Sugar Hill Unit during fall

Clinch River State Park continues to make exciting steps as it develops into Virginia’s first blueway state park, blending river-based recreation and land conservation in a way no other state park in the commonwealth has done before.  

The park’s development is guided by the Clinch River State Park Master Plan, finalized in April 2023 and adopted later that September. Community members contributed to shaping this vision through surveys, public meetings and participation in an advisory group.  

Their input helped create a 30-year blueprint focused on conserving sensitive resources, creating meaningful recreational opportunities, supporting regional economies, and offering high-quality educational programming tied to both the river’s ecology and its cultural history. 

Growth through the years 

The view from Cleveland  

Officially designated in 2021, Clinch River State Park is a unique addition to Virginia’s park system. Rather than a single contiguous boundary, it follows a string of pearls: a series of anchor properties, each around 250 to 400 acres, linked by public access points along 100 to 140 miles of the Clinch River across Tazewell, Russell, Wise and Scott counties. 

While it continues to take shape, one of the earliest additions, the Artrip Bent Unit, was purchased in 2018 and includes about 232 acres in Russell County. It remains undeveloped for now but plays an important role in the park’s long-term vision. 

Farther downstream, the Sugar Hill Unit has become the park’s most active and historically rich area. Acquired through three purchases completed between 2019 and 2021, this 462-acre property in Wise County offers nearly 8 miles of hiking trails, a picnic shelter, more than two miles of river frontage and a landscape filled with cultural significance. Visitors can still see remnants of an 18th-century French settlement once known as St. Marie on the Clinch, marked by a standing chimney that hints at the lives of early settlers. The land later supported farming and, in the 1930s, a maple syrup and sugar operation that gave Sugar Hill its name. 

One of the most recent milestones occurred in June 2025, when The Nature Conservancy transferred 184 acres along 1.78 miles of Clinch River shoreline in Russell County near the town of Honaker to DCR. This addition expanded the park’s protected corridor and enhanced future public access opportunities along the Clinch River. 

Today, the park is 1,343 acres across various units in Russell, Wise and Scott counties. 

Becoming a blueway state park 

Kayaking on the Clinch 

The string of pearls model supports the park’s identity as Virginia’s first blueway state park, emphasizing river travel by canoe and kayak rather than traditional trail-only recreation. 

It also allows the park to highlight the unique ecological aspects of the Clinch River. Named one of the “Last Great Places” by The Nature Conservancy, the Clinch is home to 46 species of mussels, which is more than any other river in the world, and over 100 species of fish. 

Visitors can explore the river by joining a ranger-led kayaking tour, typically offered between late April and mid-August, or they can bring their own kayak or canoe and go on a self-paced adventure. 

The park offers four river access points, providing convenient launch areas for paddlers. 

• Artrip: 3084 Artrip Road, Cleveland, VA 24225  
• Carbo: 92 Carbo Church Ave, Cleveland, VA 24225  
• Old Castlewood: 206 Luttie Banner Drive, Castlewood, VA 24224  
• The Retch (opening May 2026): 3115 Riverbluff Road, Fort Blackmore, VA 24250  

Each site has a parking area and portable toilets. Carbo and The Retch also have bank fishing and picnic tables, while Old Castlewood has picnic tables and a shelter and a water bottle filling station. 

Starting June 1, 2026, parking and launch fees will be implemented at each of the four sites: 

• Parking: $5 per vehicle 
• Launch only: $3 per vehicle 
• Park and launch: $8 per vehicle 
• HOV (over 12): $12 per vehicle 

The future of Clinch River State Park 

The swinging bridge in Cleveland 

Looking ahead, the master plan outlines an expansion of the park. Future phases will include developing additional anchor sites, expanding acreage where appropriate and adding new visitor amenities such as day-use areas, campgrounds, cabins, interpretive signage and ADA-accessible trails. 

The plan also emphasizes educational programming that highlights both the cultural history of the Clinch River and the ecological sensitivity of its freshwater habitats. Strong partnerships with local governments, conservation organizations and community groups will continue to be essential as the park grows. 

As development continues, Clinch River State Park stands to become a model for outdoor recreation and conservation in Virginia. Its combination of river-based adventure, rare ecosystems, community-driven planning and regional economic potential makes it an exciting project in the state park system.  

With every new acre protected, Virginia moves closer to creating its first blueway state park.  

To learn more about the master plan, click here. If you’re ready to start planning your visit to Clinch River State Park, go to https://dcr.ar.virginia.gov/state-parks/clinch-river.