For half a century, the James River Association has worked to ensure a vibrant future for the river we all rely on. To celebrate our 50th anniversary, we are inviting you to explore the beauty of our watershed with our curated list of 50 top hikes. Whether you are seeking a quiet riverside stroll or a challenging trek, there is a trail here for everyone. We encourage you to enjoy these spaces responsibly—please check local guidelines for closures or restrictions before heading out to ensure our shared lands stay pristine.
Upper James River Watershed
Photo of Roanoke River Greenway Trail
1. Jackson River Scenic Trail – Alleghany County
- Difficulty: 🟡
- Distance: 15.9 mi
- Estimated Time: 5.5 – 6 hrs
- This trail follows an old railroad bed parallel to the Jackson River, starting just outside downtown Covington, VA, and offers easy access for walking, jogging, and biking through the scenic Alleghany Highlands.
2. Roanoke River Greenway Trail – Roanoke, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 13.5 mi
- Estimated Time: 4.5 – 5 hrs
- Nestled along the Roanoke River, this paved path invites walkers, runners, and cyclists to explore downtown Roanoke’s scenic beauty with river views and lush greenery.
3. Jordan’s Point Park – Lexington, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 4.3 mi
- Estimated Time: 1.5 – 2 hrs
- This peaceful park along the Roanoke River features walking trails, picnic spots, and waterfront views, making it a perfect spot for relaxation and outdoor enjoyment.
4. Blue Ridge Parkway: James River to the Northern End – Appalachian Trl, Glasgow, VA
- Difficulty: 🔴
- Distance: 63.7 mi
- This scenic stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway winds from the James River to its northern terminus, offering breathtaking mountain vistas, serene overlooks, and a peaceful drive through Virginia’s highlands.
5. James River Otter Creek Trail – Glasgow, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 2.1 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- Winding along the James River, this trail offers a serene escape with shaded forest paths, riverside views, and a peaceful route for walking, biking, or quiet reflection.
6. Little Rocky Row Loop – Glasgow, VA
- Difficulty: 🔴
- Distance: 11.7 mi
- Estimated Time: 6.5 – 7 hrs
- Starting at the Appalachian Trail James River Foot Bridge, this challenging hike follows the ridge with stunning views of the James River cutting through the mountains.
7. Matt’s Creek Shelter – Appalachian Trl, Big Island, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 4 mi
- Estimated Time: 1.5 – 2 hrs
- This peaceful stretch of the Appalachian Trail offers a quiet retreat with lush forest scenery and a refreshing stop along the Appalachian Trail
8. Balcony Falls and Gunter Ridge Loop – Rockbridge, VA
- Difficulty: 🔴
- Distance: 11.7 mi
- Estimated Time: 6 – 6.5 hrs
- Tucked in a dense forest, this trail hints at Balcony Falls without revealing its full beauty, offering seasonal wildflowers but also a chance for ticks and overgrown paths.
9. Crabtree Falls & Spy Rock – Nelson County
- Difficulty: 🔴
- Distance: 13.1 mi
- Estimated Time: 7.5 – 8 hrs
- This hike winds through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, following a scenic creek to a stunning overlook just off the Appalachian Trail, where breathtaking waterfall views await.
10. Laurel Run Trail – Bath, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 3.1 mi
- Estimated Time: 1.5 – 2 hrs
- This out-and-back hike climbs alongside a stream through lush forests, dotted with seasonal mountain laurels and rhododendrons, leading to a hidden waterfall before ending at a deforested electrical tower field.
- Difficulty: 🔴
- Distance: 6.0 mi
- Estimated Time: 3 hrs
- A short scenic hike that has both an east and west summit with spectacular views, also a popular camping spot, George Washington National Forest.
Middle James River Watershed
Photo of Forest Hill Park Trail.
12. Blue Suck Falls Loop – Millboro, VA
- Difficulty: 🔴
- Distance: 9.5 mi
- Estimated Time: 5 – 5.5 hrs
- This challenging yet rewarding loop offers stunning scenery, great camping spots, and the chance for peaceful solitude.
13. Holiday Lake Loop – Dillwyn, VA
- Difficulty: 🟡
- Distance: 6.4 mi
- Estimated Time: 2 – 2.5 hrs
- This well-marked trail winds through scenic woodlands, offering lake views, gentle creek crossings, and a chance to spot wildlife.
14. Bear Creek Lake Loop Trail – Cumberland, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 3.1 mi
- Estimated Time: 1 – 1.5 hrs
- This scenic loop combines the Lost Bar and Lakeside Trails, offering a mostly flat, well-marked hike around Bear Lake with stunning views and easy exploration.
15. Sulphur Spring Trail – Natural Bridge Station, VA
- Difficulty: 🟡
- Distance: 5.8 mi
- Estimated Time: 3 – 3.5 hrs
- Ideal for a steady, peaceful hike, this trail offers a gradual climb, well-maintained paths, and rewarding views.
