This strange park includes some modern facilities, some abandoned ruins, and some trails. Anyone…read morereading the name and expecting to end up on the river is going to find that the bluffs here are prohibitively steep, and if you fell down off the largely unfenced rim trail and somehow survived, you'd be on train tracks. The trains are periodically audible through the greenery but are hard to see. Nonetheless, the park has some nice vistas and handy facilities, and it is free.

Came here not expecting much, but was surprised with the beautiful views, large parking space, and…read moregreat hiking trails. During our hike, we spotted quite a few deer walking past us (in close proximity), so that was exciting. The trails weren't difficult, but be prepared to walk up some sketchy spots if it's wet out. Probably the coolest view was seeing the old train tracks and river from afar! I highly encourage anyone to visit this park if you're in the area.

Natural Bridge State Park is much bigger than I thought. When you get there, you go into the…read moreVisitor's Center/ Gift Shop, pay the small fee and start your hike. The main star of the park is the natural bridge itself. It's probably a shorter walk to the natural bridge than it is around the gift shop. I did the Cedar Creek Trail which is only 1 mile long and relatively flat from the natural bridge to the end at the waterfall. The trail is paved a lot of the way and well maintained the rest. Along the way there is a small cave that you can explore, a creak to just sit and relax, and lots of historical markers along the way. I had no idea that Thoms Jefferson once owned this land and the natural bridge itself. There is an urban legend that George Washington carved his initials in the bridge (along with a gazillion others). This hike is quite relaxing and easy to do. We saw a deer along the trail that was less than 10 feet from me and could care less that I was there. There are several other hikes that time didn't permit me to take. These trails will take you to other waterfalls, caverns and even a 2 mile frisbee golf trail. The natural bridge is a must see as it is absolutely gorgeous but next time, I will make time for the rest.

Such a cute little area with the natural bridge. There is a Virginia state fee for adult to enter,…read moreit's nine dollars per person. If you've actually bought something from REI, the receipt concern as a free admission to the park. You'll have to check the fine print. I don't know if there's a minimum spin, but I know that last I went to REI one of the front desk workers told me that the receipt would serve as my admission. And indeed covered it so I paid $0 more entrance to the park To get to the start, you have to go down some stairs, but I did over here a couple of groups at depending on if you need, they can drive you to the start. Natural Bridge had a couple of chairs so I'm assuming that a tour or they are just spots for people to rest. If you continue walking down the trail, you'll also find some other school spots like the saltwater cave, the ghost river, and Lace Falls. When I went a couple days ago, there has been a drought which has caused lace falls to be a bit smaller than normal. The ghost River was a surprisingly cool attraction. As soon as you start walking close to the hole, you can feel the cool breeze and hear the gush of the water. Where the river starts and where the river hint, we have no idea but it's a cool thing to check out.

This river gradually drains into the James, where it meanders downstream into the Richmond…read morewaterfront before becoming and estuary and ultimately entering the Chesapeake Bay. This is a strange thing to think about standing in this small college town with its military history. The park has some parking both on the island and before you get there, as well as some decent restroom facilities. It is an area that looks like you could wade or swim across under some conditions, and there were people and dogs swimming. The nature trail is a short loop, but a nice resource for the community to have. Construction at the university made access a little difficult at the time of my visit, but certainly still possible.

This is a wonderful park great for walking having a picnic and enjoying the river sounds and views…read moremaybe even a BBQ. Location doesn't have swings etc. Its just a wide open space with trees near the river. The weekends are a little hectic if their is a game going on.

This is the best spot I have found for beautiful views of the Shenandoah Valley. However, a word…read moreof caution- it is an extremely steep, narrow, gravel road with sharp curves and scary edges. And calling it a road is generous: it is actually rocky, bumpy, and has many holes. My SUV would have been fine but I happened to be driving a rental car with low ground clearance. There is a cautionary sign as you enter that says "Narrow 2 Lane Road." TWO LANE? I have seen goat paths that were wider. Twice I came upon cars going the opposite direction. and one of us had to pull way over to the mountain side, and the other had to hug the scary drop off edge (hint: it wasn't Indiana girl who pulled over toward the edge, I was perfectly happy getting as close as possible to the mountain side while the other driver inched around my car) The next time I come here I will definitely park at the bottom and walk up. Besides the difficult navigating, there were some places I would have liked to take pictures but there weren't any safe places to park. The views are simply spectacular, and my photos don't come close to capturing the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains. It is very definitely worth the inconvenience of driving or hiking up the mountain. The only amenities I saw were two trash cans, one at the bottom and one at the top, near the observation deck. I wanted to watch the sunset, so it was nearly dark when I drove back down. I'm planning to return soon, and I will get here earlier in the day so I will have more time to explore.

This is a substantial preserve that is free to enter. Some facilities without running water are…read moreavailable at the entrance. The topography varies, and the meadow near the parking lot is markedly distinct from the valley in which the actual creek lies. One suspension bridge crosses the creek and it was in quite good condition, but it could also be crossed on foot, or on hoof as this is a horse area. There were several miles of trails and I was worn out enough that I did only a fraction of them, but they were quite pleasant. Various signage suggested this parking lot was a spot for thieves despite the rural location; I suppose it is a highbrow crowd that would be parking here. It also suggests that anytime your shoe leaves a mark the trail is too wet to walk, which if taken literally is kind of ridiculous. Fortunately, if you lock your car and make your own decisions about mud, you can have a good experiences.

