James River Park - The Wetlands

It was a very beautiful park. The greenery + view of the river felt very serene. It has been raining the past few days, so the path was a bit muddy. There are warnings at the front of the park how bikers shouldn’t go through the muddy trails, but that wasn’t the case when we were there. There’s a lot of shade, so it was bearable for a 90 degrees day sunny clear day. I was expecting it to be full of people, like at Belle Isle, but surprisingly there weren’t a lot of people. Great trails for dogs since it’s pretty shady. I didn’t give it a 5 star because we ran into a few trees that were down. One of them had a power line intertwined with it, so that’s dangerous. Not sure if there’s a park ranger that checks out the trails daily like other parks in the area, but it could be kept better. I do appreciate how by the water, they have signs of warning based off of how the river is that day.

A beautiful area of the park adjacent to Pony Pasture and accessible to it along several different paths, including women around the river. Dear and a variety of birds can usually be seen. There is a boardwalk along a more marshy area of the path. Parking is limited unless you park at Pony Pasture and walk over. There are no restrooms or water fountains, so plan accordingly.

A welcome respite during the long lockdown months, we walk almost daily taking in the birds and wildlife, and just experiencing the rhythms of nature during wet and dry times, and through the changing seasons. A real place of natural beauty in the midst of the suburban landscape.

Great walks near the James River. Good location to watch for birds on their migration routes. Dogs should mainly be leashed. River access. Parking is very limited. One option is to park at Pony Pasture and follow the river trail to Wetlands. Be sure to see the pond from the blinds to see wildlife.

What's not to like? It's 1/4 mile to the water from where you park. Super calm waters. Just awesome. We'll be exploring the trails next time!