The Hike: This hike combines several short trails into a pleasant trip through wildflowers, meadows and forests with some nice James River views. Stop at the Visitor Center to pick up a trail map. From the Trailhead parking area, follow the tan-blazed Turkey Trail as is meanders beside a meadow before entering the forest. Powhatan […]
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The Hike: We often receive requests from our readers for more urban hikes. On a recent visit to Blacksburg, we discovered the Huckleberry Trail. The Huckleberry is a 15-mile paved trail which connects Blacksburg and Christiansburg. This paved, multi-use trail is popular with pedestrians and bicyclists. The trail is well marked and well maintained. We
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The Hike: This short hike has some great views with minimal hiking effort. Located in the Potts Creek Wildlife Management Area in West Virginia, this hike climbs up Peters Mountain on the Eastern Continental Divide to a raptor observatory. The hike travels along the Allegheny Trail a 311-mile long trail stretching from Pennsylvania to West
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The Hike: Shenandoah River State Park is located just across US 340 from its national park cousin. The park has 5 miles of Shenandoah River South Fork shoreline and over 25 miles of hiking trails. We visited on a rainy day in late March when the Virginia bluebells were at their peak. This loop hike
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The Hike: The trailhead for this family-friendly hike is to the right of the CCC Museum. Follow signs to the blue-blazed Beaver Lake Trail. Numerous trails connect with the Beaver Lake Trail so make sure to follow the blue blazes to stay on the trail. In a few hundred yards, the connector trail from the
The Hike: We were looking for an easy hike so our daughter Emily could test out her new baby carrier pack. Our friend Diane told us about Grandview Preserve in Hampton VA with its great waterfront views. The hike was great and Emily and Josh liked the new pack. Street parking is available at the
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The Hike: Pocahontas State Park is home to over 90 miles of trails. Many of these trails are multi-use. We have nothing against cyclists and horses, but we prefer “hiker-only” trails, such as the Co-op Trail. The trailhead is next to the boat launch area on Swift Creek Lake. Follow the footbridge over the lake
The Hike: Full disclosure: this “hike” is really a walk. Much of the surface is a paved road. This was our first hike with our grandson Joshua. Josh was six-months old and in a stroller so a paved surface was ideal in our situation. The road does have vehicle traffic with a 15 PMH speed
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The Hike: This short hike has some great payoffs. Trailhead parking is 2 miles on the right after the Broadway Road (route 640) intersection with route 720. Broadway Road is a gravel, narrow, country road that winds through the Big Survey WMA. There are two small parking areas here. The trailhead is at the rear
The Hike: Fairy Stone State Park is one of the original Virginia State Parks from 1936. Stop by the visitor center to pick up a trail map and to learn more about fairy stones. This hike combines several shorter trails so there are numerous junctions. All the trail junctions have signs and the trails are
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