James River Association Partners with Henrico County to Improve Trail at Deep Bottom Park
Henrico County, VA – On Saturday, April 25th, the James River Association and Henrico County partnered to improve a primitive hiking trail at Deep Bottom Park in Henrico County. Alumni from St. Christopher’s School volunteered to improve the primitive trail that runs alongside Four Mile Creek, a tributary of the James River.
The volunteers removed overgrowth and resurfaced the trail with mulch to improve accessibility.
Deep Bottom Park is a 58-acre park located in eastern Henrico County on the banks of the James River. The park has a boat ramp and canoe launch and is a popular destination for paddling, fishing and other recreational activities.
Photo by Kelly Verdeck
“The James River Association is committed to working with partners to connect communities to the James River and its tributaries to create opportunities for outdoor recreation,” said Justin Doyle, the James River Association’s community conservation manager. “The James River Association encourages the development of recreational amenities such as canoe and kayak launches, land trails and water trails for quality of life and economic benefits. We partnered with Henrico County and Virginia Department of Transportation to formalize public access on the Chickahominy River at the Grapevine Bridge in 2014.”
“In recent years we have been fortunate to be able to partner with the James River Association on a number of projects in the east end of Henrico County,” said Al Azzarone, landscape architect and park planner for the Henrico County Division of Recreation and Parks. “Deep Bottom is a small park with frontage on both the James and Four Mile Creek with important history, and an adopted master plan, but with no capital funding at this time. I am impressed at how they are able to marshal volunteer forces with minimal funding to implement significant James River access projects for the benefit of our citizens. I really enjoy working with their staff and look forward to other river projects we are considering together.”
“This effort will improve visitor experience within Deep Bottom Park and make the natural area more accessible to the general public and visitors to the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail,” said Joanna Ogburn, the Chesapeake Conservancy’s director of programs. “Improving this trail will foster a better connection between residents or visitors and the James River’s ecological and recreational resources.”
A follow-up volunteer event to complete the trail improvement project is being planned for May by the James River Association. To get involved contact Justin Doyle, the James River Association’s community conservation manager, at jdoyle@jrava.org.
This project advances Envision The James, an initiative led by the Chesapeake Conservancy, James River Association and National Geographic Maps. Through this initiative the James River Association and Chesapeake Conservancy work with local partners and communities to conserve important landscapes in the James River watershed, improve wildlife habitat, restore river banks, protect important viewsheds, improve public access to waterways and promote the heritage, history and use of the river.
