Green Valley Community Park

Green Valley Community Park (GVCP) exists to 

• provide recreational and outdoor educational opportunities for the children of our community;
• benefit residents of the Green Valley Community, citizens of Watauga County, and visitors to the greater High Country; and,
• protect the area's natural beauty and ecological health.  

GVCP was borne out of a desire to provide recreational and outdoor educational opportunities for the children of our community. We set out to create, within the general vicinity of Green Valley School, a multipurpose community park. 

In September 2000, after more than a year of searching for an ideal site, GVCP purchased 12 acres of land on Big Hill Road nestled alongside the New River, about 3.5 miles from Green Valley School. In partnership with the National Committee for the New River, we purchased 7 acres adjacent to the original property, using funds provided through a grant from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. Plans for most of that acreage involve protection of the native stream to reduce sedimentation in the river and establishment of a healthy vegetative buffer along the river and the stream.

We continue to preserve the natural beauty of the property, protect the riverbank and the wetland area, and provide a variety of recreational amenities. 

We envision more hiking trails and benches along those pathways, a boardwalk for wetland viewing.  We are interested in fostering various conservation activities, such as water quality monitoring and native plant restoration. 

GVCP invites community groups to use the park for both recreational programs and educational science and nature programs. We also look forward to having church groups and families use the park for reunions and other gatherings. We anticipate that the uses and benefits of the park will grow and evolve over time, as area groups discover all that the park has to offer.