WRT, an integrated design firm of architects, landscape architects and planners has announced that the Explore Park Adventure Plan was approved by Roanoke County’s Board of Supervisors. WRT served as Project Lead and Landscape Architect and worked with Balzer Engineering and PROS Consulting to create the Master Plan and Business Plan, which provide Roanoke County residents and visitors with a long-term strategy to improve the recreational, environmental, and economic potential of the Park.

Explore Park is located near the City of Roanoke on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The park is composed of 1,100 acres of rugged terrain covered with forests and meadows, framing the Roanoke River. The Park serves as one of the Roanoke Valley’s primary regional outdoor activity areas. The master plan seeks to introduce more people to adventure recreation, by creating an easily accessible destination that hosts many outdoor programs, including kayaking, mountain biking, archery, camping, and environmental education. The updated park will provide a high quality range of experiences in a welcoming setting, with food, lodging, and gathering areas to accommodate groups of all sizes.

“Explore Park is unique due to the proximity of its mountain and river environment to the urban attractions of Roanoke,” said Andrew Dawson, Landscape Architect at WRT, “This metro-mountain mix is a signature quality of Virginia’s Blue Ridge, and Explore Park will be seen as the heart of that experience.”

Along with the Adventure Plan, the team also submitted a Business Plan, which will guide Roanoke County as it creates a more self-sufficient Explore Park. This document identifies six phases of park development, and provides insight regarding competitive facilities and nationwide recreation trends. By crafting a forward-thinking maintenance and operations framework that capitalizes on park revenue sources, it seeks to ensure the future success of Explore Park and the continued economic vitality of the Roanoke Valley.

About WRT

WRT is a dynamic cross disciplinary firm offering services in planning, urban design, architecture, and landscape architecture. For more than 50 years, WRT has been dedicated to improving the quality of the natural and built environments by applying principles of sustainability to the planning and design of buildings, landscapes, cities, and regions. The firm has been the recipient of more than 400 planning and design awards both nationally and internationally. For more information, please visit www.wrtdesign.com.