Alleghany Highlands Trails Alliance

Alleghany Highlands Trails Alliance Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Alleghany Highlands Trails Alliance, Sport & recreation, 14239 Douthat State Park Rd, Millboro, VA.

Our Mission is to maintain local, multi-use trails in the George Washington National Forest, Douthat State Park, and The Nature Conservancy property in Alleghany and Bath counties. Our work enables the recreation of mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians, and hunters which in turn drives ecotourism dollars to local Virginia communities such as Clifton Forge, Covington and Hot Springs.

🌲🥾 AHTA Trail Work Update! 🥾🌲We had a great crew out yesterday and made a big push toward finishing the Clifton Forge Re...
08/21/2026

🌲🥾 AHTA Trail Work Update! 🥾🌲

We had a great crew out yesterday and made a big push toward finishing the Clifton Forge Reservoir Trail! 🎉

The majority of the project is now complete, although there will always be some ongoing maintenance and fine-tuning to keep the trail in good shape. But seeing this project come together after all the work that has gone into it is pretty exciting!

A huge thank-you to everyone who has shown up, picked up a tool, moved some dirt, cut some roots, raked some trail, or supported the project along the way. 💚

🥾 TOMORROW: DOUTHAT WORKDAY!

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our Douthat State Park workday as we get the trails ready for the upcoming running race.

📍 Meet: Camp Store
🕘 Time: 9:00 AM
🌿 Mission: Most likely a hike-and-prune operation!

This will be our last scheduled workday until the week of September 1st, so if you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to get out with us, this is a good one!

Who can join us tomorrow? 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

No experience necessary—just bring sturdy shoes, water, and a willingness to get a little dirty.

🌲 Come help us leave the trail a little better than we found it! 🥾

Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Roanoke Outside Odyssey Adventure Racing

Clifton Forge reservoir trail. Honestly this shouldn't even be called a work day. Good friends, good conversation, great...
08/20/2026

Clifton Forge reservoir trail. Honestly this shouldn't even be called a work day. Good friends, good conversation, great views, and helping the community. Come on out and join us next time

08/20/2026

Putting the finishing touches on the Clifton Forge reservoir trail.

🐾 Beneath Our Feet – The Forest Floor Is AliveYou may be walking right past one of the busiest ecosystems in the Allegha...
08/18/2026

🐾 Beneath Our Feet – The Forest Floor Is Alive

You may be walking right past one of the busiest ecosystems in the Alleghany Highlands without ever noticing it.

Beneath your boots, the forest floor is full of life—fungi threading through soil, insects breaking down fallen leaves, salamanders hunting beneath logs, and countless microorganisms recycling nutrients back into the forest.

One especially important—and often overlooked—resident is the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus).

These tiny salamanders don’t have lungs. They breathe through their skin, which means they depend on the cool, damp conditions found beneath leaf litter, rocks, and rotting logs.

That makes them a surprisingly good indicator of forest health.

🌲 Why should hikers care?

Because healthy forests aren’t just about the trees we see above us.

A healthy forest floor helps:

• Recycle nutrients
• Hold moisture in the soil
• Prevent erosion
• Provide habitat for countless species
• Support the plants and trees that make our forests thrive

So the next time you’re walking an AHTA trail, take a moment to look down.

That seemingly ordinary patch of leaves and dirt beneath your feet is actually a living ecosystem—and it’s working constantly to keep the forest around you healthy.

Just remember: look, don’t collect. Leave rocks, logs, leaves, and wildlife where you find them so the next person—and the salamanders—can enjoy the same forest.

🌲🥾 Healthy trails start with healthy forests.

🌲🥾 Reservoir Trail Workday Success! 🥾🌲AHTA had another successful workday out at the Clifton Forge Reservoir Trail this ...
08/18/2026

🌲🥾 Reservoir Trail Workday Success! 🥾🌲

AHTA had another successful workday out at the Clifton Forge Reservoir Trail this past Saturday!

We brought the excavator back out one more time to really dial in the backslope of the trail, while the rest of our crew tackled the finishing work with hand tools.

And there was plenty of it! 💪

Lots of raking, root cutting, and hand finishing went into getting this section where we want it. The backslope is looking great, but we’re not quite finished yet. AHTA will be back out to put the finishing grade on the trail bench and continue getting this trail ready for long-term use.

A huge THANK YOU to Down To Earth Excavation for the stellar machine work and for helping us get this project to the next stage.

And another big shoutout to Backslope Toolsfor the timely delivery of our fresh new hand tools! 🔨🌲 Nothing like having the right tools when you’ve got a whole lot of trail to build.

Projects like this don’t happen without the people willing to show up, get dirty, and put in the work.

We’re getting there—one bucket of dirt, one rake, and one stubborn root at a time. 😂🥾

More work ahead, but the Reservoir Trail is looking better every time we’re out there!

🌲🥾 AHTA Trail Work This Week! 🥾🌲We’ve got a busy week ahead, with several opportunities to get out on the trails and len...
08/17/2026

🌲🥾 AHTA Trail Work This Week! 🥾🌲

We’ve got a busy week ahead, with several opportunities to get out on the trails and lend a hand!

