Always a great place to get out into nature. One of my favorite places to hike with great views of…read morethe river or the woods.

This past weekend, I went to one of my favorite local parks in Vegas, and it prompted me to think…read moreof my favorite urban parks across the United States. Belle Isle was the first place that came to mind! I lived in RVA (Manchester) for a year from 2007-2008, and Belle Isle became a second home for me during that time. As an avid adventurer, I highly recommend Belle Isle for the following reasons (based on my pre-pandemic/circa 2008 experiences): 1.) Egalitarianism: It's a great place to mix and mingle with people from all walks of life. 2.) It's a great choose your own adventure type of place where you could spend an entire day doing a mix of the following activities: kayaking, hiking, biking, swimming, reading, sunbathing, whiling away time on the rocks, cloud gazing, having a picnic, doing landscape photography/photoshoots, etc. 3.) The James River! It's the only Class III-IV white water rapids in the U.S. running through the heart of a city center. 4.) Wildlife (especially the aquatic birds)! 5.) Proximity to the rich culture, food, and history in Downtown Richmond that you can explore before or after your Belle Isle adventure.

This park has amazing trails, gardens, and an amazing playground for kids. It is ADA accessible…read more just know that the playground is next to the Pickleball court.

Beautiful park with a variety of trail offerings. I was here for almost 2 hours and still don't…read morethink I saw everything. There is so much to explore here and offers something for every level of stepper. Whether you're looking for an intense hike or just a leisurely stroll, this is a great spot to be. The park has multiple entrances and different access points which would make multiple visits here still feel fresh. The park is very hilly and has a lot of inclines so keep that in mind. Once you get down to the park you'll be greeted by the lake trail where you can walk in a loop around the stunning lake. You can also do catch and release fishing here which I saw multiple people doing. While the lake trail is paved, this park also has a variety of cobblestone and natural trails as well. The walks are pretty shaded and all have stunning views of either greenery or some water component. This is a great walking spot if you're wanting to really dive into nature and experience some stunning views. This is definitely a more mild intensity walk mainly because of the inclines, they also have stair entrances to get on the trail as well. There were quite a few people on the trail, consisting of families, groups and even solo walkers. Despite its almost secluded nature this park felt relatively safe with the amount of people present. You may want a trail buddy if veering into the natural trails but the paved lake loop was pretty open making it feel safe for solo walkers. Overall, with its variety of entrances, views, and the moderate challenge, this park is a great choice for regular walkers and nature lovers!

I completed a hike with Stacy on May 4th at Dragon's Tooth and it was a blast! Stacy was an…read moreexcellent guide for many reasons: 1) she was very attuned to the pace of the group (there were 3 of us) and regularly checked in about breaks. 2) she knew the trails around the area very well and was able to point out some interesting things along the way, much of which I wouldn't know if I was just hiking alone. 3) she was just a joy to be around and managed the energy of the group well. The end of the hike involved some technical rock climbing/scrambling skills that I am still getting comfortable with. I was scared, but knew I wanted to challenge myself. I was a little slow, but she and the others in my group were super patient and encouraging, and as a result, I made it up the tooth! I really appreciated that she let me go at my own pace and guided me through that part. I felt pretty accomplished and was able to enjoy even better views at the top. Totally worth it. This was my very first time visiting this part of Virginia and I didn't know what to expect (oftentimes up north hiking in early May might entail dealing with mud season and I really wanted to explore somewhere new). I can easily say I will be coming back to the Blue Ridge Mountains very soon because it's so gosh darn beautiful. My hike with Getaway Adventures was definitely the highlight of my quick little trip to the area.

From the owner: We believe that each adventure is as unique as the individual on the adventure…read more Offering group and private preplanned guided day hikes, overnight hikes and camping trips. Mix and match day hikes for camping trips. Add a 30 minute yoga or stretching session to any day hike for a Yoga on the Summit trip. Have a trip in mind that we don't offer? There are so many great national parks, state parks and other trails that we couldn't list them all! To tailor your outside adventure even more just give us a few details on our custom adventures form found on our website and request a trip! We will work with you to plan your trip details.

Upon my visit to Richmond, Lena M said walking this pipeline trail was must…read more Honestly, I have never seen anything like this! While at first I was freaked out to climb down the little ladder onto the actual pipe, I am so glad I did. The trail is on a pipe that is over the river and one of the cooler things I have experienced as a walk. There is metered parking in the area and you can easily find a spot before your walk. There are also little beach areas off the pipeline where I saw people relaxing, which seems nice on a good weather day. Overall, you should check this out when in Richmond as it is such a unique experience!

Love the Pipeline Trail... what a cool look at the underbelly of RVA! We hiked all the way along…read morethe river to Belle's Island and loved the scenic views and this bridges and tracks above us! What a fabulous way to get in touch with nature, enjoy the foliage, while getting exercise! I'm looking forward to going again! Word who the wise: wear good shoes! No flip flops!

This is near oregan hill if you keep walking down past the rope swing to the bridge that goes up on…read morethe left side facing the view! Super cool view and nice to see the train! Behind you the cars are driving across the bridge so it's a bit thrilling especially if ur scared of heights like me

Texas beach is a nice surprise off the pipeline trail. It is a nice stop and look, maybe wade to…read moreankles/knees and keep moving. Please be careful and no diving or jumping in as the James River is riddled with big rocks and boulders that is not seen with the naked eye. Also a nice spot to sun bathe early in the morning. Also watch out for the homeless as they have become more up front in their approach. They hang out under the bridges and in trail cubby holes.

I visited Maymont on a recent trip to Richmond and was surprised at the size of the estate,…read moreespecially considering that the gardens and outdoor areas function as a free public park. The grounds are beautiful with plenty of areas to relax and picnic. There were lots of people out enjoying the good weather but it never felt crowded. It's a little confusing trying to figure out what things require a ticket/paid admission. On the map they provide, there's no indication that a ticket is needed for the mansion, but one is in fact required. However you have to buy a ticket at the Stone Barn by the entrance. You can try buying on the website but I didn't have great signal. Instead I backtracked to the Stone Barn to get a ticket but the prices were higher than what I was told at the Mansion and they appeared to be limited to timed entry and all the time slots were sold out. Long story short, I didn't see the inside of the mansion, but still spent a good couple hours exploring the outdoor areas. Which was all free so I count that as a win.

Gorgeous home to tour! We really enjoyed our visit and all of the people working were super helpful…read moreanswering any questions we had.

The often-overlooked Wetlands is a great spot to start/end a hike or run. Part of the James River…read morePark System (JRPS), this portion of the park is sandwiched between the Willow Oaks Country Club and much more popular Pony Pasture section of JRPS. I find that the trails are really well maintained in this section of JRPS. Despite the name, even after some rain, the trails are generally in runable condition. It's not huge, but offers several trails that probably total up to a couple of miles. It's well shaded to be nice in the warmer months and also has access to the James River. Street parking is available on Landria- I've always been able to find a space, though it does get pretty busy on weekends in the warmer months. The trails connect with the trails in the Pony Pasture section, providing the opportunity to get in a nice 3-4 mile loop on all trails. You can also add on some more miles by running or walking with picturesque river views along Riverside Drive.

Visited the wetlands yesterday. There is limited free parking at the end of the road at the…read moreentrance. It has trails through the wetland and down to the river. It seems popular with local dog walkers. There are mosquitoes. Not much here and there are no facilities.