This is a sweet and relaxing little park near to Monticello. It is 89 acres and comes complete with…read morea nice hiking trail complex, a pond, some great paved and wooden walkways, an arboretum, a woodland theater, and even a "secluded farm." Walk off all the fried chicken at Michie's Tavern by coming here. It will totally make your visit to Charlottesville greener, healthier, and more refreshing. Also, you will meet lots of locals, their kids, and their dogs. This place has a lot to offer those who just need to stretch their legs, fill up the memory cards on their cameras, or really pound out the miles on the trails. Highly recommended to tourists and longer-term residents alike!

Park here and walk multiple trails up the mountain for lookouts or over a boardwalk to Monticello…read more(you can reach the new visitors center / gift shop and restrooms without an admission ticket). Beautiful area. Nice for running, although it was absolutely freezing the day we went. Monticello stop was a nice warm up before heading back to Kemper.

This was a nice family walk. It was not steep and fairly flat. A nice boardwalk meandered through…read moreon one side with small gravel on the other side of the lake.

Beautiful area to walk and take the dog. However I was a bit disappointed. It must have been a long…read moretime since any upkeep was done here. Water was low everywhere but we have had a dry summer. There was no water in the beaver pond at all. The main large pond in the middle did have water, but it is so overgrown that you can only catch a glimpse of it through the brush. No way to get to it. Really sad to see something so beautiful be let go like this. It would be nice if they could extend a boardwalk just to the ponds edge so you could have a look from a platform or something. I drove almost 3 hours to get there, doubt I will go back.

One of our favorite parks to walk at. The small lake is beautiful. It can get busy with folks…read morefishing, but it is generally pretty quiet. There's a swimming beach for the summers. Nicely kept.

Beautiful view. The kayak area actually pretty zen and not crowded at all, perfect to do like yoga…read moreoutdoor or just like pictures taken!!!

I've lived in Charlottesville my whole life and had never rafted down the Rivanna river until…read moretoday. In the beginning it was truly peaceful floating down but near the end got extremely rocky. Our floats got stuck multiple times due several underwater rocks, and one of us had to get out to get us moving again. I feel like kayaking would be a lot more fun on this river as it's easier avoid obstacles. Once you reach the end it is brutal getting out, there are several sharp and slippery rocks that caused two of us to fall and get hurt. But you cannot change nature, it does what it wants. If you want to go I'd probably wait until it rains so the water is deeper and you can have less problems with rocks in the water, otherwise go kayaking instead.

I wanted to go kayaking and explore what Cville had to offer on the riverfront. I launched from…read moreDarden Park and went down the river all the way to I64. The water level was low (as I expected. We are on a drought warning). Made the rocky river a little more interesting. Got down to the bend just north of Riverview park and I was thinking...no problem getting back up the river on my kayak, I am gonna keep going. Then I turned the corner and went down the biggest section of rocky water drop and got wedged in between to rocks. My fault. Got loose and continued on thinking well I can carry my kayak around that coming back. Well the water runs a little harder in the south direction after that. (of not: my kayak is an inflatable). Some beautiful views along the river and some old smokestacks made for an interesting trip down to I64. This is where things got tricky and scarey for me: I should have embanked at Riverview park and walked back from there. Instead I kept going and had no where to get out and having no knowledge of what lied further on and the sun beginning to set I went and wedged myself next to a down tree and an area that would have normally been under water and then climbed up the embankment-it was a comical endeavor with me trying to get my dog and kayak up, as well as, me in flip flops. Walking the Rivanna Trail and then the Old west trail back to my car was very nice! Would be a great trail for some mountain biking and trail runs. Marked with mile markers and well kept.

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!

Shenandoah National Park is beautiful. There is a lot of history here and I recommend doing a bit…read moreof reading before arriving. Or not. You will enjoy it either way. Skyline drive was a CCC project that ran from 1933 - 1941 and it is clear they did an excellent job. All those stone walls, all over the park, are hand crafted by CCC. Besides the 105 miles of paved road and multiple scenic over looks, there are many, many trails leading into the wilderness. Some are easier, others for a more advanced hiker. Cabins, campgrounds, a gas station, gift shops, restaurants, ev charge station and public restrooms are dotted along the road. You can spend a day, or a week, soaking in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Such a beautiful and scenic ride along the stunning mountains!…read more Def coordinating this into all my drives down South!

Sorry for the 1-star (you may change my "review" to 5-star when this is fixed). Often referred to…read moreas "Afton Mountain," Rockfish Gap is not in Bedford, VA. This is the intersection of the Appalachian Trail (abt mp 863.5), Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, I-64 exit 99 (I think), and US Rt 250. To the west is Waynesboro, Stuarts Draft, and Staunton. To the east is Afton, Crozet, and Charlottesville. How do I know? The gap is about 2 miles out my back window. Not much commerce at rhe gap itself, except the wonderful old-time "King's Gourmet Popcorn" stand which has much more than popcorn. There is a motel and a couple of B&Bs a mile or so West on Rt. 250 near the Western edit of the famous Blue Ridge Tunnel (check it out on YouTube), which then pops you out in the village of Afton on the east side of the Blue Ridge. A longer walk back to the Gap, but adequate parking is at either terminus. Afton is in an area rich with wineries, distilleries, and breweries. Blee BleesRockfishRetreat.com

I've been hiking the AT, section by section, for the past 20 years. I'm currently in the process of…read moremoving Stuarts Draft, just 20 minutes form Rockfish Gap. A great section with The Priest not far south of this road crossing

Fantastic trails and so well groomed. Love the amenities- water bowls for dogs and restroom…read morefacilities for humans!

Cute, wide ipen spaces for your dogs to run and play. Trails and an off leash area. Two parking…read moreareas, one upper and a lower one next to a creek. There is a picnic area at the lower parking lot.