New Blueway Access Made Possible Through Collaborative Regional Effort
Roanoke County and the City of Roanoke have announced the opening of a blueway access point and passive recreation park with a ribbon cutting on Friday, April 20 at 2:00 P.M. Jae Valley Park is a new 10 acre facility located at 3963 Jae Valley Road near Mount Pleasant in Roanoke County.
The park will provide canoe and kayak access to Back Creek, fulfilling a key connection within the Roanoke River Blueway system. Located approximately five miles upstream from Explore Park, paddlers will be able to enjoy spectacular scenery and geological formations along this stretch of water whenever seasonal conditions allow. Hiking trails within the park will allow visitors to enjoy the outdoors year round.
The park is located at the site of the former Sun Valley Swim Club (closed in 1982), and becomes a park after several years of regional cooperation. It was formerly owned by the City of Roanoke, and then transferred to Roanoke County in 2016 for the purpose of establishing a public park. Jae Valley Park will be operated and maintained by Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
Bill Tanger, Chair of Friends of the Rivers of Virginia (FORVA), was instrumental in the planning and implementation of this new community amenity. “It makes a wonderful addition to our regional parks systems, providing a nice place to visit or have a picnic lunch,” said Tanger. “More importantly, the park will immediately become a part of the Roanoke River Blueway, improving the quality of life for our residents.”
Jae Valley Park fulfills needs identified in both the 2007 Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism Master Plan and the 2013 Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Outdoors Plan for additional water access in our region.
The park will be identified as an official access point on the Roanoke River Blueway, and will serve as an important recreational resource for years to come. Initially, Jae Valley will serve only the passive recreation needs of our visitors, but future developments may include a picnic shelter, improved boat launch and possibly overnight camping.