Land Conservancy Opens Up River Access In Stokes County

Nature lovers in the Piedmont have yet another nearby outdoor activity to consider, especially as the weather warms up. A new section of land on the Dan River will soon be open to the public.

Providing greater access to the Dan River has been a longtime goal of the Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC), so last month's acquisition of 155 acres adjoining the river in Stokes County was a real coup. For decades, fishermen and hunters there relied only on handshake agreements between local landowners and the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

PLC Director Kevin Redding says, “If any of those lands were to change hands, or even if one of those land owners upstream said, ‘You know what, I'm tired of having people coming out here fishing. I just want to keep it to myself,' the fishermen are done.”  

Redding says now that the land has been successfully transferred to the Wildlife Commission, access is guaranteed for everyone. He calls the Dan River a true, ecological asset to our region, and points out that it has something other rivers lack: a steady flow of cool water in the summertime.

“It comes off of a lake near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia,” says Redding. “So, even in July [and] August, where if you were to go and step in the Yadkin River, it almost feels like you're stepping into a bathtub. You go step in the Dan, and it's still cool and refreshing.”

Redding says that's great for people, but it's even better for trout, smallmouth bass, and freshwater mussels that thrive in the cool, rich waters of the Dan River year-round. He says Stokes County is also home to more species of sucker fish than any similar-sized area on Earth.

The newly acquired land – a nearly two-mile stretch of river – will be available for fishing with limited hunting opportunities beginning this Fall.