Hiking Horsepen Trail at Carvins Cove in Roanoke, VA
Horsepen Trail at Carvins Cove in Roanoke, Virginia
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WHERE IS Horsepen trail LOCATED?
Horsepen Trail is part of the large Carvins Cove Natural Reserve in Roanoke, Virginia. The cove is comprised of over 12,000 acres and includes a 630-acre reservoir. It is nestled in the Roanoke Valley near Tinker Mountain and has pretty mountain and water views, depending on your exact spot. The Reserve is half in Roanoke County, half in neighboring Botetourt County (pronounced bot-uh-tot).
While much more can be said about Carvins Cove overall (a topic for another post), it has a vast array of trails - some geared toward hikers, bike riders, and horses. While there are over 60 miles of trails, many can only be accessed through taking other trails, some of which are considered very difficult.
Horsepen Trail signage
At the end of Horsepen Trail is Lakeside Trail and the first glimpse of Carvins Cove.
Carvins Cove in winter
Carvins Cove has three parking lots to access different parts of the reserve. To access Horpsen Trail, the trailhead meets up with the Timberview Parking lot, just a short drive down Timberview Lane near Interstate 81.
horsepen trail’s BEST KEPT SECRETS
During all our previous visits to Carvins Cove, we have always gone to the main entrance, which is right on the reservoir itself. It is a spot that can get fairly busy on weekends and days with beautiful weather. We had always been curious about the more remote sections, and Horsepen Trail is definitely that.
One of my favorite parts of the trail was that right at the end of it, it meets up with the next trail - Lakeside Trail - right at the reservoir and after walking through the tree covered woods, it is a pleasant surprise coming out to the shimmering water and surrounding mountains.
Several small streams run along Horsepen Trail on their way to Carvins Cove
All the leaves at Carvins Cove are a reminder that fall isn’t that far behind us
A bridge traverses one of the creeks on Horsepen Trail
WHAT TO DO AND WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN HIKING AT horsepen trail
Horsepen Trail itself is 1.24 miles in length, which would be 2.48 miles round trip. The trail is graded downhill, which makes sense because it ultimately meets up with the reservoir. While not steep at all, it does mean the return trip to the parking lot is uphill.
The trail is quite wide - think semi fire road - so it feels more like a casual stroll in the woods. One major downside is that high power lines run nearby and the buzzing sound from them is audible for portions of the hike.
In our case, we decided to continue on to the Lakeside Trail for a little ways to enjoy the views. There is also another trail, called First Deck, that is a loop that spurs off from Horsepen if you wish to add 0.92 miles to the hike. While Horsepen Trail is considered to be an easy level of difficulty, these other two trails have higher difficulty ratings: First Deck and Lakeside are both More Difficult (a step up from Easy in their system).
The water at Carvins Cove is so clear - a good thing for a reservoir providing water to local residents!
We watched some tiny tadpoles swimming in the shallows of Carvins Cove
From atop the Lakeside Trail, Carvins Cove looks green, reflecting the winter light
Wear hiking boots - Horsepen Trail fords a few creeks such as this one
horsepen trail - ACCESSIBILITY
Horsepen Trail is not wheelchair accessible given that it is a rocky, dirt path. The trail is generally fairly wide and would be fine for children and leashed dogs. We passed a couple that were likely in their late 70s or 80s liking the trail with hiking sticks for added stability, though age is of course not an indicator of fitness ability.
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Check out our other posts about Virginia
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