[5][4] For the first decade of its existence, the park struggled to obtain land with access to the river's edge.

The tract was originally assembled by investors in the 1950s, with plans to dam the Mayo as a water reservoir for the City of Greensboro.

Duke Energy aided PLC, with a $1.1 million grant for the purchase of the property, as part of their restoration activity for the 2014 Dan River coal ash spill.

[9][10] A former property of Washington Mills Company, the linear track consists of 1.2 miles (1.9 km) of the river's right and left banks, and it tied several existing park parcels together.

The access was once a corporate facility, formally known as Mayo Park, which was opened by the Washington Mills Company in 1948.

The state renovated and restored some of the existing structures from the former park, while trying to maintain a style compatible with Raymond's design.

By the time North Carolina State Parks obtained the property, Raymond's bathhouse had degraded beyond repair.

The access has a small parking and picnic area, which serve as the trailhead for the Mayo River Trail.

In October 2021, Virginia broke ground on visitor facilities for its park, and it opened a multi-use trail system to the public on Earth Day, April 22, 2022.