Find the top rated trails in Mechanicsville, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
While Richmond isn’t necessarily known for its bike-friendliness, the Cannon Creek Greenway is a step in the right direction. The trail is 1.9 miles long, a north-south trail along the east side of...
Chester Linear Park runs for less than a mile on a former rail corridor in the heart of Chester, Virginia. The path courses through a residential neighborhood, but the enveloping woodlands provide a...
The Rappahannock Canal Walk follows the old towpath along the disused canal just northwest of downtown Fredericksburg. The path follows a winding course past old suburban back yards and through a...
The sprawling Virginia Capital Trail snakes along the James River and State Route 5, a Virginia Scenic Byway, for 52 paved miles from the state’s capital of Richmond to the historic capitals of...
The Rappahannock River Heritage Trail offers a pleasant, paved route in the center of Fredericksburg with beautiful views of the Rappahannock River. Part of the trail winds through Old Mill Park,...
In western Williamsburg, the Powhatan Creek Trail stretches 2 miles from the historical Jamestown Settlement attraction to Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School. It begins near the one mile marker on the...
The Mary Washington Hospital Trail runs along the southeast border of the hospital center, proving a pleasant stroll or gentle bike ride for hospital visitors and patients.
The Ashland Trolley Line runs on a portion of the former Richmond-Ashland Electric Line, which linked the two communities for 31 years until its closure in 1938. During this period, Ashland was a...
Situated midway between the nation’s capital and the Virginia capital of Richmond, the Virginia Central Railway Trail will one day offer more than 30 miles of trail from downtown Fredericksburg west...
Chester Linear Park runs for less than a mile on a former rail corridor in the heart of Chester, Virginia. The path courses through a residential neighborhood, but the enveloping woodlands provide a...
In western Williamsburg, the Powhatan Creek Trail stretches 2 miles from the historical Jamestown Settlement attraction to Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School. It begins near the one mile marker on the...
Situated midway between the nation’s capital and the Virginia capital of Richmond, the Virginia Central Railway Trail will one day offer more than 30 miles of trail from downtown Fredericksburg west...
While Richmond isn’t necessarily known for its bike-friendliness, the Cannon Creek Greenway is a step in the right direction. The trail is 1.9 miles long, a north-south trail along the east side of...
The Mary Washington Hospital Trail runs along the southeast border of the hospital center, proving a pleasant stroll or gentle bike ride for hospital visitors and patients.
The Railroad Ford Trail is located in beautiful Lake Anna State Park in Spotsylvania County near Richmond, Virginia. The park boasts 2,463 acres with swimming, boating, fishing, horseback riding and...
The sprawling Virginia Capital Trail snakes along the James River and State Route 5, a Virginia Scenic Byway, for 52 paved miles from the state’s capital of Richmond to the historic capitals of...
The Ashland Trolley Line runs on a portion of the former Richmond-Ashland Electric Line, which linked the two communities for 31 years until its closure in 1938. During this period, Ashland was a...
The Rappahannock Canal Walk follows the old towpath along the disused canal just northwest of downtown Fredericksburg. The path follows a winding course past old suburban back yards and through a...
The Rappahannock River Heritage Trail offers a pleasant, paved route in the center of Fredericksburg with beautiful views of the Rappahannock River. Part of the trail winds through Old Mill Park,...
The Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) is currently a private-use trail only, which means a permit is required to use it. Friends of the DRHT are working to create public access to the trail,...
The Mary Washington Hospital Trail runs along the southeast border of the hospital center, proving a pleasant stroll or gentle bike ride for hospital visitors and patients.
While Richmond isn’t necessarily known for its bike-friendliness, the Cannon Creek Greenway is a step in the right direction. The trail is 1.9 miles long, a north-south trail along the east side of...
The Railroad Ford Trail is located in beautiful Lake Anna State Park in Spotsylvania County near Richmond, Virginia. The park boasts 2,463 acres with swimming, boating, fishing, horseback riding and...