16. Thunder Ridge Wilderness – Rockbridge, VA
- Difficulty: 🟡
- Distance: 5.2 mi
- Estimated Time: 2.5 – 3 hrs
- This Appalachian Trail section in Virginia leads from the Thunder Ridge Trailhead Parking Lot to Apple Orchard Mountain, winding through wooded areas before opening into a breathtaking meadow with stunning panoramic views.
17. James River Trail – James River State Park – Gladstone, VA
James River Trail
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 4.7 mi
- Estimated Time: 1.5 – 2 hrs
- Nestled in the heart of Virginia, the James River Trail winds through the James River State Park as an easy, mostly flat path along the river, offering a serene escape under a towering canopy of sycamores and oaks.
18. Three Ridges Wilderness – Nellysford, VA
- Difficulty: 🟡
- Distance: 13.2 mi
- Estimated Time: 6.6 hrs
- This hike delivers stunning vistas along the Appalachian Trail and leads to the Mau-Har Trail on Campbell Creek, where small waterfalls and hidden pools create a refreshing adventure.
19. Lynchburg Riverwalk Trail – Lynchburg, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 5.7 mi
- Estimated Time: 2 – 2.5 hrs
- For the perfect blend of city and nature, this trail starts where the Blackwater Creek Trail ends, rolls past Riverfront Park’s lively eateries, crosses a scenic bridge, and leads to the Percival’s Island Natural Area.
20. Levee Walk via Bird Street– Scottsville, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 1.2 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- Stroll along the James River on this easy, flat path, where riverside views, gentle breezes, and a quiet escape make it a perfect spot to unwind in Scottsville.
21. Appalachian Trail to Ridge to River Trail – Riverton, VA
- Difficulty: 🔴
- Distance: 11.9 mi
- Estimated Time: 6.5 – 7 hrs
- After a bit of climbing, the trail opens into the Ridge to River Trail, where sweeping views stretch across rolling hills and distant mountain peaks.
22. Ivy Creek Park Orange, Peninsula, and Red Trail – Charlottesville, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 3.1 mi
- Estimated Time: 1 – 1.5 hrs
- This trail system winds through a lush forest, offering creek-side paths, shaded interior trails, and a unique mountain laurel tunnel on the peninsula.
23. Camp Paradise Rd to River Rd via High Bridge Trail – Farmville, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 3.6 mi
- Estimated Time: 1 – 1.5 hrs
- This section of the 30+ mile High Bridge Trail takes you across the 2,400-foot-long High Bridge, a Virginia Historic Landmark and National Register of Historic Places site, where you’ll walk 125 feet above the Appotomattox River.
24. High Bridge – Farmville, VA
- Difficulty: 🔴
- Distance: 9.7 mi
- Estimated Time: 4.9 hrs
- Once a rail bed, this trail allows you to step through history, with its highlight being the High Bridge, a Virginia Historic Landmark that spans the landscape.
25. Beaver Lake Trail – Pocahontas State Park
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 2.5 mi
- Estimated Time: 1 – 1.5 hrs
- This trail offers stunning lake views, gentle inclines, and wide, well-marked paths; perfect for hikers of all ages to enjoy the scenery with ease.
26. River Trail Loop – Great River Falls, VA
- Difficulty: 🟡
- Distance: 4.6 mi
- Estimated Time: hrs**
- This trail includes rock scrambling, particularly between the Canal Cut and Cow Hoof Rock, so sturdy shoes are a must.
27. Pocahontas State Park Co-op Trail – Chesterfield, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 4.2 mi
- Estimated Time: 1.5 – 2 hrs
- This outstanding trail winds along Swift Creek Lake, starting from the Pocahontas State Park Boat Ramp, with moderate inclines, tree roots, rocky patches, and a few creek crossings to explore.
28. Robious Landing Park – Midlothian, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 1.6 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- Nestled in the James River floodplain, this park features 3.4 miles of trails and a canoe/kayak launch, with towering sycamores, green ashes, and river birches shading a rich understory of paw-paws and spicebush, while birdwatchers spot ospreys, bald eagles, herons, and kingfishers along the banks.
29. Huguenot Flatwater – Richmond, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 1 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- This serene 37-acre parcel along a quieter stretch of the James River offers river access steps, a boat ramp for canoes, kayaks, and inner tubes, and a network of peaceful footpaths.
30. Pony Pasture Rapids Trail – Richmond, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 2.1 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- Stepping onto the river rocks here rewards you with breathtaking views of the James River toward Williams Island, where larger stones and deeper channels define the upper rapids
31. Forest Hill Park Trail – Richmond, VA
- Difficulty: 🟡
- Distance: 3.4 mi
- Estimated Time: 1 – 1.5 hrs
- This urban park’s scenic loop trail winds around a lake dotted with lily pads, crossing Reedy Creek, while showcasing its rich history and featuring the historic Stone House, a mansion built in the 1830s from stones quarried on-site.
32. Belle Isle Trail – Richmond VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 1.3 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- This easy route averages just 24 minutes to complete and draws crowds for hiking, mountain biking, and trail running, so expect company along the way.
