Try this trail on a overcast day. It can get pretty sunny and even though much of it is tree-lined, the sun can beat you down. A great trail to have a ride or challenging run. I took my 2 year old son on a trailer for an 8 mile ride and he loved it. The downtown section can get busy but it is very pretty as it runs parallel to the river. The further away from Richmond you get, the river views fade away. Today we started from 4 mile creek trailhead (just after 295 from Richmond) and it offered a relatively flat ride going east for the first few miles. We are looking forward to exploring more of this trail. read more

We enjoyed riding on this trail very much! We started in Charles City and rode 12 miles to Upper Shirley Vineyard to enjoy a picnic lunch and some wine. Then had a scenic and relaxing ride back. I highly recommend utilizing this trail. It is well maintained with pleasant scenery. read more

Never prior to this ride had I ever ridden more than 10 miles, but I had the privilege to ride the 52 miles to Williamsburg on a half overcast, half sunny day. The trail itself is incredible- well paved, wide, and alongside beautiful scenes of farm lands, woods, and rivers. I definitely recommend going during the week if your schedule allows, as I imagine the trail would get much busier on the weekends. I was able to rent some road bikes from VCU's outdoor adventure program (only $8 for a day if you're a VCU student!). The entire trail took about 5 hours, at a leisurely 10-15 mph pace with frequent breaks. It's definitely challenging to ride the entire trail, especially on the uphill sections, but doable with some good bike shorts and lots of water. There's a bridge maybe around mile marker 7 that's over the Chickahominy River that offers beautiful views and breezes, but it's quite an uphill ride over the bridge. We stopped for a lunch break and water refill at the Charles City courthouse, but there are plenty of other stops you can make throughout the trail. read more

Virginia Capital Trail Foundation - Parks Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

This is the best trail or atleast best one I have had the privilege of riding on. 52.1 miles (one way) of open, paved trail for anything except motors. It challenges you not just in distance and hills but you learn about yourself. When there are not random people to say hi to, swerve around or stop behind its just you, your bike and the trail. The trail runs from Jamestown Settlement to Richmond. Estimated time of arrival is based on your speed, weather conditions, scenic photo spots and breaks. The trail is a smooth black top paved trail all the way. There are sporadic stops necessary in crossing busy streets or driveways. There were 2 main trailhead areas. Trailhead areas allow you to take a break, stretch your legs, use the facilities, read the map, and munch on a snack. The trailhead area also have parking lots allowing you to jump on the trail at different areas. Along the way I did see a few benches as well as a put stop that included a bike pump. There are some "nice" hills to challenge you ) or exhaust you). Luckily when you go up you get to glide down most of the time. Bridges are sprinkled around on the trail as well. Those on the trail are a mixture of professional or semi professional bikers to people just out and about. Most people announced they were about to pass me and I actually even passed a few. I stopped on the side to switch my phone and was even asked if I was ok. I was never on the trail for more than 5 minutes or so without someone passing by. Then in areas you are also riding near the road. This all provided me peace of mind. I didn't notice any lights so I would head out early and be off it by dusk. I'm sure a deer or two and maybe a skunk might take you out while riding by. Look up the map and familiarize yourself with where you may want to stop to help you stay focused and motivated but it really is an awesome ride. I made it on a mountain bike but would like to try it again on a road bike. read more

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The bike and pedestrian trail that will eventually link Richmond with Williamsburg and Jamestown is still a work in progress, but the half-mile Richmond Riverfront Trail section is open for strolling and pedaling. It starts at 17th and Dock streets and goes to Shiplock Park. A little further out off Route 5, you can ride over seven miles west beginning at the Charles City Courthouse. read more

Less than a year away from completion! According to its website, the trail will be open in its entirety from Richmond to Jamestown on September 1, 2015. I'm a frequent user of the east end of the trail, which has been completed for several years. While there isn't a ton to see, it makes for a really pretty run- especially during fall foliage- and is pancake flat from Jamestown to the Chickahominy River. Starting from Jamestown, the first two miles of the trail parallel Greensprings Road in James City County before converging with and paralleling Route 5 for its duration. The entire stretch through Charles City County (about 20 miles) is now complete. I made it about 4 or so miles into the county approaching from the east on my long run this weekend. I only passed one other group of runners in that stretch (whereas in James City I passed several groups of runners and cyclists). I highly encourage going out early in the morning when the sun is rising. SO peaceful and beautiful. The foundation's website is very useful and has a map that shows where you can park along the trail. Surprisingly, many "experienced" cyclists still favor using the road to the trail. As a runner I'm not complaining. read more

Virginia Capital Trail Foundation - Just east of Charles City Courthouse - Parks Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

The VCT is a gem for Central VA! I have run and biked on the VCT many times and it is a delightful resource for the active Central VA community. I have actually ridden the entirety of the trail (not all at once) and love the scenery. Having so many miles of paved trails that are unencumbered by traffic is amazing. Try it for a walk, bike or run - it's worth it!! read more

This is a decent trail, it's all paved from Jamestown Settlement to downtown Richmond and about 52 miles long. The mileage markers are nice and perfectly set in place. There are plenty of bridges, which are very nicely maintained and the trail as a whole is well-maintained. The issue I have is that there are poor markings where you need them... Such as the start of the trail from the parking lot, I didn't see any signs advising which trail was the start of this trail. Also, in Charles City County, near the courthouse, the trail seems to turn into a sidewalk and then you end up in a parking lot. I had to use a phone app to find out to follow the road through that town to get back out onto the trail on Rt5. If there was a turn I missed prior, they did a very poor job with signage advising of this. Also, once this happens, there's poor signage to get you back onto the trail. Another sign issue would be the many signs they have along the route telling you how far to the next set of attractions... the font is too small to read as you're riding a bike up to, without having to stop. They need to make these signs much bigger. It might be fine for those who are walking, thus going slow enough to read it without stopping as they walk by. Restrooms are portable jons and are poorly managed as well. Again, the trail as a whole is relatively flat and rather easy to ride and the folks along the way were friendly enough to wave me on rather than making me stop to let cars cross, thus allowing me to keep my momentum, which was really nice. Definitely a "must do" for those who ride mountain or road bikes! read more

Would not recommend this trail for tourists. Rode around downtown Richmond for a little short of an hour looking for this trail. The address lasted here leads you to a bridge with no signage posted to lead you to the trail if it is anywhere near this address. Also, in asking locals who even worked for the park nearby this address, they did not know where the trail was and had never heard of it. We even tried following the limited signage posted around downtown (1 sign which just had a bike symbol) and it lead us nowhere. Long story short, we did not find the trail. I'm sure this trail is a gem for locals who know how to get to it but it should not be advertised on the Richmond tourism website as a tourist attraction until there is more signage posted so that people can actually find the trail from downtown. read more

I live close to the entrance at route 5 and I 295. There is a great parking lot to prepare for a journey. The trail is always well taken care of, and a great place to bike, jog, or bring a dig for a walk! read more

Virginia Capital Trail Foundation - Dig jog near four mile Creek entrance - Parks Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Great safe place to ride, could use a few fill stations along the way. Just bring plenty of water and you'll have a good time

I went running on several sections of this trail during the evening while on a work trip. A very nice trail system, indeed! I suggest starting from Dorey Park (drive all the way to the back and park near the pond/dog play area) or Great Shiplock Park. read more