Photo courtesy of Ben Brown

Mill Creek Nature Park

Mill Creek Nature Park is 140+ acres adjoining the Town of Narrows and Jefferson National Forest.  This property offers miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, beautiful water falls, and fishing for native trout in a pristine mountain stream (valid Virginia licenses required).  The park has a small picnic shelter as well as a hiker shelter near the reservoir.

Mill Creek reservoir served as a water source for the town until the 1970s.  The original hand-cut stone portion of the dam is still functional and dates to the 1780s.  Hiking past the reservoir site leads to four waterfalls along the mountain creeks of Mill Creek and Mercy Branch.

Mill Creek received a silver award in “Best of the Blue Ridge” in 2013 and was also featured in a national commercial for Barbarsol shave cream.

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Butternut: 2.83 miles, difficult, steep, rocky switchback climb, on double track to the top of Pearis Mountain.
Catwalk (yellow): 0.87 miles, difficult upper half features a technical rock garden, with very challenging steep sections.
Waterfall: 0.52 miles, difficult, follows Mill Creek and offers nice views. Rocky, steep, and narrow in places.
Grassy Road: I.35 miles, easy, sooth, grassy double track to Sentinel Point overlooking Narrows.
Long Shot: 3.4 miles, easy, very enjoyable, rolling, mixed double and single track.
Mercy Branch: 1.96 miles, easy, rolling climb from Mercy Branch Creek to Rocky Ridge Trail.
Old Rhodie: I.2 miles, easy, alternates between double track and rhododendron tunnels.
Piney Road: 0.88 miles, moderate, smooth pine packed single track featuring a creek crossing.
Rocky Ridge: 1.9 miles, easy rolling descent from the top of Pearis Mountain to Mercy Branch Creek.
Shortcut: 0.33 miles, easy, downhill, pine packed descent – connecting Grassy Road and Piney Road.

Directions from Main St in Narrows:

Follow Main Street headed out of Town. Turn right at Riffe’s Funeral Home on Northview St. Follow Northview Street until you reach the Mill Creek Nature Park parking lot.

Directions from Rt.100 Pearisburg:

Follow Rt. 100 into Narrows. Turn left at Riffe’s Funeral Home on Northview St. Follow Northview Street until you reach Mill Creek Nature Park parking lot.