60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Richmond: Including Williamsburg, Fredericksburg, and Charlottesville - Softcover

Riggan, Philip

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1634041283 ISBN 13: 9781634041287

Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press, 2019

Synopsis

It’s Time to Take a Hike in Richmond, Virginia!

The best way to experience Richmond is by hiking it! Get outdoors with Virginian authors Philip Riggan and Nathan Lott, with the full-color edition of 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Richmond. A perfect blend of popular trails and hidden gems, the selected trails transport you to scenic overlooks, wildlife hot spots, and historical settings that renew your spirit and recharge your body.

Explore the urban wilderness of the James River Park System in the heart of the city. Trek across the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains at Walnut Creek Park. Marvel at the pristine shores of the Potomac at Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve. Immerse yourself in Civil War history at Richmond National Battlefield Park. Admire views of the Appomattox River from the High Bridge trestle. With this book as your guide, you’ll learn about the area and experience nature through 60 of the River City’s best hikes!

Each hike description features key at-a-glance information on distance, difficulty, scenery, traffic, hiking time, and more, so you can quickly and easily learn about each trail. Detailed directions, GPS-based trail maps, and elevation profiles help to ensure that you know where you are and where you’re going. Tips on nearby activities further enhance your enjoyment of every outing. Whether you’re a local looking for new places to explore or a visitor to the area, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Richmond provides plenty of options for a couple hours or a full day of adventure, all within about an hour from Richmond and the surrounding communities.

About this title

About the Author

Philip Riggan spends much of his free time outdoors and considers his hikes in Montana at Glacier National Park his favorites, although he has enjoyed hiking along the Appalachian Trail in Virginia as well. Since he hung up his soccer cleats, he has devoted more time to riding bikes, hiking, and paddling. He is lucky enough to have his family join him on many of his outings. He also volunteers in Richmond-area parks and public spaces and appreciates all the wonderful and generous people he has met who share a common goal to increase respect for our natural environment. Phil holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Richmond and a master’s degree in urban planning from Virginia Commonwealth University. After 23 years in the media business, he switched careers in 2016 and became a transportation planner for the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission, focusing on bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and improving connections to mass transit.

Nathan Lott holds a journalism degree from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. The son of an Air Force officer, he has lived and traveled widely in the United States, Europe, and the Near East. He credits his parents with fostering the appreciation for history, culture, and the natural world that serves him well as a writer.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

MALVERN HILL BATTLEFIELD, RICHMOND NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK

• DISTANCE & CONFIGURATION: 3-mile loop, plus optional spurs
• DIFFICULTY: Easy
• ELEVATION: 125' at trailhead, 70' at low point
• SCENERY: Battlefields, mixed forest, open fields and farmland
• EXPOSURE: Mostly open, except a wooded stretch in the middle
• TRAFFIC: Low
• TRAIL SURFACE: Dirt, gravel doubletrack, brief sections on paved road
• HIKING TIME: 1.5 hours
• SEASON: Year-round during daylight hours
• ACCESS: No fee
• WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Wheelchairs not recommended on trails
• MAPS: At parking lot shelter kiosk and nps.gov/rich
• DRIVING DISTANCE FROM CAPITOL: 15.6 miles
• FACILITIES: Shelter with benches and interpretive recordings; no restrooms
• CONTACT: 804-226-1981, nps.gov/rich
• LOCATION: 9175 Willis Church Rd., Henrico; Glendale/Malvern Hill Battlefields Visitor Center: 8301 Willis Church Rd., inside the Glendale National Cemetery
• COMMENTS: The Lee vs. Grant 1864 Campaign Civil War driving trail connects to Malvern Hill. Metal detecting is prohibited. Stop by the nearby Glendale/Malvern Hill Battlefields Visitor Center (8301 Willis Church Rd., 804-226-1981, nps.gov /rich), inside the Glendale National Cemetery, to see its interpretive displays.

DESCRIPTION

The Seven Days Battles ended at Malvern Hill on July 1, 1862. The Union and Confederate armies collided for the final time that week on ground that gave an immense advantage to the defenders, which in this case was Union General George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac. Confident in their support from naval warships behind them about 2.5 miles away on the James River, McClellan elected to stop and invite battle, according to the Civil War Trust and Richmond National Battlefield Park.

Confederate General Robert E. Lee recognized the power of Malvern Hill. Working with General James Longstreet, Lee devised a plan whereby Confederate artillery would attempt to seize control of the battlefield by suppressing the Union cannon there. Lee suspected his infantry could assault and take the position if they did not have to contend with the Union batteries.

Gently sloping open fields lay in front of the Union position, forcing Confederate attacks against the hill to travel across barren ground. McClellan unlimbered as much artillery as he could at the crest, facing in three directions. Nearly 70,000 infantry lay in support, most of them crowded in reserve behind the hill.

Malvern Hill’s trail system enables visitors to see almost every position of the battlefield. This battle took place before earthworks became a focal part of battlefield strategy. Interpretive signage along the trails, along with park maps and recordings, details the events of the Seven Days Battle and what happened at Malvern Hill. The White Trail is 1.5 miles long and has almost no shade. It can be accessed from the trailhead parking lot on Carters Mill Road. Interpretive signage along the way helps explain the events of the Malvern Hill battle. The Blue Trail connects with the White Trail and is also 1.5 miles long. It begins just west of the Parsonage and reconnects with the White Trail at the location of the Confederate artillery. Much of this loop is shaded, passing through woods and along streams where Confederate soldiers traveled and gathered to await orders to attack Union troops at Malvern Hill.

