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Photo by Christine Anderson
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Photo by Christine Anderson
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Photo courtesy of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Photo by Christine Anderson
There's something about this month's turnover from summer to fall that puts us in the mood to get out into the woods and start rambling. With that in mind, we've gathered information on some of the state's standout hikes. For planning purposes, we've also rated each outing's difficulty, from easy to hard, so whether you're a veteran of the Appalachian Trail or someone who's just interested in a relaxed stroll with beautiful scenery for the day, we've got you covered as the leaves start changing color.
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Hiking
Limberlost Trail, Shenandoah National Park
(540) 999-3500 or nps.gov/shen
Price: Free
Difficulty: Very Easy
Travel Time: Two and a half hours (115 miles) to Luray
Do and See: The trail is just a bit shy of a mile and a half long, and it's a bit of a drive for a day hike, but birders will want to make the trip. Walk slowly along this basically flat trail through thickly forested stands of old-growth spruce and fill your birding logbooks with confirmed sightings of varied species that range from fierce predators like hawks and owls to more benign but no less beautiful Acadian flycatchers and rose-breasted grosbeaks. Bring your binoculars.
Don't Miss: This is a birder's delight, but there's plenty of nature for everyone. White-tailed deer make their home here, and a marshy area will keep kids busy as they turn over stones in search of salamanders and crayfish.
Pocahontas State Park
796-4255 or dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/poc.shtml
Price: Parking is $4 on weekdays or $5 on weekends.
Difficulty: Easy
Travel Time: 30 minutes (25 miles) from downtown Richmond
Do and See: Beaver Lake, ringed by a 2.5-mile nature hike, is in reality anything but natural — not that you'd know it while exploring this scenic lakeside trail. The entire 8,000-acre park was constructed between 1935 and 1937 as a Civilian Conservation Corps project during the Great Depression. The park, along with its 80 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails, became part of the Virginia State Parks system in 1946 and today is home to a CCC museum.
In fact, the Beaver Lake trail starts at the museum building and loops around the water. Along the way, there's plenty to see, says Zoe Rogers with the Virginia State Parks. Kids might get a kick out of spotting frogs or even — as twilight sets — a beaver or two.
"You can't really see the beavers during the day," says Rogers, who oversees Pocahontas as well as six other state park facilities. "But you can observe where they've been chewing on trees, and when the water level is down, you can observe some of the tops of their dams."
Don't Miss: "At sunset, probably one of the prettiest places to be is near the dam," Rogers says, recommending the Beaver Lake dam rest area.
Mount Rogers National Recreation Area
(800) 628-7202 or tinyurl.com/743mczv
Price: Free
Difficulty: Hard
Travel Time: Five hours (290 miles)
Do and See: This one's hardly a day trip, but it's worth the hotel night for the dedicated hiker. Located in the very far corner of Southwest Virginia, Mount Rogers is the highest point in Virginia — squint your imagination a bit, and you might catch sight of Tennessee. On the way to the top, meadows filled with massive, 10- to 12-foot-high boulders make for a fun climbing diversion. There are more than 500 miles of hiking trails inside Mount Rogers, with a number of designated hikes of varying lengths and difficulty levels, though all involve lots of uphill and downhill treks. Unlike many mountain hikes, the summit of Mount Rogers is hardly the point, given that it's heavily wooded. It's not about where you're going, but how you get there.
Don't Miss: A herd of semi-wild ponies inhabits areas along the trail.
Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historical State Park
561-7510 or dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/sai.shtml
Price: Parking is $2 on weekdays and $3 on weekends.
Difficulty: Very Easy
Travel Time: About an hour (65 miles) to Rice
Do and See: Looking for a pleasant walk that's unlikely to scuff your Reeboks while providing a fascinating look at Virginia history? Sailor's Creek bore witness to what is known as "Black Thursday" for the Confederacy during the Civil War. The April 6, 1865, battle ended with a largely crippled Confederate army — Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at nearby Appomattox Courthouse three days later. Today the grounds, all 370 acres that span Amelia, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties, include preserved Confederate army positions and make for a lovely day hike and a picnic. Two incredibly short hiking trails of less than a mile each — one is just a tenth of a mile long — mean visitors don't even need to break a sweat before breaking out the granola bars and Gatorade. There is nature here — you're outside, after all — but the battlefield is the main attraction.
Don't Miss: The Overton-Hillsman House served as a field hospital during and after the battle, and it's free and open to visitors from April to October (Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m) and Sunday (noon to 5 p.m.).
York River State Park
(757) 566-3036 or dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/yor.shtml
Price: Free
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Travel Time: One hour (60 miles) to Croaker (near Williamsburg)
Do and See: "A lot of people think of hiking as something you do in the mountains," says Nathan Lott, author of local hiker's bible 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Richmond, whose own thoughts before writing the book shared this single-minded focus. "The York River is a great place to hike right next to the river. It typifies that Tidewater hiking experience." It tends to be less about technical hiking skill and more about observing a fragile and rare marine environment along more than 20 miles of trails. The park, which is located on the York River, also offers access to brackish marshland that is a fertile breeding and nursery area for the nearby Chesapeake Bay. Sea birds, fish and a variety of mammals that make their homes near water are found in abundance.
"It stands out as a special place," says Lott.
Don't Miss: Keep your eye out for bald eagles and prehistoric fossils — this area once was part of the Atlantic Ocean. When you're done hiking, canoes and kayaks are available to rent on Taskinas Creek.