📍 Thursday – Clifton Forge Reservoir Trail
🕙 Meet at 10:00 AM at the Clifton Forge Water Facility
🛠️ We’ll be cutting roots and raking out the trail bench cut as we continue improving the trail.

📍 Saturday – Douthat State Park
🕘 Meet at 9:00 AM at the Camp Store
🥾 We’ll be working on the trails in preparation for the Odyssey Trail Running Rampage event. The race director is bringing a crew up from Roanoke to help us get things ready!

We’ll have more details on the work involved after the trails are scouted.

Can’t make Thursday or Saturday? No problem!

We’ll also be working on the Clifton Forge Reservoir Trail Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, so there are several opportunities to get out and help.

📱 HELP US TEST OUR NEW VOLUNTEER PLATFORM!

We’re still testing our new Volunteer Shift Manager system, and we could really use some more people using it so we can work out the kinks.

Apparently, Facebook has decided that sharing a simple volunteer signup link is now a luxury item. 🙃

Since we’d rather spend AHTA’s money on actual trail work than pay Meta for the privilege of putting a link in a post, here’s the workaround:

👉link to sign up in comments….

👉 Head over to the AHTA website and look under Volunteer / Volunteer Opportunities to find the signup for our upcoming workdays.

You can also search “AHTA Trail Maintenance 6590” on Volunteer Shift Manager to find our signup page.

If you can join us, please sign up so we know who’s coming! The platform will also help us manage volunteer sign-ups, send reminders, and keep everyone updated about upcoming opportunities.

Need directions to the meeting location? Just reach out and we’ll get you where you need to be.

AHTA maintains more than 200 miles of trails across the Alleghany Highlands, and keeping that much trail in shape takes a whole lot of boots on the ground.

We’ve got the trails.
We’ve got the tools.
We just need more humans willing to come use them. 😂🥾🌲

No experience necessary. Bring sturdy shoes, water, and a willingness to get a little dirty.

Come spend some time outside with us and help leave the trail a little better than you found it. 💚

Douthat State Park Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Odyssey Adventure Racing Roanoke Outside

08/16/2026

We're thankful for Bacova Beer Company with their ongoing support and commitment to trails! Check out this video to get a look at the trail renovation going on at the Clifton Forge Reservoir, and make sure you keep delicious beer on your mind when in the Hot Springs, Va area.

🌲 Saturday Trail Workday — Come Get Your Hands Dirty! 🌲We’re heading back to the Clifton Forge Reservoir Trail this Satu...
08/14/2026

🌲 Saturday Trail Workday — Come Get Your Hands Dirty! 🌲

We’re heading back to the Clifton Forge Reservoir Trail this Saturday, and we could use some extra hands!

📍 Clifton Forge Water Facility
⏰ 9:00 a.m.
🛠️ Reservoir Trail

We’ll be getting the excavator out one last time to work on the back slope, and we need volunteers with hand tools to help move and spread dirt behind the machine.

This is a great opportunity to come out, learn a little about what goes into maintaining our trails, and put in a few hours making a very real difference right here in our community. You don’t need to be a trail expert—we just need people willing to show up and help.

🌲 Want to volunteer?

Facebook has apparently decided that links are now something we should pay to include in a post, because apparently simply directing people to a volunteer signup page was too much to ask. 🙃

So rather than paying Meta for the privilege of putting a clickable link in this post, we’re going to work around it.

Check the comment section for the link to signup

👉 Go to the AHTA website and look for the Volunteer/Volunteer Opportunities section, where you can find the signup for this Saturday’s workday.

You can also find the signup page by searching “AHTA Trail Maintenance 6590” on Volunteer Shift Manager.

And if you can make it, let us know! If you need directions to the meeting location, just reach out and we’ll get you there.

AHTA maintains more than 200 miles of trails across the Alleghany Highlands, and keeping that much trail in shape takes a lot of boots on the ground. If you’ve been looking for a way to get involved, this is your chance.

Come spend Saturday morning outside, move some dirt, and leave a little piece of the Highlands better than you found it. 🌄🥾🌲

Our 'crack' trail crew was out in the woods today (not to be confused with our trail crew on CRACK); This time, at the P...
08/12/2026

Our 'crack' trail crew was out in the woods today (not to be confused with our trail crew on CRACK); This time, at the Poor Farm Access to the Hidden Valley Trail System.

The pictures (below) include our intrepid crew, a couple of 'action' shots, and a "before vs after" shot of the trail after our efforts. This is the section of trail that goes from the primitive campground down to the Jackson river's edge.

Megan scouted farther downstream from here and found more than 20 downed trees in the 1.5-mile section down to Castle Run.

I am not sure WHO will be asked to get rid of those deadfalls, but I would like it NOT to be us!! Three of the four people in these pictures turn 70 years old this year......

Address

14239 Douthat State Park Rd
Millboro, VA
24460

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