The Pinnacle Of Beauty

Natural Preserve Promotes Conservation, Beauty In Russell County

LEBANON, Va. – Once upon a time, there was no need to hike to the Big Falls.
People visiting the old Cedar Creek Park in Russell County, Va., a couple of decades ago, could navigate their cars across a low water ford and then cruise to the frothiness of the falls on Big Cedar Creek.
However, in time, this small county park was acquired by The Nature Conservancy, which in turn relinquished ownership to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The state improved the site and added more land. But the state’s ownership also meant new rules – like barring any driving beyond a lower parking lot, near the Big Falls, inside what is now the Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve.
Next, unfortunately, came the rain. It didn’t take much – just a little, maybe even half an inch – and that would wash out the mile-long road leading from the preserve’s upper parking lot to the lower, near the waterfall.
“It’s a flood zone,” said Rick Myers, the Richmond, Va.-based stewardship program manager for Virginia’s Division of Natural Heritage.

‘IT’S IMPOSSIBLE’
Today, the preserve remains open, but that mile-long road is closed by a gate. Actually, it’s been that way for a couple of years.
“The reason we closed the gate is because of the condition of the road,” Myers said. “We have fixed the road four times in the 11 years that I’ve been here. It’s impossible to put gravel on that road.”
The gravel washes off, silting into Big Cedar Creek, Myers said. “And all that gravel goes on to the [Clinch] River and onto the mussels.”
The Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve, lying along Big Cedar Creek, helps protect the Clinch River’s rare and varied mussel species, which filter the water of the river.
Still, the road’s susceptibility to washouts has made it not only unsafe for mussels but also for humans, Myers said.
“A daytime thunderstorm could trap people down there,” Myers figured.
The road is also expensive to maintain, Myers added, estimating that putting gravel down on the road, each time, cost about $10,000.

NEW TRAIL
Supporting at least nine rare species and two rare natural communities, the 683-acre Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve is one of 55 natural area preserves in Virginia.
“It’s a great wildflower spot and a great wildlife spot,” Myers said.
Visitors can hike through this preserve to see the Clinch River or take a gander from an overlook atop Copper Ridge. You can also check out “The Pinnacle,” an imposing outcrop that rises as much as 400 to 600 feet above Big Cedar Creek.
But, like wanting to see the Big Falls, you must go by foot, Myers said.
Hikes start at a swinging bridge, standing high over Big Cedar Creek, a popular hangout for fishermen casting for trout or angling for smallmouth bass.
At a comfortable pace, it takes at least 20 minutes to walk to the Big Falls along the old road and as much as a half-hour to make it to the view of the Pinnacle.
Plans are now in the works to build a new, 6,100-foot-long trail at the preserve, making a loop through the woods, said Bill Dingus, the southwest region operations steward for Virginia’s Division of Natural Heritage.
Expected to be complete within a year, the new trail will connect to the Big Falls, Dingus said, “so you don’t have to backtrack back down from the falls.”
An observation deck is also being designed for installation at the site of the swinging bridge, Dingus said.
“We’re looking to build the pier in the foundation of the swinging bridge,” Dingus added. “We’re going to make it as user-friendly as possible.”

‘NATURAL RESOURCES’
Because the Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve boasts facilities developed for public use, the site is different from many other preserves, including the nearby Cleveland Barrens Natural Area Preserve, a 1,287-acre area, also in Russell County.
Still, Dingus said, this place is not a park.
“Our primary concern is the conservation and protection of natural resources over recreation,” Dingus said. “But our mission of protecting our natural resources is for the people of the commonwealth.”
Right now, six miles of trails are open at the Pinnacle, said Claiborne Woodall, the western district manager for Virginia’s Division of Natural Heritage.
Woodall, for one, has heard a few complaints, with some people saying the road closure has limited access to the preserve.
But other people, he said, have praised the move.
“It’s more family-friendly than it’s ever been,” Woodall said. “We’ve had a lot of positive comments from hikers and fishermen who are pleased they can go to the Pinnacle and get away from it all.”

IF YOU GO
What: Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve
Where: Russell County, Va., near Lebanon
Directions: From U.S. 19-Business at Lebanon, turn northwest on State Route 82 (toward Cleveland) and follow for one mile. Turn right on State Route 640 and follow for 4.2 miles. Turn left on State Route 721 and follow to the preserve parking lot. Direction signs are posted.
Info: (804) 786-7951