 >>ADD EVENTChurch Hill Creative Homemakers Society Sat Mar 20 4:00 pm Lower floor of Leigh Street Church (517 North 25th Street) Church Hill Irish Festival Sat Mar 20 10:00 am @25th and Broad Streets - The festival will begin Saturday at 10AM with a walking parade to include traditional Irish mu... Libby Hill Park Mulch Day Sat Mar 20 9:00 am Friends of Libby Hill Park and Church Hill Planters invite everyone to help spread mulch! Come for an hour or all mornin... Shop Richmond Weekend Kick-Off Sat Mar 20 10:00 am On March 19-21, 2010, join Shop RVA in shopping at only locally owned businesses.This support will promote these compani... Anniversary Reenactment Sun Mar 21 1:00 pm Join us for the 235th anniversary of reenactment of the Second Virginia Convention of March 1775. In the presence of Was... Church Hill Irish Festival Sun Mar 21 10:00 am @25th and Broad Streets - The festival will begin Saturday at 10AM with a walking parade to include traditional Irish mu... City Council Formal Meeting Mon Mar 22 6:00 pm Every 2nd and 4th Mon - Responsible for deciding official Council action, which includes discussing, adopting, rejecting... Open Mic @ Poe's Tue Mar 23 8:15 pm Weekly Open Mic every Tuesday at Poe's Pub, hosted by Jim Daab. Sign up at 8:15, music at 9PM Veggie Bus Tue Mar 23 10:00 am The veggie bus will be parked at 25th and Broad on Tuesdays from 10AM untill 2:30PM and then the NRC on Williamsburg Ro... Beginner's Yoga Wed Mar 24 7:00 pm @ Neighborhood Resource Center - 1519 Williamsburg Road - Relax, renew and do something great for the community! All pro... Veggie Bus Wed Mar 24 11:00 am The veggie bus will be parked at 25th and Broad on Wednesdays from 11am till 7pm starting Jan 6th. We will always be... Beginning-ish Gardeners Workshop @ Chimbo Community Garden Sat Mar 27 2:00 pm Backyard Farmers will be conducting a workshop covering soil health and amendments, planting, watering, bed management, ... >>ADD EVENTCLASSIFIEDS RVA News Best Community Blog 2010  RVA News Best Comments 2008  RVA News Best Community Blog 2007  Richmond Magazine 2007 Editor's Pick "Media Pleasures" |
March 27, 2008good bike rides?A question from a potential resident of the area:
5 Responses to “good bike rides?”Share a CommentPlease remember that you are talking to your neighbors.
|
RECENT COMMENTSMelanie West on John Jones is missing
tiny on Arrest made in Whitcomb shooting
RECENT POSTSSEARCHARCHIVESCATEGORIESTAG CLOUD22nd Street 23rd Street 24th Street 25th Street 27th Street 32nd Street ACORN Armstrong before/after BHC book Broad Street calendar CAR CHA CHDP Chimborazo Park city council Cynthia Newbille Echo Harbor Eric Schindler Fairmount Avenue fire football for sale Grace Street historic photos Libby Hill map Marshall Street McQuinn MLK MS M Street Oakwood Heights pets Que Pasa question Robinson Theater Sector 111 Sector 113 trees Tricycle Gardens UHCA Venable Street zoning
COMMUNITY BLOGS |
||||||||||
)
Riding out into the East End of Henrico County is great for road miles. There are some good rides through the city, too – you can do a safe and fun 30 miles without leaving the city. Richmond Area Ridefinder has information about different group rides.
The RTD has a map of the mountain bike trails along the river. The North Bank Trail and Buttermilk form a nice loop. This is all 2 or 3 miles west of Church Hill, so you can easily get there w/out a car. The only problem is getting back up the hill afterward…
A little bit of Buttermilk:
And North Bank:
John M is right about the great trails within a few miles of Church Hill. But it also should be noted that many of the bike/hiking trails along the James River (Buttermilk, North Bank, Belle Island etc.) were developed and are maintained by volunteer organizations like James River Outdoor Coalition (JROC who’s mission is to build and maintain safe bike trails) and Friends of the James River Parks (FoJRP -who’s mission is to preserve, improve and conserve our urban park system for everyone. Ride – enjoy and consider joining either one of these organizations or others that support our James River and City Parks.
By the way, Earth Day is coming on 19 April maybe you would want or organize a bike ride down to Mayo Island from Church Hill in support of using bikes over cars as viable means of transportation and recreation.
Also we will have (Earth Day and FoJRP) booths at the upcoming Church Hill Irish Festival … so drop by and let’s talk and pick up a map or two or trails in Richmond.
JJ
richmond is an urban mountain bikers paradise. I have mountainbiked in many parts of the east coast including ashville, north carolina and still find the trails we have within a short riding distance of church hill some of the most enjoyable I have ridden. There is the buttermilk and northbank trails that have already been mentioned. Both are single track trails of moderate technical difficulty such as off-cambered areas, rocks and roots, and some challenging short climbs. The buttermilk trail gets less sun, so the trail surface has a tendancy to be more wet while the north bank gets more sun and is almost always dry even after a rain. The views of the James river from the northbank trail can take your breath away if you take the time to look up on your ride. Also, there is a great trail in forest hill park that is great for conditioning (has some challenging climbs as well as some good down hills followed by more climbs. This is also a single track trail. These are all accessible by a 7-8 minute ride from church hill on the city streets. You won’t be disappointed.
There are some great Road loops starting in Church Hill and heading East. I agree with the other comments on mountain biking… it’s a snap to get to Belle Island from here, and then the trails along the river. I’ve been in Church Hill for a year, and have found the biking to be terrific. (Running, too, with the Canal Walk).
I agree with all the comments here… Great trail riding abounds in the vicinity of Church Hill – and you don’t need a car to get to the trailheads. If you ride over to Tredegar / The American Civil War museum (about a mile’s worth of urban street riding) you can then take the pedestrian bridge over to Belle Island and access the great trails of the James River Park System south of the James as well as Forrest Hill Park.
OR you can jump on North Bank trail by Tredegar – instead of taking the pedestrian bridge at all. Northbank is a great ride that takes you over to Maymont Park / The Pumphouse area (more trails) and you can also utilize the Nickel Bridge to hook over to Buttermilk Trails south of the river for your ride back (or vice versa).
Note that the Kanawha Canal Walk provides an interesting link from Shockhoe Bottom to Belle Isle (you can pick it up near Bottom’s Up Pizza). In theory, then, you can travel almost the entire distance from Church Hill / The Bottom to Maymont or Forest Hill Parks with almost NO street riding if you utilize the Kanawha portion (though I believe bike riding on the walk it technically prohibited).
Also, there’s a fun little BMX jump course in Gillie’s Park (just past Poe’s Pub, heading east) that can be fun for just tolling around. There are also some VERY rugged trails around the foot of Chimborazo Park near Gillie’s. You may want to check them out on foot first but I caution that they’re not well maintained (if at all) and are only for the most technically adept rider. Beware of sudden drop-offs, low branches, and assorted debris along the way (bricks, shopping carts, tire rims, etc)!!!!! Sketchy indeed.