About us
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
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Hike the Aqueduct Trail - November FSO
Meadows of Dan Baptist Church, 77 Baptist Church Ln, Meadows of Dan, VA 24120, USA, Meadows of Dan, VA, USYou’re invited to a mid-autumn hike with the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) along the Aqueduct Trail near Meadows of Dan in Patrick County, Virginia. For its November 7, First Saturday Outing, DRBA will host a leisurely 1-mile, out and back, hike on the scenic Aqueduct Trail below Townes Lake near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Meeting by 9:00 a.m. at Meadows of Dan Baptist Church, 77 Baptist Lane, Meadows of Dan, Virginia (GPS 36.7354, -80.4091), participants will carpool to the trail head near the Lower Dam. DRBA has obtained special permission to use the limited parking lot at the lake.
Coordinator for the hike is Wayne Kirkpatrick, a DRBA volunteer and avid hiker.
Located in the wild Dan River Gorge south of Meadows of Dan, the trail parallels the large pipeline that delivers water to the Pinnacles Power Plant at the head of Kibler Valley. The trail offers views of the iconic Pinnacles of the Dan, twin conical mountain peaks rising from the gorge.
At over 2200 feet of elevation, you will be treated to spectacular scenery. Lush summer foliage hides the “bones” of the mountains and provides shelter for birds and other wildlife while autumn blazes with color and opens the views as leaves fall. Access is gated and restricted, assuring a quiet, and undisturbed setting for hikers. Coordinator Kirkpatrick adds, “The scenery of this mountain trail is spectacular, the feeling of seclusion is immediate from the time you start hiking.”
Water from Townes Reservoir is piped to the power plant through a six-foot-diameter aqueduct, dropping over 700 feet in elevation over its long course. Originally built of tongue-and-groove Douglas fir, the aqueduct, now a steel pipe, is maintained via a trail accessed by a long wooden stairway (195 steps) below the dam. For a half mile the trail alongside the pipe provides a nearly-level path overlooking the gorge. Near the entrance to the reservoir is a section of the original wooden aqueduct, providing a close-up look at its ingenious construction.
Participants in the outing are asked to meet by 9:00 a.m. at the Meadows of Dan Baptist Church. Please bring water and lunch. Dress for the weather and be prepared for wind or rain. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver prior to the hike.Directions: Take US 58 (Jeb Stuart Highway) to Meadows of Dan. Continue on Jeb Stuart Highway, US 58 Business, toward the Blue Ridge Parkway for 0.8 mile. Meadows of Dan Baptist Church is on the right.
Outings and meetings of the Dan River Basin Association are open to the public without charge.
For more information about the trip, contact trip coordinator Wayne Kirkpatrick, 540.570.3511 or wynbtyk@embarqmail.com2 attendees
Past events
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