The Hawksbill Greenway was one of Luray's first charms we noticed on our visit to Spring Fest in 2007. This park stretches almost 2 miles through town, following the Hawksbill Creek, providing both a riparian buffer zone and a community recreational resource.
Completed in four phases over 7 years, at a cost of about $1.4 million (according to a Page News and Courier article by Benjamin Weathers on November 13, 2008), Mary and I took a walk last weekend to look at the newest, fourth phase. These photos are some of the highlights of this .25 mile stretch.
This portion of the Greenway joins where the last phase leftoff, crosses under the railway bridge and US 340 Business, then crosses the creek on a footbridge before ending near an old mill race almost at the edge of town.
There are only a few 90 degree turns in the trail, owing to its path following the creek, but those spots are typically widened out and feature resting points or other items of interest, like this millstone near the foot bridge.
Almost every time we pass the trail, we've been impressed with the number of people out taking a walk. During the holidays, we often saw family groups of 10 taking in some fresh air. Lots of dog walkers and bicycing use the trail.
The PNC article quotes a couple of Luray residents:
Hank Overton, who said, "...a place where you can meet your neighbors."
Susan Kline said, "{the greenway} is the reason my husband and I bought bicycles."
Finally, Priti Lal said, "It has only improved everyone's lives. This good for us." The paper noted that Lal was walking her dog during the interview.
It's a charming feature, and we're looking forward to using it more in 2009.
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