This is a great park we happen to find in the area. After spending the previous day at the winery,…read morewe needed to do a small hike. Unfortunately, it was extremely cold and windy and we didn't have bug spray, so we didn't get didn't get too adventurous. For these reasons, we tried the easiest trail--the Meadow Loop Trail. It was an easy loop around a grassy area, took maybe less than 10 minutes. There was a very detailed map at the entrance of the trails. This included all the available trails, the level of difficulty for each trail, basic etiquette, friendly reminders, etc. There was also a reminder that everyone needs to watch out for each other --hikers, bikers and horse riders. We didn't see any horses, but we did try to dodge the "presents" they left behind. We did see some bikers returning from the trail. There was a large parking lot, which most likely fills up when the weather is nicer. Cameras are watching the parking lot, but it's always best to lock cars and hide valuables :). There were bathrooms available, but not the type with running water....if you get what I mean! Would I return? Can't say for sure since it's pretty far.

Great paved path, well maintained, that runs along the river. Couple of notes that they have some…read moreoff leash areas for dogs and many owners allowed their dogs to approach our without recall. Additionally there are some homeless encampments along the path.

Fabulous trail! Quite busy even on Thanksgiving but we found parking quickly! The wonderful part is…read morethat it rained heavily the evening and morning for our hike. The trail is made of asphalt so easy assess for handicap and no muddy paws

I can't believe that this amazing park has never been added to Yelp before. Ridgeview Park (RP) is…read more85-acres full of wonderful amenities. When I climbed out of my van the other day, all I could see was green everywhere. Kids could run around the grassy fields forever and not get bored. The hills were extremely tempting to my youngest son who had to run up them and then roll down. Beautiful trees, lovely flowers, a gorgeous view of the mountains--but the best part was the river. You are able to walk up to the water's edge and play with the rocks. Here are some features: * Amphitheater * Baseball/Softball Diamond * Basketball Court * Soccer Field * Tennis Courts * Trails (there are supposed to be trails in the woods, but I didn't get a chance to check them out) * Playground * Picnic tables and grills * Restrooms * Serenity Garden * Swimming Pool * Fishing in the South River throughout the park (trout, bass, perch, bluegill, and catfish) * Handicap-Accessible Fishing Pier I was here for vacation and I always try to look for parks. I found RP online and it was way better than I ever imagined it would be. In fact, I kind of started to fall in love with it and Waynesboro. My boys and I greatly enjoyed our short time at RP and I highly recommend you visit. I wish RP was closer to my house.

This is, I think, one of the better parks in the Waynesboro and Charlottesville area. Plenty of…read moreplayground equipment for the kids to play on. Lots of fields and area to run. You can stop down at the river and feed the ducks and geese. The kids love it here. My only issue from our most recent visit was the garbage all over the park. All of the trash cans were completely filled and overflowing. Trash around the picnic tables. Yuck. Let's keep our parks beautiful, people!

Our Charlottesville son has come here with his two young sons (5 and nearly 4 years of age) …read more Trails, marked by colors (eg, Red Trail, Blue Trail, etc.) are easy enough for the little guys & certainly easy enough for us as well. They are well maintained, go uphill in some areas, flat in others, skirt a small creek, a large pond with turtles, fish, ducks & geese, lots of marked trees & meadows, all good distractions for big & little hikers.

I was heretofore unfamiliar with this tract of land despite having spent plenty of time in the…read morearea. It seems I missed out, as a splendid variety of experiences were available for free. Traversing an overlook over the river, I went down into a valley, spotting majestic birds of prey, a large fish, energetic baby turtles, singing frogs, and a snake, all spotted in less than an hour. As wildlife preserves go, this one had a lot of wildlife. Conditions vary of course, but there were a couple more hours worth of trails I didn't get to. Near the entrance were some buildings, including a water station and primitive bathrooms. People seemed to come for a variety of reasons.

This is a big park and it has a lot to offer. Once you enter on 3rd Street from Pittsvylania, you…read morecan either turn left for picnic tables or go straight for the kids playground, basketball court, baseball field, and more picnic tables. The park runs along Roanoke River, where you can fish. There is plenty of parking. If you go to the left to sit at the picnic tables, you can hear the traffic from Pittsylvania Ave, but it's not that bothersome. There is also a walking trail at the river and dog poop bags available. We came to this park with our dog after picking up food to-go from Yamazato in Hurt. It was the perfect place to have a picnic lunch. Besides the light traffic from the main road, it was pretty peaceful.

Great place for walking, exercise, a picnic, anything really. They have bathrooms, and a water park…read morefor kids. There's a nice river on the side of the park, there's a rope swing to go swimming. Fun place!

We have come to the state park before and enjoyed it. We are in cabin 11. when we got here we were…read morepleasantly surprised with the upgrades and a new fireplace. Lots of walking trails. The staff are friendly.

I stay here frequently for tent camping but decided to try a cabin during off season which only…read morerequired a 2 night stay. We had a 2 bedroom which can sleep 6/bunk beds at site 10. The lake view cabins go very very quickly. Since we are all adult we can appreciate the quiet. Open plan with a lovely fireplace and outdoor fire pit. They provided a bundle of wood - but there is wood for sale at specific hours near the camp store. About the wood..... it's a cross between tree cut and saw mill. I paid $7.00 a bundle. Our cabin had a lovely wrap around porch/deck with both a front and back door. Great view as every room had a window including the bathroom. A slight "ick" factor is that the bed had crumbs. They offer everything you could want minus the linen. Side note I have allergies so be aware that a past guest may have had pets. We used sheets as couch covers. We are planning on staying there again. Standing shower, furnished kitchen. No WiFi. I would come back again but only strictly doing off season as it's much quieter.