For this hike, park at the main trailhead on Carters Mill Road. From the trailhead, look for cannons positioned across the open fields to see the Confederate lines. You’re standing along Union battle positions. Follow the White Trail in a counterclockwise loop, walking along the road briefly before crossing and continuing along the field edge.

To the right of the trail, you’ll see the Thomas J. West house, which stood as a prominent part of the battlefield scene―a goal for attacking Confederates and a landmark along the Union line. Most of the fresh Federal troops marching from the James River to the front on July 1 moved past the house, coming under direct fire for the first time here.

The Union army had nearly 200 cannons at its disposal. When the Confederate artillery appeared on the opposite fields, the Union cannons blasted them into silence. Gunners then attacked the Confederate infantrymen, firing into unprotected masses charging up Malvern Hill’s gentle slope. The trail continues along the field’s edge. During our late-June hike, corn was growing in the fields and mulberries were ripe for the picking along the edge of the forest. The trail soon meets the parking lot opposite the Parsonage on Willis Church Road. Stop to read about the infantrymen on both sides and their positioning during the battle.

The two chimneys at the edge of the treeline are all that’s left of the Parsonage, which was an important landmark during the battle. Before the attacks, Confederate division commander D. H. Hill met with his officers near the house. Colonel W. Gaston Meares of North Carolina was killed by a shell in the yard. Confederate artillery attempted to take position in nearby fields as Lee watched from a blacksmith shop across the road. The Parsonage was destroyed by fire in 1988.

From here, pick up the trail as it enters the woods. Cross over a small footbridge and follow the rooted and worn path to a junction with the Blue Trail. For a shorter hike, continue along the White Trail. For this mapped route, turn right onto the Blue Trail and walk deeper into the forest.

On the afternoon of July 1, 1862, much of the Confederate division led by General D. H. Hill crowded into this forest, which offered cover from the Union artillery. Hill believed there would be no attack at Malvern Hill, but it quickly became evident that an attack had begun. Hill’s division formed lines of battle in these woods, considered “exceedingly rough” terrain.

As you hike, the mixed hardwood forest is characterized by American beech, red and white oak, and tulip poplar. American holly and flowering dogwood are common in the understory, and the ground layer is characteristically sparse, with a variety of ferns, sedges, and vines. This type of forest is valuable, as it creates needed habitat for birds, many of which are rare and endangered. Known inhabitants include the Acadian flycatcher, Carolina wren, Carolina chickadee, red-eyed vireo, tufted titmouse, and red-bellied woodpecker.

As the trail crosses a muddy creek, signs of horseback riders are evident. Frogs quietly peep, birds sing, and the wind slowly moves through the trees. The trail emerges from the woods at Carters Mill Road. Carefully cross the road and follow the signs to take a left and walk along the edge of a field. This trail passes the former home of Dr. Carter, which stood on a knoll in this field in July 1862. The original Carters Mill Road also passed through the field during the battle. Although the trees farther along the trail blocked the view of Malvern Hill, it did not prevent Union batteries there from regularly dropping shells into this field.

Enter the woods briefly before reemerging in another open field. This is the Confederate position visible from the trailhead, which should now be easy to see as you reach the cannons. This is also where the path rejoins the White Trail loop.

For a moment, ignore the historical aspect of Civil War sites and consider the value of battlefields preserved as green space. The grassland provides an abundant natural ecosystem, and these fields are ideal for bird and wildlife observation. Grasslands of warm-season native grass species were much more common during and just after Colonial settlement, when they existed as pasture and fallow agricultural fields. Now, in many areas suburban growth threatens wildlife, and native grasslands have declined due to human development and conversion of pasture to cool-season grasses. This has precipitated the decline of the bird and pollinator species that nest and forage in this habitat. By maintaining Civil War battlefield lands in native warm-season grasses― rather than in crops, lawn grass, or cool-season hay―the park can portray the historical appearance of a fallow field while providing critical habitat for grassland wildlife.

Continue on the White Trail to the right of the cannon positions, and trace it back to the trailhead. The trail follows an old farm road. At the time of the Malvern Hill battle, soldiers likely found cover in the well-worn roadbed, situated below the fields.

As of this writing, the nonprofit Capital Region Land Conservancy had reached a deal to purchase the adjacent 900-acre Poindexter Farm, a heavily forested property in Henrico and Charles City Counties that includes a portion of the Malvern Hill battlefield. Much of Poindexter Farm is on the other side of Western Run Creek, farther east of the West House and the Parsonage.

NEARBY ACTIVITIES

Not far from Malvern Hill is Glendale/Malvern Hill Battlefields Visitor Center (804-226-1981, nps.gov/rich). The adjacent cemetery holds nearly 1,200 graves, many of them Union soldiers who died in the battles of June 30 and July 1, 1862. At present there is no developed access to the park’s property at Glendale.

While in eastern Henrico, Civil War buffs may also want to visit the Fort Harrison unit of Richmond National Battlefield Park (804-226-1981, nps.gov/rich), to the southwest. To reach it, follow Willis Church Road south back to VA 5 (New Market Road) and take a right. Drive about 10 miles, then turn left onto Battlefield Park Road, which takes you through several properties of the battlefield.

GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES N37° 24.787' W77° 15.045'

DIRECTIONS From Richmond, take I-64 to I-295 heading south. Take Exit 22A and VA 5 (New Market Road) southeast. Travel 4.5 miles and take a left onto Willis Church Road (VA 156). Take a left at a T intersection to stay on Willis Church Road. The entrance for the park will be on the left. You can also take VA 5 from downtown Richmond. Drive 15 miles east on East Main Street, which becomes VA 5 (New Market Road) after crossing into Henrico County. Follow the directions above to Willis Church Road.

Edition details

• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1634041283
• ISBN 13: 9781634041287
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 344