Turbyville Trail

The Turbyville Trail at New River State Park combines river access with a loop through the characteristic Blue Ridge pastoral landscape that surrounds the ancient New River, taking in sweeping bends of the river and views across the pastoral farm landscape of Ashe County. The trail departs from the park campground area and traverses mixed hardwood forest on the hillside above the river before descending to follow the bank through a broad river bend where the current slows and the water spreads into gentle riffles over a gravel substrate. Wildflowers are exceptional in spring, when the wooded sections are carpeted with a succession of bloodroot, trout lily, and blue-eyed Mary before the canopy closes in May. The pastoral sections of the trail pass alongside working farms whose fields roll down toward the river bank, creating a landscape that blends wilderness character with the working agricultural traditions of the southern Appalachian mountains. Red-tailed hawks soar above the open fields, and mink and river otters may occasionally be observed along the river margins. The loop returns through a different section of woodland, offering botanical variety and additional elevated perspectives of the river valley. Autumn foliage transforms the hillsides in brilliant color while the river reflects the canopy in its calm pools, making October one of the finest months to experience this quintessential Blue Ridge river park.