The fertilizer road parking is behind the Virginia Training center on Rt 334 which takes you in a circle and the fertilizer dirt road to the parking lot on the river is not at all good. I would suggest skipping driving to that spot and bike a circle from the downtown parking by the island. Very nice trail but the signs are not good when you get down by the river in town. Bob

I had been reading about how wonderful a bike trail the James River Trail is. My wife and I decided to take a work break and drive down from Maryland and do a middle of the week thingy. We left on Tuesday, biked on Wednesday and returned home on Thursday. The trail was all the good I had read about. I guess we did things kind of backwards. We stayed at a motel a few blocks from the downtown trailhead-not at the beginning Ed Page entrance. The motel was half the price of the outlying motels -and nice. Plus we were two blocks from the visitors center which we visited on Wednesday morning and got information on the trail. We also watched the 'ten minute movie about Lynchburg which someone wrote about. Only it was more like 25 or 30 minutes. Behind the visitor center was the Wednesday Farmers Market where we bought some fresh off the farm fruit for the trail. Two minutes and we were parking on the lot at the trail (Lynchburg Riverwalk). We first rode to Percival Island-stopping on one of the two bridges to take pictures. The island ride was quiet, serene, (I wish I knew more words to discribe the feeling). It was only a couple of miles but we stretched the time by sitting on a couple of benches enjoying the views and taking pictures. Then we deadheaded back to the car and picked up our fruit, which we forgot, and headed for the Ed Page entrance which was about 3 miles. It was all paved through the forest and a tunnel right to the neat Ed Page 'garden' trailhead. We did'nt ride any of the connecting trails. We're senior citizens and besides we have to save some scenery for next spring. On returnig to the downtown trailhead we sat and watched the long frieght trains pass on the tracks that parrallel the parking lot and ate more fruit. Great trail!!!

I thoroughly enjoy the trail especially beginning at the Ed Page Entrance where the Memorial Gardens are off of Langhorne road. They have nice restroom facitlities there too along with picnic tables. There are bridges over the James River, a cool tunnel, Hollins Mill Dam ect. It is fairly flat ride and very scenic. I believe that they are working on reconstructing a bridge there about 2 miles from the start so be prepared to stop and turn around Nov 2007-March 2008. I would recommend taking Percivals Island/River walk if you want to do more distance. Take Downtown Lynchburg Exit Lower Basin to Washington street. They have a couple nice size bridges overlooking the James and a nice lookout point on the first bridge that is breathtaking. Very nice trail some of which you are riding along side the river.