Roanoke Mountain Adventures

Grandin Village earned its outfitter the honest way — Roanoke sits where water and mountains meet, and someone had to rent the gear. This shop handles bike rentals for Carvins Cove and Mill Mountain trails, tubes and kayaks for the Roanoke River, and the gear you forgot to pack. The tubes launch from Wasena Park; shuttle service runs point-to-point for river runs. Mountain bike rentals go out for trails at Carvins Cove, the third-largest municipal park in America at 12,700 acres, and for Mill Mountain, which sits inside the city limits. The Roanoke Valley has 26 miles of greenways with bicycle and pedestrian trails. The city's location in the Blue Ridge Mountains provides access to those outdoor recreation opportunities, and in the 21st century Roanoke has marketed those amenities to reverse population decline. After Norfolk and Western Railway moved its headquarters out of the city in 1982, Roanoke shifted to a service economy. The outdoor infrastructure is part of that pivot. Guided group trips are available if you call ahead. Reservations are recommended for weekend tubing in July and August. The operation is open year-round with extended summer hours for river season. Walk-ins are welcome for gear purchases and rentals. The shop is in Grandin Village, walking distance to restaurants and the Grandin Theatre, the city's only surviving historic theater. Grandin Village is an active commercial hub, a model for the city's goal of developing neighborhoods into villages with their own centers.