Carvins Cove Natural Reserve

In the 1930s, the City of Roanoke dammed Carvins Creek and drowned a rural community to secure its drinking water. The reservoir that swallowed the hamlet of Carvins Cove now anchors 12,700 acres of municipal forest—the fifth-largest city park in the United States and the second-largest managed by a municipality. During droughts, the old roads and housing foundations reappear. Roanoke spent the 20th century annexing its way out of the county, and the water system followed the same logic: consolidation. After droughts in the late 1990s, the city and Roanoke County created the Western Virginia Water Authority, which now owns the 630-acre reservoir and everything below the 1,200-foot contour. The city owns the ridgeline above. In 2008, Roanoke placed 6,185 acres under a conservation easement—the largest ever recorded in Virginia—donated to the Western Virginia Land Trust and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. Development stopped at the waterline. What that leaves is 60-plus miles of trail and a backyard trail system mountain bikers treat like public infrastructure. The XXC endurance race covers 43 miles and climbs over 6,000 feet. Some downhill runs are expert-level only and drop more than 1,000 feet from ridge to reservoir. Hikers can disappear for an entire day without crossing a road. The main ridgeline of Brushy Mountain rises about 1,200 feet above the waterline. The boat launch opens in April. Electric motors only—the fear of zebra mussels drove the city to restrict access in the early 1990s. Entry is free. Multiple trailheads off Carvins Cove Road.