Free to be Fit
Autumn is already half over so if you haven't had a chance to check out nearby fall foliage this season, now's the time to do it.
Richmond author Nathan Lott offers plenty of suggestions for where to go in his recent book "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Richmond," a detailed look at 60 hikes within about an hour's distance of the city, including in Petersburg, Williamsburg and Fredericksburg.
Lott spent a little more than one year hiking each of the 60 trails and tracking his experience with a GPS device. In addition to providing key information such as length, difficulty, hiking time, configuration and scenery, Lott also gives readers information on history, ecology and natural sciences in each of his three- to four-page hike descriptions.
The goal of the book is to make taking a day or weekend hike as easy and spontaneous as possible for city dwellers.
"People should be able to enjoy the outdoors and enjoy hobbies without having to plan an entire weekend around it," Lott said. "That's hopefully what this will empower them to do."
While the book focuses on 60 distinct destinations, hikers may find that parks offer more than one trail or that they can adjust their routes based on maps in the book, essentially giving them more choices.
Lott said 60 miles was the magic number because traveling at 60 mph in a car, most of the trails can be reached in about an hour.
"The concept is all about an hour's drive from an urban area so they make for great day hikes for people who live in the city and want to get out and see the countryside," he said.
The book also identifies hikes that are family-friendly or feature Civil War sites, wheelchair accessibility, bird-watching and more.
Lott will host a book signing at Fountain Bookstore tomorrow night to discuss his "60 Miles Within 60 Hikes" and share pictures from his research. But first we caught up with the local author, who now works for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and asked him to share his favorite fall hikes. York River State Park
(757) 566-3036
www.dcr.virginia.gov/parks/yorkriver
$2, $3 on weekends in season (May October)
While many people associate fall hikes with the mountains, Lott said some of the best trails during this season can be found in the Tidewater region along the rivers and marshes. "There's a lot of vibrant color in the marsh area . . . The red maples turn very bright." With scenery featuring upland woods, creek-fed marshland and York River beach, York River State Park is an easy pick and it's only 37 miles east of Richmond. The moderately difficult hike takes an estimated three hours to complete. (Length: 6.4 miles, plus 5.6 miles of spurs (most out-and-back) Cumberland Marsh Natural Area Preserve
(804) 786-7951
www.dcr.virginia.gov/dnh/cumberland.htm
No fee (open February December)
Lott also recommends the Cumberland Marsh Natural Area Preserve for a look at fall colors along Virginia's marshes. "60 Hikes" calls the area a "bird-watcher's delight" and a "year-round home for herons, egrets and raptors." The world's largest population of rare plant sensitive joint vetch also lives in Cumberland Marsh. The 4.5 mile hike is considered easy and takes 2.5 hours to complete. Ivy Creek Natural Area
(434) 973-7772
www.avenue.org/icf
No fee (open year-round)
In "60 Hikes," Lott calls Ivy Creek Natural Area "a model of environmental conservation and education in a growing city." In a partnership with the Ivy Creek Foundation, the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County ensure the land is protected from encroaching suburbia. During the fall months, the area "gives people a little bit more of the mountainous character if that's what they're looking for and lots of color," Lott said. The four-mile moderately difficult hike takes about two hours to finish. Ragged Mountain Natural Area
(434) 973-7772
www.avenue.org/icf/RMNA
No fee (open year-round)
Ragged Mountain combines views from a rocky peak the trail gains more than 300 feet in the first half-mile with scenes of boulder-studded slopes and creek-fed marsh, both providing picturesque images during the fall months. While at the University of Virginia, Edgar Allen Poe hiked the wooded hillsides which inspired his "Tale of the Ragged Mountains." The difficult trail, which encircles the Charlottesville Reservoir, is 5.9 miles with an optional 3.5-mile loop. Hiking time is three hours. "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Richmond" author Nathan Lott will host a book signing Tuesday, Oct. 25, at Fountain Bookstore in Shockoe Slip. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and Lott will narrate a slide show detailing his hikes on several of the book's trails. Previous "Free to be Fit" articles: Disc golf courses Soccer fields Volleyball courts Dog parks Jogging trails Playgrounds Tennis courts
Please sign in to respond | | Register