Kirkpatrick, an officer of the Association, aided by other Association members who frequent this section of the river.

For the first half mile of the trip, the river flows alongside the Gravely Nature Preserve’s high bluffs where paddlers can glimpse the first section of the Rhododendron Trail. As the name implies, the path winds through a rhododendron thicket as it hugs the river’s edge.

About a mile farther on, Leatherwood Creek, on which Patrick Henry lived from 1779 to 1786, enters from river left. Paddlers often enter the wide mouth of the creek and take a leisurely side trip up the shaded stream to observe woodland wildflowers and birds.

Cindy Adams, Tourism Coordinator for the City of Eden, NC, recently floated the Marrowbone-Mitchell section for the first time and found it “one of the most beautiful sections of the Smith River that I had ever seen. The sounds of the birds and the water flowing was very serene. The water just seemed to sparkle that morning. What a treasure we all have to enjoy!”

Henry County, in partnership with the Dan River Basin Association, has made the Smith River accessible to the public over the past two years by building public access points at five new sites along the river, including the Marrowbone Creek Access, which opened in 2007.

The Gravely Nature Preserve, part of the county’s “greenway” Smith River Trail system, was dedicated in April, 2008. Developed by the Association and Henry County, with funding from The Harvest Foundation, the 75-acre preserve features two miles of interpretive trails. Historic features include early twentieth-century tobacco barns and the Burgess Family cemetery, reminders of former owners of the property.

Industrialist, civic leader, and archaeologist Richard P. Gravely, Jr. owned the property in the late twentieth century and left detailed instructions for its preservation as a wildlife and nature conservancy. His family honored his wishes, and the resulting nature preserve now hosts frequent educational and recreational events for all ages, including day camps, fitness walks, historic presentations, workshops, after-school programs, and geo-caching.

Participants in the outing are asked to bring boat and paddles, life jacket, hiking boots or shoes, lunch and water, to dress in layers of artificial (quick-drying) fabric and to sign a waiver.

To reach the Gravely Nature Preserve from U. S. 220 south of Martinsville, turn east at a traffic light onto Old Sand Road. Cross the U. S. 58 overpass and immediately turn left onto Eggleston Falls Road. Travel about two miles to the preserve, which is on the left, across from the foot of Old Mill Road.