For the past couple of months, I’ve been hiking all over Central Virginia. My wife and two children have joined me several times, visiting some old favorites and several new ones, including some fantastic Virginia State Parks.
I love the outdoors, but this is “work,” as I’ve signed on to write a revision of the great book 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Richmond by Nathan Lott and published by Menasha Ridge Press.
I am a big fan of the book — Lott did a great job and I’ve read it and used the book many times to help guide me through some of the Richmond area’s best hikes. Released in 2005 and again in 2010, 60 Hikes is still full of good information, but it is time for an update with many new parks and hikes in the region. The new edition should have plenty more photos, maps and even more of the in-depth information on the best places to take a long nature walk in Central Virginia.
Part of my preparation has been to look for new trails, which would include many of the following:
| NEW HIKES FOR NEW BOOK | |
| Appomattox River Trail * | Powhatan State Park * |
| Forest Hill Park | Powhite Park |
| High Bridge State Park * | Richmond Slave Trail * |
| Larus Park | Virginia Capital Trail * |
| North Bank Park/Texas Beach | * New/improved since 2005 |
Oh, you don’t know about all of these parks? Good, let me write about them in the book and let you read up on them. The next table includes a few more that I’m considering that were not hiked in the first edition. What do you think, are they all worth including?
| CONSIDERING FOR NEW BOOK | |
| Malvern Hill, RNBP | Robious Landing Park * |
| Falling Creek Linear Park ** | * New/improved since 2005 |
| Midlothian Mines Park * | ** Not yet completed |
Of course, adding new parks means there are several hikes that might not make the cut for the next edition. Check the following list and if you feel strongly that any of these hikes must make the next edition of 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Richmond, then you need to let me know (@RigganRVA on Twitter or post a comment below, please).
| ON THE BUBBLE | |
| Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest: Carter-Taylor Multiuse Trail | Holliday Lake State Park |
| Chubb Sandhill State Natural Area | Mariner’s Museum Park |
| Crump Park/Meadow Farm | Prince Edward-Gallion State Forest |
| George Washington Birthplace National Monument | Three Lakes Park |
| Henricus Historical Park | Voorhees Nature Preserve |
| Hickory Hollow State Natural Area Preserve | Willis River Trail, Cumberland State Forest |
Didn’t see your favorite hike listed in one of the charts? Probably means that it will be revisited and written about, but why don’t you follow along to make sure? I’m going to be sharing occasional photos of some of the hikes on my Twitter feed (hashtag #60HikesRVA) and would love to have people who are fans of certain parks contact me and maybe we can hike the trails together. Send me an email if you’ve got a suggestion on a great hike in the Richmond region and please plan on buying the book when it publishes in 2018 (thank you in advance!).
Phil Riggan 