Author: Blake Salyer

Mountain biking has the power to be a major economic driver for a small city like Norton, Virginia. With the downtown limits of the city so close to trailheads, businesses there are prime stops as riders find their new destination. I chatted with Shayne Fields about how he is leading the work in Norton to develop trails around High Knob and Flag Rock. Shayne has a passion to see mountain biking become a tourism asset...

1. Grayson Highlands Bouldering has grades from V0-V12. Great for climbing in the summer when temps stay a little more mild due to high elevation. There are two dedicated trails for bouldering including the Listening Rock Trail as well as the the trail that starts at the Contact Section. There is a Bouldering Guide Book that is available to purchase that has a list of over 300 boulder problems in the area. 2. Hidden Valley Good Route/Rope Climbing...

The Mercantile on Main in Wise, Virginia started as one business owner’s idea to maximize their Main St office space. Jessee Deloach of Koltown Properties wanted to use half of their leased real estate office space for the Mercantile. The Mercantile is a shop on Main Street where local or small business vendors can set up a physical retail display and pay monthly for their spot in the store. Currently the Mercantile houses 26 vendors...