[1] With passenger service ending in 1958 and the subsequent abandonment of the line in 1967, the former railroad right-of-way remained unused until the idea of its conversion to a pedestrian trail arose in the 1980s.

[2] In July 1991, Friends of the Huckleberry, a non-profit organization was formed to work with local governments to fundraise, acquire land, and construct the trail.

[4] Additionally, higher costs from the construction of a tunnel and enhanced emergency vehicle access caused the project to run out of its initial funds and be placed on hold.

[6] However, estimated costs for the completion of the second segment came in well over budget, resulting in the project being pushed back until additional funding could be secured.

[7] With Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Montgomery County all contributing additional funding, construction of the second phase was completed in late 1998, with the ribbon-cutting ceremony occurring on December 1, 1998.

The original Huckleberry Trail starts in downtown Blacksburg on Draper Road at the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library.

The trail heads south, crossing Southgate Drive, and continuing until it reaches the edge of the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport.

From there, the trail heads north back to Southgate Drive and the Virginia Tech campus, then runs southwest through an underpass to a traffic circle at Route 460.

The Coal Mining Heritage Park was planned by a collaboration between the Anthropology Program at Radford University, the Montgomery County Planning Office, the Coal Mining Heritage Association of Montgomery County, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.