Clinch River State Park | |
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![]() Burton's Ford Falls - Clinch River | |
Location | Tazewell, Russell, Wise, and Scott Counties, Virginia |
Nearest city | St. Paul, Virginia |
Coordinates | 36°53′55″N82°19′03″W / 36.898510°N 82.317534°W |
Area | 640 acres (260 ha) |
Established | 2019 |
Governing body | Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation |
Clinch River State Park is a river-based state park in Tazewell, Russell, Wise, and Scott counties in Southwest Virginia. It was dedicated by Gov. Ralph Northam on 16 June 2021 as the 41st park in the Virginia State Park system. The park preserves some of the most scenic and ecologically diverse parts of the Clinch River. It is the first "blueway" park in the Commonwealth. [1]
The Clinch River, known as "Virginia's Hidden River," contains the highest number of imperiled freshwater animals in the country, including 29 varieties of rare freshwater mussels and 19 species of fish. [2] [3] Other rare species include the hellbender, loggerhead musk turtle, and the green-faced clubtail dragonfly. [4] Since 1990, The Nature Conservancy has worked to preserve the Clinch River watershed as part of its "Last Great Places" program. [3]
When completely developed, the park will constitute a “string of pearls” of anchor properties along an approximately 135-mile (217 km) section of the river from Tazewell County to the Tennessee border. These anchor properties will be connected by multiple canoe/kayak access points for visitors to enjoy the river through such activities as boating, fishing, and sightseeing. [5]
There are two major units open for public use. The Sugar Hill Unit in St. Paul (Wise County) consists of 400 acres and has nearly 9 miles of hiking trails for hiking and biking, and more than 2 miles of river access. There is also a picnic area. Cultural relics include the remains of an 18th-century French settlement. The Artrip Bent Unit comprises 232 undeveloped acres with boat access in Russell County. [1]
The park is currently in development status and there are no facilities available. [1]
Tazewell County is a county located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,429. Its county seat is Tazewell.
The Clinch River is a river that flows southwest for more than 300 miles (480 km) through the Great Appalachian Valley in the U.S. states of Virginia and Tennessee, gathering various tributaries, including the Powell River, before joining the Tennessee River in Kingston, Tennessee.
Big Six Mile Creek Marina is a 21-acre (0.085 km2) state park and marina located on the upper Niagara River on Grand Island in Erie County, New York.
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Big Ridge State Park is a state park in Union County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park consists of 3,687 acres (14.92 km2) on the southern shore of the Norris Reservoir, an impoundment of the Clinch River created by the completion of Norris Dam in 1936. Much of the park's recreational focus is on Big Ridge Lake, a 45-acre (0.18 km2) sub-impoundment of Norris near the center of the park.
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Kyles Ford is an unincorporated community in Hancock County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located along the Upper Clinch River and houses the TWRA's Kyles Ford Wildlife Management Area. A portion of Kyles Ford is included an 850-acre (3.4 km2) parcel of land referred to as the Kyles Ford Preserve. The parcel was acquired by TWRA in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and other conservation groups in a combined effort to preserve the area's rare, threatened, and endangered species of freshwater mussels. The concerned area of the Upper Tennessee River watershed that includes the Powell River Tributary, contains the most biologically diverse concentration of freshwater mussels in the Continental United States. It is also among the most degraded and threatened concentrations of mussels, containing some species that are globally unique.
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The Virginia Natural Area Preserve System is a system of protected areas in the state of Virginia. It is managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area is a 25,477-acre (103.10 km2) Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Virginia. It is the second-largest WMA in the Commonwealth, covering portions of Smyth, Washington, Russell, and Tazewell counties.
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Mayo River State Park is a state park of Virginia located in Henry County, along the North and South Forks of the Mayo River. The entrance to the park is located in Spencer. The park is located along the Virginia-North Carolina state line, and it is adjacent to a similarly named park in North Carolina.
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