HARRISONBURG, Va. (Rocktown Now) – The Friendly City’s Rocktown Trails at Hillandale Park recently received a facelift and enhancement thanks to an effort spearheaded by Harrisonburg Tourism.  

Work is now complete on an effort that resurfaced more than 5,000 feet of trail, added approximately 1,700 feet of new trail, raised the pump track six to 12 inches and reconstructed and realigned the Powerline Trail in numerous places.  

The project, a collaboration between Harrisonburg Tourism, Harrisonburg Parks & Recreation and the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC), was funded through a $20,000 Virginia Tourism Corporation Drive 2.0 grant and an additional $10,000 from Harrisonburg Parks & Rec.  

SVBC, which identified the need for trail resurfacing and expansion, provided extensive experience in creating and maintaining cycling trails and many volunteer hours. Rugged Trails, led by Sam Skidmore, was brought in to facilitate the project. 

“Improving our local trails is important for both community members and visitors, and is part of our long-term outdoor recreation marketing strategy,” Harrisonburg Tourism Manager Jennifer Bell explained. Harrisonburg Tourism has focused on the outdoor recreation traveler in recent years as a key target market and audience segment.  

Outdoor recreation contributed $9.4 billion to Virginia’s economy in 2021, supporting 107,000 jobs and $4.8 billion in wages and salaries according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.