Later this year, all extensions of the Dick & Willie Trail will be complete, enabling trail users to travel from the shopping center housing Ollie’s and Rose’s near Walmart, approximately ten miles to the Smith River Sports Complex.
The original 4.5-mile segment, extending from the aforementioned shopping center to Mulberry Creek, was completed in 2010. The Harvest Foundation then funded an approximate 2.7-mile extension from a new trailhead along Spruce Street near the Martinsville and Henry County line to the Smith River Sports Complex in Henry County; this section opened in fall 2020. This segment, part of which shares Country Club Drive, offers scenic views of the Smith River and parts of Mulberry Creek.
Construction on the last segment began in 2023 and is partially complete. Construction recently resumed and is scheduled to be completed later this year. A lengthy portion of this segment passes through a very wooded and undeveloped section of Martinsville as it meanders along Mulberry Creek. The presence of the creek and dense woods along this portion of the trail will enable trail users to reconnect with nature profoundly, as its solitude evokes a sense of being in a remote wooded area, far from any human habitation. Development of this final segment is funded by a Transportation Alternatives (TA) grant.