Trail of the Trees wayside exhibit at the James River Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Length: .5 mile loop
Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate
The Trail of the Trees is a standard nature trail that educates visitors on the trees found in the James River Valley area. It also offers a nice view of the James River from an observation deck. The hike starts at the James River Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Exit out of the building and proceed down the sidewalk towards the pedestrian bridge that spans the river. Here you will find the start of both the nature trail and the James River Canal Trail, which leads to a historic lock once used on the James River and Kanawha Canal.
The Trail of the Trees is cut into the side of a hill overlooking the James River. Forming an oval, it runs along an upper and a lower ridge, and at the ends of the oval you must climb between the two, thus the “moderate” difficulty rating for the trail. Begin the hike by going either uphill or downhill on a set of stone staircases. Since it is a loop trail, it makes no difference which way you go, and going one way or the other has no affect on the amount of uphill walking you must do. If you just want to see the James River from the observation platform, head down the staircase, as that is the quickest way to get there.
Stone stairs at the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Trail of the Trees leads up to the top of the ridge
At the observation platform you can look out onto the James River. The view differs somewhat from the one you can get from the pedestrian bridge in that from here you can see around a bend in the river.
View of the James River from the Trail of the Trees observation deck, Blue Ridge Parkway
I’m not very interested in trees, and nature trails that focus on trees are a dime a dozen, but what interested me about this trail was that so many different species could grow in one area. Signs along the trail describe the trees, though oftentimes so many trees have grown up since the signs were placed that it is hard to figure out which ones the signs are referring to. However, you can still pick up some interesting tree facts if you take the time to read the information as you walk the trail. Round trip, with time to read everything, runs between 25-30 minutes.
Signs along the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Trail of the Trees describe the trees growing in the James River Valley area
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Last updated on December 18, 2023
