What we’re about
The Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) protects and promotes the Dan River Basin through recreation, education and stewardship.
Activities include a public outings in nature, trails and river access work groups, cleanups and more.
Outdoor enthusiasts and concerned citizens organized the Dan River Basin Association to preserve and promote the wilderness-like rivers of this border region of Piedmont North Carolina and Virginia. Leaders in the Basin's counties recognize the increasing importance of the abundant high-quality water in this 3300-square-mile region. In addition to its economic value as a water source and its historical significance as a means of transportation, this river system can provide excellent recreational opportunities to the 1.5 million citizens who live within an hour's drive.
The Association's founders are promoting the rivers for multiple uses, including recreation and commercial and municipal growth. DRBA assists localities in creating community parks, trails and access to local rivers and streams. We believe that, with careful planning, natural and cultural preservation and economic development can occur hand-in-hand. The unspoiled rivers, the region's unique and greatest resource, will be at the center as the sixteen counties of the Basin build a diverse economy, which must be based in part on new ideas. The Dan River Basin Association believes that providing outdoor recreation is essential to the region's quality of life and its ability to draw new investment.
As the region’s leading advocate and largest provider of programs and services to support the protection and preservation of our natural and cultural resources, the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) is committed to ensuring ALL communities view DRBA as an organization that is responsive and inclusive. To fulfill this commitment, we are strongly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work and to being a culturally competent organization. DEI policies and issues are concerned with the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to protection from environmental and health hazards. We remain committed to being a more culturally competent and inclusive organization and to ensuring all of DRBA's programs and services are easily accessible, promoted to, and embraced by, our diverse community.
The Dan River Basin Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in North Carolina and Virginia, with basin-wide membership and directors representing both states, and offices and professional staff in Collinsville, Virginia and Eden, North Carolina.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Hike the Tobacco Heritage Trail- Dec FSO!Tobacco Heritage Trail - Cotton Mill Park Trailhead, South Boston, VA
On Saturday, December 1, the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) invites you to hike the Tobacco Heritage Trail in South Boston, Virginia. The organization’s First Saturday Outing will take advantage of the rail-to-trail with a 5.2-mile round trip walk between South Boston and the Berry Hill Resort.
Participants will meet at 10 a.m. at the Cotton Mill Park trailhead, 196 Railroad Avenue, South Boston, VA (GPS 36.696087, -78.907074), Google Maps. The compacted crushed stone surface of the trail makes it an easy walk, and, like most rail trails, the path is relatively level.
The History of the Trail
DRBA enjoyed a preliminary walk on the rail bed back in 2008 before it was improved for hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians.
The pathway is clearly marked with the trail’s logo, a golden tobacco leaf in a red circle. The trail is part of a system planned ultimately to stretch 150 miles across Southern Virginia.
According to Tom McLaughlin of SoVaNow, the trail has “scenery that’s more subtle than spectacular” and “exudes an aura of peace.” A small clearing high on the river bank enables one to pause and contemplate the flowing waters of the Dan.
Closer to Berry Hill Resort is a duck impoundment habitat funded by the Game Commission and dedicated to the memory of the late Biggie Hunt. Naturally, sightings of waterfowl are common here.
Construction of the trail was funded by the Virginia Department of Transportation along a former right of way of the Richmond Danville Spur Trail. At the old Halifax Cotton Mill, owned by the Town of South Boston, a botanical garden is planned for what will be Cotton Mill Park, near the trailhead.
Tobacco Heritage Trail Coordinator Heather Susee recently met with interested volunteers in South Boston to establish a Halifax County chapter of “Friends of the Tobacco Heritage Trail.”
Participants in DRBA’s outing are asked to bring lunch and water. Dress in layers of synthetic fabric or wool, wear hiking boots or walking shoes, and be prepared for wind or rain. If desired, bring a walking stick or poles. All participants are asked to sign a waiver.
Directions
Google Maps
To reach the trailhead from the south, take US 58/US 360 to South Boston. Turn north onto US 501 (Main Street). Continue onto Broad Street and cross the Dan River. Take the first left onto Factory Street. Take the second left onto Seymour Drive. Seymour Drive will cross, then parallel, the railroad. Turn right onto Railroad Drive into the parking lot near the trailhead.
From the north, take US 501 (Halifax Road) to South Boston. Continue onto Wilborn Avenue for 0.9 mile. Turn right onto Edmunds Street, and continue for 0.4 mile. Turn left onto Railroad Drive, and continue for 0.4 mile to the parking lot near the trailhead.
About DRBA
Outings and meetings of the Dan River Basin Association are open to the public without charge. For trip information, contact trip coordinator Paul Johnson, [email protected], 434-579-7599. For information about the Dan River Basin Association, visit www.danriver.org.
