Find the top rated trails in Richmond, 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.
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...
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...
The central feature for which the High Bridge Trail is named is an unforgettable experience, towering 125 feet above the mighty Appomattox River and nearly a half-mile (2,440 feet) across it. The...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
The central feature for which the High Bridge Trail is named is an unforgettable experience, towering 125 feet above the mighty Appomattox River and nearly a half-mile (2,440 feet) across it. The...
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 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...
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 central feature for which the High Bridge Trail is named is an unforgettable experience, towering 125 feet above the mighty Appomattox River and nearly a half-mile (2,440 feet) across it. The...
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...
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 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...
Liked the trail but I only found one water fountain on it, which was at Farmville. Also it would be nice if they had a connecting trail from twin lakes state park to the trail.
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
we started in farmville ... rode to rice ... went over the big bridge ... great surface ... the occasional restroom ... very very very (did i say very) few road crossings ... we want to come back and stay in farmville and do the whole trail eastward one day, westward the other (very doable as it would be about 30 or so each day as farmville is fairly in the middle)
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.
I would consider relocating to Farmville for this one. Like most trails, it's many, many miles of stone, trees, and not much else to look at. But the crown jewels along the way include High Bridge (what a great view) and Farmville. I also enjoyed the old railroad markers, spikes and remnants of the railroad which were neat to see along the way. The ride was a bit challenging, if you are like me and not used to long inclines or riding long distances on stone, then pace yourself. But the leg cramps afterwards were worth it. If you are riding alone, there are some long and lonely stretches. Not sure how much of it is patrolled, but I passed a park police officer also on a bike. My final word of caution, remember it's a stone base. I saw many people on road bikes riding 700x23s. I would recommend against that. Do yourself a favor and bring a hybrid with wider tires or a mountain bike.
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