rivanna trails

Beautiful walk along the river...many birds to see including woodpecker and blue heron! I wish I went back to a different section of this trail another day.

This roughly connect loop trail around the city provides interesting perspectives on places where most people stay tied to their cars. On this visit, we walked from the Meadow Creek Community Gardens to the north end of the stretch of Meadow Creek near Brandywine Drive. Our starting point near Bodo's Bagels and the English Inn on Morton Drive was not easy to find, but the map from the city parks and rec department helped a lot. It has more detail than the one that the Rivanna Trail Foundation has published. It's available online at http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=1725. This part of the trail makes use of two narrow catwalks through creekside tunnels under both highway 250 and Hydraulic Road. Discovering these tunnels surprised us! We saw a great blue heron and few other walkers on this part of the Rivanna Trail.

The Riverside Park is small but nice and the Trail beside the Rivanna is very pleasant. The park provides easy access to the trail and there's sufficient parking.

We took a walk along the trails which run along the river. The path is flat and a perfect place for walking, jogging, dog walking, bike riding for miles under the shade of lovely trees. We found people of all ages doing all of the above and the setting is peaceful and relaxing. If in C-Ville, seek this out if looking for some good outdoor activities.

We stopped for a yogurt and I noticed on my cell phone that the Rivanna trail was right nearby. We took our pup out for a stroll and found a delightful, LONG path that winds through a beautiful stream. Pup Cleo had the time of her life. Every city should have a real hiking trail like this. What a delight!

Good trail, along the Rivanna River, I have walked this trail, w/friends, year round, beautiful views of the river. FYI> Pay attention to your surroundings. insect spray, a hat, sunblock, check for ticks.

Rivanna Trails is a unique system of trails around the circumference of Charlottesville. Some trails cross private property with the owner's permission. It's a lovely way to see parts of town otherwise not viewable from a car. Some have unique ways of crossing streams. If you are a nature lover, you will enjoy doing at least one or two of the sections. Here is a map:http://www.rivannatrails.org/Default.aspx?pageId=952656

. Trees, the Rivanna is so peaceful. Nice trail. What more can you ask? and just a short distance from downtown. Lots of birds. Been on the trail Spring, Summer and Fall

In my opinion, the best part of the Rivanna Trail is the section by the circular turnaround in the Belvedere development.

My wife and I are regular users of this gem of a trail not far from the historic center of Charlottesville. I can understand the negative points made by some other Trip Advisor reviewers, mostly cyclists. It is a bit short and narrow for cyclists and, with all the foot traffic (humans and dogs) on it many times of the day, it is not the ideal spot for a bike ride.However, the four-mile round-trip is wonderful for walkers and joggers. Most of the trail is in the shade and all of it runs along the Rivanna River. The trail is now well-marked with 1/4 mile markers. Community service officer Arnette regularly patrols the trail; his presence as well as the fairly heavy use during daytime hours gives trail users a feeling of security. Officer Arnette is also good about insuring dog walkers have their pets on a leash.Many reviewers (especially visitors to Charlottesville) mention the trail is hard to find. Let me help. First, the map on Trip Advisor (in July 2013) directs you to the WRONG side of the river. To find the trail and a place to park, do one of these two things: 1. Put this address into your GPS: 1538 E High St Charlottesville, VA 22902. It will take you to Cosner's Body Shop. It has a huge parking lot and many trail users go to the back of that lot and park right next to the trail. You can go in either direction from this point on the trail.2. Put Riverview Park in your GPS. It's at the end of Chesapeake Street (try that if Riverview Park doesn't map). All of these locations are within the city limits of Charlottesville. Riverview Park also has plenty of parking, a port-o-potty, and a picnic bench. The Park also has a jungle gym and other fun things for kids.The trail has some marked trees and plenty of friendly wildlife. At times, you'll see deer, rabbits, squirrels, turtles, frogs, toads, and snakes. The most common animals, though, are the dogs and their owners. Please keep your dogs on their leashes....and pick up after they do their business. Biodegradable bags for your dog's poop are available at the trailhead in Riverview Park.Enjoy this treasure but leave it no worse than how you found it.

So many trails in the area this was not our favorite.....just ok. Easy to access if you are just looking for a little walk to get out but not a true hike.

Really enjoyed the bike trail along the river. Flat and easy ride. Off road portion a little harder to ride but fun none-the-less.

We stopped in Charlottesville on our way home from Skyline Drive, and wanted to find something outdoorsy to do before we moved on. We happened upon Rivanna Trails on TripAdvisor and it sounded perfect. The only drawback was FINDING the trails - it isn't like one park or one area that has trails, they go all over the town; literally. We started in Riverside Park (plenty of parking, easy to find) and went along the river, even stopping to climb down the bank and wade in a bit to cool off. It was beautiful, quiet (you'd never know you're in a city except the occasional construction noise nearby), plenty of benches for resting along the trail, lots of shade (it was HOT and the shade was perfect). We saw tons of butterflies, birds, even a snake! We passed several bikers and joggers, and everyone was polite and friendly.

I walk my dog on a portion of this trail every day. Sometimes we explore other portions of the trail. It would be great if they all met up.

Miles of paved or firm surface paths .Fairly flat.Great for bikers,walkers, joggers, and dogs on lease.Don't go alone during early/late hours