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TRIP DETAILS
LENGTH 2 miles
DIFFICULTY Easy, very accessible
DATE Jan 18, 2018
MAIN FEATURES Flat urban trail, accessible to all hiking and biking levels. Sun!
There’s something so lovely about witnessing the power of mother nature taking back her space with her vines, rust and ability to move just about anything she wants back into place.
I’m currently writing this post in a good old fashioned Minnesota blizzard. As much as I like being out in it, I’m going to wait until the wind dies down and hopefully get to play in a foot of fresh snow. It is a contrast from the 60 degree temps and rushing water I saw a few days ago in Richmond, Virginia.
After a day of work, I was eager to go on even a short hike that was both out of state and above sub zero temperatures. The first few hikes of the year have been a little brutal ranging from -7 to -29 with windchill! So, 54 degrees felt like 70 to this Minnesota girl.
In the center of downtown Richmond, Belle Isle has had many occupants in it’s history including a colonial village, nail factory, fishery, Civil War POW camp, power plant and still holds a few curious sights that sparked our imaginations.
Belle Isle is a small (54-acre (0.22 km2)) island in the city of Richmond, Virginia. Belle Island lies within the James River, and being owned by the city it serves as a city park. It is accessible to pedestrian and bicycle traffic via a suspension footbridge that runs under the Robert E. Lee Bridge from the northern shore of the James. Except when the water level of the James is high, it is also reachable by foot from the southern shore via easy boulder-hopping. From Belle Isle, one can see Hollywood Cemetery, the old Tredegar Iron Works, and Richmond City’s skyline. Belle Isle has many bike trails around the island, and has a small cliff used for rock climbing instruction.
Crossing the suspension bridge offered wide views of the river that led to the shoreline on the other side. Kayakers enjoy the rapids here in warmer weather.
In the 2001 movie Hannibal, the powerplant can be seen as Agent Starling runs across the bridge on the South side of the island. [eeeek!]
But the best part of the trip was connecting with family. We had so much fun, we forgot to take a good picture of us all together…of course! I’ll just have to go back!
Have you been to Richmond VA? Share your suggestions of things to see and do below.
Happy Trails!
~WP