Glen Lyn Town Park Trail and Mary Draper Ingles Trail
This beautiful long walking and biking trail starts in the Town of Glen Lyn and follows Hwy. 460 going under the bridge and then through the Glen Lyn Park and along the New River. The trail is 1.73 miles long and has a mixed surface of asphalt and gravel and very minor grade changes. Restroom facilities are available along the trail. There is also an opportunity to jump onto the Mary Draper Ingles Trail that traverses seven miles one way on river right along the New River. This trail has no improved surface, no restrooms, and has moderate grade changes throughout. To return to Glen Lyn you must walk back along the same trail. There are great views of Shumate Falls and many wildlife viewing opportunities, including osprey and eagles, which are common in this area.
History of Mary Draper Ingles Trail
The trail approximates the route taken by a pioneer woman, Mary Draper Ingles, and her companion, an elderly Dutch woman, following their escape in 1755 from Shawnee captors at what is now Big Bone Lick, Kentucky. With no maps and only her memory to guide her, Mary reasoned the only way to return home was to follow the rivers. After an incredible 40-day journey over an estimated 450+ miles of rough terrain the two nearly starved women found their way to her home near present day Blacksburg, Virginia. In memory of their courageous journey, a group of Kanawha Valley hikers organized the Mary Ingles Trail Blazers in 1989.