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 1.25 mi
- Estimated Time: 1 hr
- For decades, the Canal Walk has been a beloved Richmond gem, celebrating its role in transportation history along the Fall Line, where trade once thrived in the Western Region.
34. Chapel Island (Great Shiplock Park) – Richmond VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 0.7 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- This charming park showcases its 1850s shiplock and canal, first mapped by George Washington, anchoring a beautiful spot steeped in early American history.
35. Ancarrow’s Landing Loop – Richmond, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 2.7 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- Once a pivotal port in Richmond’s role as the largest source of enslaved Africans on the U.S. East Coast (1830–1860), this site later housed a chemical plant, though now restored as a thriving fishing location where anglers gather for the annual shad run.
Lower James River Watershed
Photo of the Virginia Capital Trail.
36. Virginia Capital Trail – Richmond to Williamsburg, VA
- Difficulty: 🟡
- Distance: 50.9 mi
- Estimated Time: 16 – 17.5hrs
- This historic trail, beloved for road biking, running, and walking, traces the legacy of Virginia’s state capital, both its first and current sites, making it a living monument to the state’s political heritage.
37. Powell Creek Nature Trail – Hopewell, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 1.6 mi
- Estimated Time: .05 – 1 hr
- Starting at the parking area on Flowerdew Hundred Road, this trail heads north along the Powell Creek Nature Trail, where an informational kiosk welcomes you with river views, interpretive signs, observation platforms, and prime birding opportunities.
38. Appomattox River Greenway – Hopewell, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 3.9 mi
- Estimated Time: 1 – 1.5 hrs
- With scenic views, serene surroundings, and a flat path, this trail is perfect for birding, road biking, and running.
39. Schiminoe Trail, Crawford State Park – Providence Forge, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 2.2 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- This forest balances timber production, wildlife habitat, research, water protection, and recreation, while its ancient cypress swamps along the Chickahominy River once captivated naturalists in the late 1800s.
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 1.4 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1hr
- This trail invites birding, hiking, and trail running while guiding you through historic remnants of Jamestown, blending nature with living history.
41. Powhatan State Park Trail – Powhatan, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 1.6 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- Powhatan State Park’s diverse ecosystems support an incredible variety of birds, mammals, and wildlife, making it a haven for nature lovers.
42. Greensprings and Powhatan Creek Trail – Williamsburg, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 5.4 mi
- Estimated Time: 1.5 – 2 hrs
- This 3.5-mile nature trail winds through beaver ponds, wetlands, and forests, featuring wooden boardwalks and interpretive signs that share insights into the environment, early colonists, American Indians, and local wildlife.
43. Lower Chippokes Creek Trail – Surrey, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 1.6 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- This easy route averages just 30 minutes to complete and is ideal for birding, hiking, or walking.
44. Noland Trail – Newport News, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 5.2 mi
- Estimated Time: 1.5 – 2 hrs
- This trail winds through forests, wetlands, and quiet streams, offering a peaceful escape for hikers, runners, and birdwatchers with diverse wildlife, seasonal wildflowers, and serene scenery.
45. Windsor Castle Park Trail – Smithfield, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 2.7 mi
- Estimated Time: 1.5 – 2 hrs
- This trail circles a picturesque green space with two connected loops, winding past tidal marshes, wooden bridges, and vernal pools for a serene nature experience.
46. Ragged Island Wildlife Management Area – Isle of Wight, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 0.9 mi
- Estimated Time: 0.5 – 1 hr
- This trail winds through the Ragged Island Wildlife Management Area, offering a scenic coastal stroll across sandy and reedy paths.
47. SE Hudnell Ditch Trail – Great Dismal Swamp, Suffolk, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 4.2 mi
- Estimated Time: 1 – 1.5 hrs
- Spanning over 112,000 acres of forested wetlands with the serene 3,100-acre Lake Drummond at its heart, the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is a pristine haven for nature lovers and one of the mid-Atlantic’s most vital wildlife habitats.
48. Corapeake Road – Great Dismal Swamp, Suffolk, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 17.7 mi
- Estimated Time: hrs
- Hiking these original logging trails immerses you in wilderness, echoing the legacy of Moses White, a logger who once timbered here centuries ago, the swamp’s Juniper and White Cedar supplied shingles for the North, floated out by lighters on the canal.
49. Hoffler Creek – Portsmouth, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 2.1 mi
- Estimated Time: 1 hr
- Nestled in the Hoffler Creek watershed, this preserve protects a rare wilderness for education, research, and recreation while reclaiming 200 feet of eroding creek bank with oyster shells.
50. Fort Monroe Seawall Trail – Fort Monroe, VA
- Difficulty: 🟢
- Distance: 3.6 mi
- Estimated Time: 1 – 1.5 hrs
- This trail follows the seawall for 2 miles, offering stunning waterfront views and a peaceful stroll along the shore.
You can find many of these hikes and other points of interest on our James River Explorer Map!