The Ashland Trolley Line runs on a portion of the former Richmond-Ashland Electric Line, which linked the two communities for 31 years until its closure in 1938. During this period, Ashland was a...
In western Williamsburg, the Powhatan Creek Trail stretches 2 miles from the historical Jamestown Settlement attraction to Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School. It begins near the one mile marker on the...
The Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) is currently a private-use trail only, which means a permit is required to use it. Friends of the DRHT are working to create public access to the trail,...
The Rappahannock Canal Walk follows the old towpath along the disused canal just northwest of downtown Fredericksburg. The path follows a winding course past old suburban back yards and through a...
Chester Linear Park runs for less than a mile on a former rail corridor in the heart of Chester, Virginia. The path courses through a residential neighborhood, but the enveloping woodlands provide a...
The Rappahannock River Heritage Trail offers a pleasant, paved route in the center of Fredericksburg with beautiful views of the Rappahannock River. Part of the trail winds through Old Mill Park,...
The sprawling Virginia Capital Trail snakes along the James River and State Route 5, a Virginia Scenic Byway, for 52 paved miles from the state’s capital of Richmond to the historic capitals of...
Situated midway between the nation’s capital and the Virginia capital of Richmond, the Virginia Central Railway Trail will one day offer more than 30 miles of trail from downtown Fredericksburg west...
November 2017 we paddled this trail west of Chickahominy campground. We thoroughly enjoyed pedaling this trail and the geocaching along the way. You can hear the traffic along most of this trail, but the condition of it is excellent. Enjoyed multiple trips to Cul's Courthouse Grille. This November we finished the trail east to Jamestown. Again a lot of the trail paralleled the highway, but the geocaching was fun.
My wife and I drove from north of Baltimore to do the trail the first week of Oct over 2 days starting at Richmond and finishing at Jamestown. Overall, it was a good experience.
Lest anyone be fooled, I would not consider this easy. The first day we rode to and stayed at North Bend plantation (more on that in the minute). That was a 33 mile first day. There were constant hills throughout those 32 miles (1 mile done off trail) While no one incline was onerous by itsef the cumulative toll of all of them after 30+ miles was obvious by the time we were done. (We are not rookies, we recently rode the 110 mile Florida Keys and the 62 mile PA Grand Canyon). I would rate this one more as moderate than easy. The trail itself is paved well, and with 2 exceptions well marked. The most disappointing aspect of it was the lack of diverse scenery. It really wasn't all that scenic, it was mostly along the road on one side and the same scrubby woods on the other. And that is the other BIG negative, the road. Any sense of tranquility along the way is disrupted by the fact that while on a path the road is literally right next to you for about 90% of the ride. It is well traveled enough to keep you from getting relaxed with any sense of nature.
Now the best parts. The night at North Bend Plantation was awesome. Miss Ridgely is a terrific and fun hostess. The place is loaded with history and when she tells you it will feel like Grandma's house, yes, you do feel that much at home.
On arrival in Jamestown, we played tourist at the settlement, then spent the evening at Wedmore Place at Williamsburg Winery. The price, the room, the dining and especially the service was A+ all the way.
Finally, the Capital Trail Shuttle back to Richmond. Cheyenne and her service merit yet another A+. She was great at communicating, easing any concerns before and during the trip. She was on time, helpful and friendly.
All in all, a good 2 1/2 day trip. Worth the 3 hour drive to get started in Richmond...once. Would definitely visit both lodgings again. As for the trail, of the several overnighters we've done, this ride comes in last place for enjoyment of the ride itself.
