BC’s Backyard: The Trails at Bluefield City Park
Are you experiencing cabin fever due to coronavirus stay-at-home orders? Trying to find a way to get in your regular exercise? Or just looking for something new to do in Bluefield? There has never been a better time to discover the trails at Bluefield City Park!
The trails are still open with the expectation that adventurers follow the social distancing guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and they are perfect for Bluefield College students because they are located directly behind the college campus. There is even a special trail entrance on the BC campus located on the west end of campus behind the tennis courts and between the Skidmore Maintenance Building and the parking lot. This convenient trail entrance helps students explore the trails safely without walking on the main roads to get to the park.
The entrance on the BC campus is marked with a sign saying “The Bluefield College Nature Trail,” and this particular trail is 1.3 miles long (see diagram below). It is recommended for hikers of any skill level. Students could walk to the end and return to campus, if they just want a short breath of fresh air. However, the trail does end perfectly at the entrance for the trails at Bluefield City Park, which offer endless possibilities.
There are seven different sections of the trails at Bluefield City Park (see diagram below). All the sections connect to each other, and each section has a difficulty level ranging from easy to steep. The longest trail is the Sleeping Wolf Trail, which is 4 miles long. The trails are color coded and clearly labeled by wooden signs and tree markers to make navigation easy. However, it is recommended that guests stop by the cabin located across the street from the playground area at the park to pickup a map. The map is also posted on the City of Bluefield’s website.
“The Cross-Country team uses the Family Friendly Trail for races and things, and I hike the other trails with my boyfriend,” said BC student Samantha Dickens. “The trails are definitely a good source for regular exercise, but I also find them very calming.”
The Family Friendly Trail is the shortest and easiest trail at the park. It wraps around the main road that goes through the park and features several stations for children spread throughout the trail, including a painting area, a tipi, and a free little library with a reading area.
Walter Shroyer, professor and chair of the BC Art Department and an avid hiker, played a major role in the opening of the trails. He said that he and former BC colleague, Mickey Pellillo, walked at the park regularly and ran in to each other often on the trails. One day the pair decided they should create a labeled trail system there to encourage more people to enjoy the scenery. They did just that and held the grand opening ceremony for the trail system in late spring of 2009.
“We always joked that we doubled our campus when we opened the trails. It was intended as a way to get students outdoors and give them something to do with their free time while they’re here. If you start at the Dome, it’ll only take about 30-45 minutes to walk the Family Friendly Trail and return to campus. If you go right now (early spring), there are several wild flowers blooming.”
– Walter Shroyer, Professor and Chair of the Department of Art and Design at BC
Shroyer said the trails at Bluefield City Park are exclusively funded by private donations and grants. They also rely heavily on volunteers to perform trail maintenance. If you are looking to get involved, you can find information on The Trails at Bluefield City Park Facebook page. They also have a non-profit account with the Community Foundation of the Virginias where you can make a tax-deductible donation. Donations have funded several projects so far, such as the construction of the cabin (see photo below) where they hand out maps, sell t-shirts, and store equipment along with the development of the children’s stations. The next major project for the trails is to make them more conducive to mountain bikes.
“The trails are beautiful! There are little creeks, hidden stone fixtures, and so many old trees that surround the park. If you ever need a place to get away and relax, walking the trails is a good way to find it.”
– Jordyn O’ Saben, BC December 2019 Graduate