Find the top rated running trails in Stuarts Draft, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Quiet, flat, maintained, mostly shaded, along the Piney river with benches and the occasional picnic table. Port-a-potty at the Piney River trailhead, running water bathroom at the Roses Mill trailhead .
I hiked this trail today and enjoyed it quite a lot. The trail itself is nice and wide, and fairly flat. There’s good tree canopy over most of the route and beautiful views of the rivers and fields. There are benches and picnic tables scattered along the trail as well. Plenty of parking at the Piney River trailhead. Will definitely hike this one again.
We love the Jackson River Trail and ride it several times a year - yesterday was the first for this year. The trail extension was delayed by a terrible mudslide, but has now been beautifully completed two+ miles north into Bath County. I wish Bath County would complete the trail all the way into Hot Springs! It would rival the Creeper Trail for sure. This trail is the best maintained trail we've ridden. There had been inches of rain the day before but there were no puddles, no debris - the trail was completely clear. The Parks and Recreation guys of Covington keep it nicely mowed and the restrooms are amazingly clean. We highly recommend this rail trail. And if you want a great place to eat afterward, try Trani's Grille! Great food!
My wife and I rode this trail 4/15/2025. Great surface, very scenic and NOT busy during the week. Signage was great as we're trailheads
Maybe it was the time of year but kinda boring. Well used by horses as there was ample "evidence" lying on the trail. The Nelson County website mentions "restroom facilities" at the trailheads. The Piney River trailheads "restroom facilities" is a single porta potty. The Roses Mill trailhead does have a small bathroom.
Amazing tunnel and a fun experience with kids. Be sure to bring your flashlight.
Well paved- beautifully kept trail. Had a great morning riding into downtown Lynchburg , where we stopped for a nice lunch. I would definitely ride this trail again.
Started my journey at Piney River trailhead very early on a crisp October morning. The temperature was 37 degrees, but the sun was rising, and there was no wind. Riding east, my only companions were squirrels, deer and the many birds flying overhead. I LOVE the peace and quiet this trail provides with the squishy crunch of the finely crushed gravel beneath my tires, and the gentle rush of water spilling over rocks in the Piney and Tye Rivers. No nearby roads or traffic meant for a little over an hour of pure escape. The farm and forest scenery and multiple bridges spanning the river provided ever changing views. I was thankful for the regular milepost markers, posted every 1/4 mile along the entire trail length. On the return trip I counted 75 spins of my crank arm to traverse a 1/4 mile section of the trail. The path was well-maintained throughout, with just the right amount of trail-side markers, benches, and memorials to provide short breaks. I didn't use the restrooms, but they were available at the western trailhead and at Roses Mill trailhead near the western end. If I had one wish for this trail, it would be to extend along the original 20 miles of the original Blue Ridge Railway right of way. I'm not sure if that's possible, but I feel it would make this trail garner more attention than it currently receives. The trail's location between Charlottesville and Lynchburg is in one of the prettiest parts of Virginia, and is just south of the many breweries, vineyards and distilleries along Route 151 in Nelson County. It is also a short drive from Wintergreen resort. Come check it out!!
My wife and I rode the Jackson River Scenic Trail over two days in late summer, Intervale to Smith Bridge the first day and Smith Bridge to the end on the second. We thoroughly enjoyed this trail. The trail was shady, scenic and peaceful. It is one of the widest, flattest and smoothest rail-trails I've ever been on, perfect for kids or casual riders who don't like incessant bumps or grinding grades. The trail is well equipped with picnic areas and restrooms. (No interpretive signage however; it would be a nice upgrade to showcase the human and natural history of the area.) Two of the best sights are located just off the trail. A small sign will direct you to a suspension footbridge over the river. It's well worth the detour to bounce over the bridge. (A sign warns you not to bounce, but just walking across the thing sets it into motion!) Just below the Smith Bridge parking area is the decommissioned Smith Bridge, open to foot traffic only. It offers big views of the river. A couple of caveats: 1) While the trail traces the river for most of its length, there are no places to get wet directly on the trail. A public access area just off the trail at Smith Bridge has a shallow area perfect for getting wet. 2) The lower portion of the trail is located a few miles from a huge paper mill. Depending on weather conditions, you may smell it.
Paul and I are continuing our RV travels and crossing off bike trails from our bucket list along the way. Today we rode the VA Blue Ridge trail. Beautiful, natural trail with crushed stone path (I would have preferred asphalt), but it wasn't bad. I just had to be careful and watch for rocks and kept praying I didn't pop a tire. Off road or hybrid bikes do fine. I ride a Lectric Trike with wider tires and husband rides a hybrid type bike and did fine. It is nicely shaded about 95% of the way. No road noise. Two rivers parallel the path making nice scenery. Some ladies ahead of us spotted a beautiful black bear walking along the shore of the river and got a great video clip. We had a deer cross in front of us. Benches are scattered along the trail. The only thing I would change would be asphalt instead of crushed stone but otherwise a great trail to ride!
Being a native plant enthusiast, walking this trail is disturbing to me because of all the invasive plants that edge the path. Instead of enjoying the greenery, I have to look away from it to have pleasure on this walk.
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