On an unseasonably hot and very windy day in early May, 2017, four of us got on our bikes at the parking lot of Jamestowne Settlement for the 52-mile ride to Richmond. The trail is wonderful: a variety of settings from shaded woods to open fields, flat sections and hills. The views in many places are beautiful. Our only criticism is that there are almost no places to refill your water bottle. That was a serious issue on the day we rode with temps near 90 and strong headwinds. The next day was cool when we rode back east so the lack of water was not as serious. Hopefully, as this trail is used more (since it is relatively new) this deficit will be addressed. Right how the trail is in excellent condition and we hope it stays that way. It is a top-notch ride.
rode once here from the southern trail end in jamestown up 12.5 & back ... this time we started at the richmond end and rode 9 to dory park and back -- we'll need to go back and do the middle section one day .... anyhow this section is a little more "citified" than the other end - but great surface - it is hilly here (a little surprising) .... very few road crossings for going through a big city like richmond .. look for the big bike outside the city -- dory park was a good stop .. i wish there was a better trail guide for trying to plan a multi day trip
Today I rode the entire trail both directions. I started in Richmond and rode East to Jamestown, then back to Richmond. The trail is very smooth, constructed of blacktop in good condition. There are several stores and businesses along the route that one can stop and purchase beverages. The trail is fairly flat but has some small undulations with total elevation gain of roughly 1000' in each direction. https://www.strava.com/activities/771724527
Enjoyed a two day adventure from Richmond to Jamestown/Williamsburg and back. This dedicated (bicycles/walkers/runners) trail is relatively flat, smooth, and mostly scenic. The section from Jamestown to Charles City is perfect for beginning cyclist as it is very flat. For the intermediate rider this trail would be a great option for that first century ride.
I rode the trail on a Tuesday and Wednesday in late October, and passed several cycling groups as well as individual runners/cyclist. Based on this experience, I would think that weekend use could be heavy.
Finally, I was surprised that I did not encounter any hostile pets (e.g., dogs) even though the trail crosses through various residential areas.
Many thanks to those responsible for this lovely trail.
We rode this trail from Four Mile Creek Park to Richmond and back this week on Tuesday. It is well maintained and well marked. The other riders/walkers were courteous and friendly. A few days later, we rode from Four Mile Creek Park to Charles City and back which was also very nice. The pavement is good. There are very few crossings where you have to stop. The scenery is farmland until you get to Richmond. Good signage for the wooden bridges and grade changes. Altogether a well done trail and great community builder.
Great Trail. Perfect length. Great destinations at both ends. A lot of planning and thought went into design of intersections with side roads. Path crosses side roads further back from stop sign intersections making it a lot safer for trail users and cars. Loved it!
Sorry, can't give this one good marks. Parked at the F'Burg end near the train station. lot is marked for trail parking only but only one or two spaces available. Since none of the cars had cycle racks and I only saw one walker and one bike on the trail my guess is it's unenforced commuter overflow.
On the plus side, the trail is nicely marked out, flat and has nice gentle curves but you barely get up to speed before you have to stop at a major roadway intersection (Blue & Grey Pkwy) then again at Rt.1. The crossings are signal controlled but the right turning lanes are not marked "no turn on red" so be careful.Considering the whole trail is only 2.6 miles you spend almost as much time parking and waiting at lights as you do riding. At the end, the trail just dead ends so the only option is to retrace the route back. Otherwise the trail goes thru some pretty woods and over a few small bridges.
Rode both trails on a road bike on 10/10/2016. The trail section in Fredericksburg is 2.6 miles long and paved. This is a 5 star trail running along Hazel Run for a good part of the trail with plenty of forest sections even though it starts in the city. Benches are set along the trail and there is a bridge and even an observation deck at the 2.0 mile marker. Very professionally done and well maintained. Hopefully the next extension will soon be started adding another mile and another bridge (the bridge is funded but no start date has been released). The second section which is not connected is in Spotsylvania. It is 2.1 miles and paved though the paving is not in good shape. Maintenance has been poor with cracks and ridges in the pavement due in some cases to trees and their roots being too close to the trail. There was a rotted tree across part of the trail this day. The path from the parking lot to the start of the trail went from paved to gravel and then back to paved. There was also a curb to climb before you could get on the path. No benches, just two posts and a board across in a few places. It's a shame that what could be a 5 star trail is at this time only a 2 star one with what seems like little desire to maintain and/or lengthen it.
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