fluvanna heritage trail

What a gem we have here in Fluvanna Co. I have traveled to NoVa and MD areas to go to parks and anything this awesome would have charged a fee to get in. Many of the trails go by the Rivanna River, there are baseball and soccer fields, pavilions and picnic tables. Too many things to mention. Oh, I forgot the dog park! Google them to find out more. It's a lovely area. You won't be disappointed.

Fluvanna County is named for the Fluvanna River which was the early name of the upper James River bestowed by early settlers who explored West of Jamestown, VA. Fluvius (sp) Latin for river and Ann for the current king's wife. The Rivanna River which bisects Fluvanna County is also named River Ann. This trail has branches on both sides of the river close to the County Seat, Palmyra, VA. The old mill ruins date from 1813, the lock is from early navigation of the Rivanna where canal boats headed down river to the James at Columbia and on to Richmond via the James River Kanawha Canal. The 1828 rock piers which once supported a covered bridge can be seen from the trail. And after a leisurly walk you can visit the village of Palmyra which was formed @ 1818 and see the Old Stone Jail Museum and the 1830 Courthouse.

Had a great day here, the trails are nice and beautiful. Found cicadas, bear prints in the mud, and a few geocaches.

There are numerous trails here including a trail for horses (local residents only) and a dog park trail. My brother, my daughter and I took the yellow river bluff trail. There were several trees across the path but they were evergreens which had come down during a heavy snowfall last week (our area had a lot of trees down due to the weight of the snow). It was also very muddy but that being said we had a great time. It was a lot of up and down good sized hills and other than the downed trees the trails were very clean. We didn't even finish our hike before we stated talking about coming back and checking out the other trails. At the beginning of the trail, there are restrooms, information boards (the flyer box was empty but the trail was very well marked), and even a small covered picnic area. There website can be found at : http://fluvannaheritagetrail.org/index.html

My husband and I are locals who have enjoyed wandering around the Pleasant Grove property off Route 53 ever since it was purchased by Fluvanna County in the 1990s. The Heritage Trail is actually a system of trails through various parts of the 1,000 acre property.If you're looking for an easy walk (similar to the Saunders Trail at Monticello which consists of boardwalks and wide gravel pathways) then there are two walks that might interest you here: the Rail Trail, which starts at one end of the village of Palmyra. It follows what was formerly an old railroad track high above the Rivanna River and is only a little over 1 mile roundtrip. Just be forewarned that on weekdays it's sometimes hard to find parking for this one.And on the other side of the river (where most of the Heritage Trail paths are located) is the Sandy Beach Trail. Billed as a handicap-accessible trail, I'm not exactly sure if it could be considered wheelchair accessible (maybe the upper-half only). Parking is readily available at this eastern trailhead, with a dog park right near the parking area, and some picnic shelters within close walking distance. This is probably the most popular walk, so expect to meet a lot of people, and some dogs off-leash (dogs should be leashed outside the fenced dog park, but people seem to forget this). This path takes you right down to the edge of the Rivanna River (and dogs and people alike hop into the water on hot summer days). It's a 2-mile round-trip.The rest of the trails are akin to what you'd find in the Shenandoah National Park – somewhat narrow pathways through the woods, negotiating all sorts of terrain. Even though there are quite a few foot bridges, be ready to hop across some wet spots or tip-toe over stones to get across other narrow waterways. Be sure to wear sturdy footwear on all of the paths (hiking boots aren't really necessary -- walking shoes or sneakers should be sufficient), and watch where you're going. Sometimes there are small stumps, sticks or rocks in the paths that could trip you up & we recently encountered a limping jogger who had taken a stumble, hence the limp (the high school cross country team runs on a lot of these paths, but I wouldn't say they'd be my first choice for running or jogging).We love the long hike – 6-miles round-trip on the River Bluff Trail, with a couple of wicked hills to carefully negotiate up and down. This path follows the Rivanna River along the whole length of the Pleasant Grove property, through a young forest that is regenerating from former farmland (every once in awhile there is a spectacularly large & old-ish tree near the trail).The River Bluff Trail is very well marked, with plastic yellow dragonfly signs tacked to trees along the way, and mileposts every 2/10ths of a mile to let you know how far you've walked (and how far back you have to go to get back to your car). The Equestrian Trail also seems to be very well marked (with white plastic horseshoe signs). But some of the side trails are not as well marked, and most don't even appear on my old copy of the trail map. We bring lots of water with us (and a cell phone), and love to explore, but I'd advise the more casual visitor to stick to the well-marked trails.If 6 miles is too much of a trek, park at the local Fluvanna County Library and start on the trail in the middle. Behind the library is an entrance to the mid-point of the River Bluff Trail (and other side trails).There's quite a bit of history across the property as it was a working family farm for much of its history. The old Haden House is located at the west end of the trail system with a large family graveyard in the front yard. Family graveyards also exist near the other major parking areas – one behind the county library, another near the Sandy Beach Trail.I've been disappointed by the lack of wildlife we've seen along the trails. Maybe we're just unlucky, but usually we only scare up a few napping deer. There are trails through the fields in front of the Haden House that are billed as the Birding Trail. I have seen some fantastic hawks from this trail, but the woods seem fairly quiet. Maybe we need to walk earlier in the morning to enjoy anything more unusual than bluejays, chickadees, titmice, and an assortment of woodpeckers. Nevertheless, we were thrilled to encounter a box turtle eating an overripe pawpaw by the trail this autumn.And speaking of eating, bring snacks or a picnic lunch for your hike -- there are lovely picnic shelters at both ends of the trail system – near the Haden House & the Sandy Beach walk -- and a few picnic benches & sitting benches scattered along the pathways.