Nature Detour Trail Opens to Public

July 1, 2022

New Trail Opens at Jack Dalton Park

The new Nature Detour Trail located at Jack Dalton Park is now open to the public. This natural surface trail is designed to inspire people to immerse themselves in nature and learn more about native plants.                                                                

Jack Dalton Park is used widely by residents for walking, biking, picnicking and sporting events.  Before the Nature Detour Trail was constructed, the experience at the park was fully on pavement and with little shelter from the sun.  The Nature Detour Trail gives walkers and runners an opportunity to step into a wooded area and learn something new about their local environment.

“The Nature Detour Trail adds an exciting recreational opportunity for the thousands of people that visit Jack Dalton Park every year,” said Roger Adams, Director of Parks & Recreation at Henry County.  “We are grateful to the Rotary Clubs and Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) for creating a way for people to take a detour from pavement for a few minutes and enjoy nature.”

The Nature Detour Trail was funded by the Martinsville Uptown Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Martinsville, and the Henry County Rotary Club in partnership with DRBA and with additional support from David Jones, of Jones & DeShon Orthodontics in Martinsville, and his son, David Jones, of Roanoke Valley Orthodontics.  

Rotary Club members rolled up their sleeves and volunteered at the site to construct the trail and plant native plants along the trail during its construction. 

“The Rotary Clubs worked together to make this new trail a reality for the people who live in our community,” Jim Woods of the Rotary Clubs of Martinsville and Henry County . “We hope everyone gets the chance to walk this short trail and get inspired to enjoy other trails in the region.  In addition, we hope that people learn something about the importance of native plants and protection of our natural resources.”

DRBA helps plan and construct trails, parks and river access points in the 3,300 square miles of the Dan River Basin watershed.  Please join us and help protect our natural and cultural resources.