North Anna Battlefield Park
365-7150 or tinyurl.com/cz52xl7
Price: Free
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Travel Time: 30 minutes (25 miles) from downtown Richmond
Do and See: Why leave home in search of wilderness adventure? Richmond and Petersburg are home to dozens of Civil War battlefield sites, including Gaines Mill, Cold Harbor, Drewry's Bluff and nearby Dutch Gap (also the co-site of Henricus Historical Park). For those disinterested in Civil War history, it's easy to overlook the recreational significance of these places, most of which are National Park Service sites, and all of which are filled with top-notch hiking and walking trails.
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Richmond author Nathan Lott especially recommends the North Anna Battlefield Park near Doswell, a fairly tiny park at 80 acres, but featuring a 1- to 2-mile walking trail. "A lot of [Richmonders] probably have never been there," Lott says. "It's a wonderful trail. Along the way there's signage explaining the battle, and at the end you end up on this bluff overlooking the river. I think the state parks in and around Richmond are probably some of the nicest places to go and feel like you're truly escaping."
Don't Miss: Hanover County touts the preserved Civil War trenches, many with rifle pits, as among the "most pristine Civil War earthworks in existence."
High Bridge Trail State Park
(434) 315- 0457 or dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/hig.shtml
Price: Parking is $2 on weekdays or $3 on weekends. Other amenities and attractions also cost extra.
Difficulty: Very Easy
Travel Time : About an hour and a half (70 miles) to the park's Farmville entrance
Do and See: High Bridge Trail State Park's 31 miles of linear park opened officially this past April, spanning Cumberland, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties. It also passes through five towns, including Farmville, which is probably the most convenient spot for Richmond day-trippers to catch the trail. The trail and park run along a rehabilitated rail bed that once carried the Norfolk Southern Railway's Petersburg-to-Lynchburg line and, most notably, includes the majestic High Bridge. Towering 142 feet above the Appomattox River, this span links Cumberland and Prince Edward counties.
"It's gorgeous," proclaims Zoe Rogers with the Virginia State Parks. "It was once the longest and tallest bridge in the world."
Today the bridge is part of a really long, remarkably level hiking trail that follows the original rail bed, which is now covered in a comfortable crush-and-run gravel surface that makes it perfect for easy hiking, leisurely biking or horseback riding. Along the way, visitors can enjoy the rolling hills of Cumberland and Prince Edward, as well as spectacular bird watching.
Don't Miss: The park service has recently conducted night hikes, which culminate with "owl calling" on the High Bridge (the owls answer). The walk is illuminated by fireflies that, Rogers says, "are almost like a light show."
Camping
Crabtree Falls Campground
(540) 377-2066 or crabtreefallscampground.com
Price: $25 for tent camping; $50 for cabins
Difficulty: Moderate
Travel Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes (126 miles)
Do and See: About a half-mile east downhill from Crabtree Falls Trail, you'll find 30 campsites along the Tye River equipped with a picnic table and a fire pit a few feet from the river. Enjoy fishing along the Tye or take a hike in the George Washington National Forest. The camp is conveniently located within walking distance to Crabtree Falls, the highest vertical-drop cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River.
Don't Miss: With a 3,000-foot elevation change in the first four miles, The Priest hike may be one of the toughest southbound sections of the Appalachian Trail. Drive 4.5 miles from the campsite to the base of the 10-mile loop.
Northwest River Park and Campground
(757) 421-7151 or tinyurl.com/cpoybbq
Price: $21 to $26 for tent camping; $65 to $85 for cabin camping
Difficulty: Easy
Travel Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (120 miles)
Do and See: Relax on the banks of the Northwest River in Southern Chesapeake at this site that offers boating, fishing and hiking (plus, yes, miniature golf). The 763-acre park includes more than seven miles of winding trails where hikers can spot birds, including song sparrows, hawks and the occasional bald eagle. Fish in the stocked inland lake for bass, bluegill and catfish, or hike to the pier on the Northwest River and catch a yellow perch or a winter striper.
Don't Miss: Back Bay Amateur Astronomers host observation sessions at the park once a month, during which large telescopes are set up for guests to enjoy a tour of the night sky. This month's sky watch takes place on Sept. 7.
Campbell Shelter
(540) 953-3571 or appalachiantrail.org
Price: Free
Difficulty: Hard
Travel Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes (191 miles)
Do and See: About a mile down from the most photographed spot on the Appalachian Trail, an overnight stay at Campbell Shelter gives campers the option to enjoy the sunset from McAfee Knob, a jagged sandstone overhang that overlooks the Blue Ridge skyline, and then hike back to a secluded campsite. Park at the trailhead and hike 3.5 miles to the campsite. After setting up camp, continue another mile to the hike's summit. The free campsite is able to accommodate six tents, and PVC piping protruding from rocks running along the trail provides a constant stream of potable water, although it is recommended that hikers treat the water themselves before drinking it.
Don't Miss: Obviously, the star here is McAfee Knob and its view of the Catawba Valley and North Mountain, Tinker Cliffs, and the Roanoke Valley.
Prince William Forest Park
(703) 221-7181 or nps.gov/prwi
Price: $20 to $40 for tent camping; $40 to $60 for cabins
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Travel Time: 1 hour, 22 minutes (77 miles)
Do and See: The largest example of a Piedmont forest ecosystem in the national parks is also home to the most extensive hiking-trail network in Northern Virginia. Hike along the 37 miles of wooded trails or bring your bike and explore 21 miles of accessible roads and trails. Just 35 miles south of Washington, D.C., Prince William Forest Park has enough wildlife, animals and history to entertain the whole family for a weekend away.
Don't Miss: Artists, musicians and cultural demonstrators will convene at the park on Oct. 13 for the 2012 Heritage Festival. Celebrating the park's history as a Colonial-era farmland, a Civilian Conservation Corps work camp and a World War II-era spy training camp, the event will feature hands-on activities, crafts and games.
