Valley View, A Community Game Changer
The Valley View Trail is one of the most scenic trails in PVSP. Views of the river valley and exposure to steep slopes delight trail users. However, Valley View wasn’t always open to all users – at one time the trail was “hikers only”. It was closed as part of a trail management plan that went into effect in 1998 because the park was concerned about user safety and trail sustainability.
In 2012 liaisons from MORE (Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts – A Mountain Bike Advocacy organization active in the park) approached park management to allow them to help maintain the trail, make it more sustainable, address safety concerns, and asked them to consider ultimately opening it back up to all users. The year-long project included redesign, rerouting, and improving/maintaining drainages throughout the length of the two sections of the Valley View trail
During this process, MORE partnered with Mountain Club of Maryland (The oldest hiking club in the state). As the official Trail Adopter for the Valley View trail, MCoMd had a vested interest in the health of the trail. With MCoMd’s added volunteers we were able to accelerate the work schedule, completing it in early spring 2013.
Thanks to the vision of park champion and MCoMd’s board member Bob Grossman, MORE Trail Liaisons Ed Dixon and Eric Crawford, Park Managers Robin Melton and Steve McCoy, Park Trail Crew Lead Amy Lutsko, and countless volunteers from each group, park users were brought together to perform the critical maintenance of this iconic trail.
Together these leaders saw a new potential in park stewardship – this project set a fresh trajectory for cooperation between all user groups, of all ages, and this project set the new paradigm for community at Patapsco.
