New River Trail State Park is a 57.7 mi rail trail and state park located entirely in southwest Virginia, extending from the trail's northeastern terminus in Pulaski to its southern terminus in Galax, with a 5.5 mi spur from Fries Junction on the main trail to Fries. Designated a National Recreation Trail, the linear park follows 39 mi of the New River, which is one of the five oldest rivers in the world. Headquartered in Foster Falls, roughly a third of the trail distance from Pulaski, the crushed stone multi-use trail was formally created in 1986, when Norfolk Southern Railway donated its discontinued right-of-way to the state of Virginia. Volunteers began making improvements and the park opened in May 1987 with 4 mi of trail, opening the entire 57 mi for recreational use by the late 1990s. The trail was designated a Millennium Legacy Trail in 1999, for reflecting "the spirit of the nation's states and territories." The 765 acre linear park adjoins historic sites including the nineteenth-century Jackson Ferry Shot Tower, the Draper Mercantile building, two turn-of-the-century hydroelectric dams, remains of the Ivanhoe Blast Furnace, the Ivanhoe Carbide Plant, the Foster Falls Blast Furnace, and the Foster Falls Orphanage, as well as numerous outdoor recreational areas, including Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, and four Department of Game and Inland Fisheries boat launches. The trail features two tunnels, 135 ft and 193 ft long respectively; three major bridges (Hiwassee Bridge at 951 ft, Ivanhoe Bridge at 670 ft and Fries Junction Bridge at 1089 ft in length); and almost 30 smaller bridges and trestles.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within 30 mi of New River Trail State Park: