TRAIL USERS PLEASE BE AWARE!
The Trail has been rerouted along the industrial section( the first mile between Jordan's Point/Veteran's Bridge and the Mill Creek Entrance). For additional information, please visit the VMI website at this address: http://www.vmi.edu/news/headlines/2016-2017/chessie-nature-trail-rerouted.php
The Trail has been rerouted along the industrial section( the first mile between Jordan's Point/Veteran's Bridge and the Mill Creek Entrance). For additional information, please visit the VMI website at this address: http://www.vmi.edu/news/headlines/2016-2017/chessie-nature-trail-rerouted.php
| chessie_trail__alternate_route_map.pdf |
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Boulevard stretch of the Trail, around mile post 3, offers a nice shady stroll.
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Video courtesy of Cadet Goode
"Compared to other trails... It's Beautiful and Flat. The cows were a new element".
~ Bobbe Graham Runner in the Chessie Trail 2016 Half-Marathon |
The trail runs for 7.2 miles between Lexington and Buena Vista.
Great for cyclists of all ages. User-friendly gates. |
Hike Run Bike
Our first Chessie Trail Half-Marathon and 5K was a huge success, with a great turnout -- more than 300 runners/walkers on the Trail between Lexington and Buena Vista! Runners praised the event’s organization, which included aid stations, a food tent, and an EMT crew from Virginia Military Institute, which owns the Trail. Props to VMI for all the prep work they did, and to our volunteers! We’re looking to do it again next October, and may have a run in spring 2017 as well! Stay tuned …
Cyclists tell us they love the new user-friendly gates that the Friends of the Chessie Trail have installed along the Trail’s 7.2-mile span. We’ve now replaced all but one of the old farm gates. The new self-closing gates allow cyclists, runners and others to pass through without having to lift/climb over. The FOCT Maintenance crew has also laid down more than 20 tons of gravel to stabilize your ride. Give us your feedback, please!
The Trail’s total of 7 miles easily breaks up for shorter hikes, with multiple entrances along the way. Its level path, shady stretches and lovely scenery make it an ideal outing for families. Special-interest groups including birders, geologists and wildflower lovers frequent the Trail, and one of our current working goals is to make the Trail more ADA accessible. Check out our Events listings and our Facebook site ( friends of the chessie Trail ) for happenings on or about the Trail!
Read our Trail news –like the semester-long project that one class of VMI cadets took on...see TRAIL NEWS
Our first Chessie Trail Half-Marathon and 5K was a huge success, with a great turnout -- more than 300 runners/walkers on the Trail between Lexington and Buena Vista! Runners praised the event’s organization, which included aid stations, a food tent, and an EMT crew from Virginia Military Institute, which owns the Trail. Props to VMI for all the prep work they did, and to our volunteers! We’re looking to do it again next October, and may have a run in spring 2017 as well! Stay tuned …
Cyclists tell us they love the new user-friendly gates that the Friends of the Chessie Trail have installed along the Trail’s 7.2-mile span. We’ve now replaced all but one of the old farm gates. The new self-closing gates allow cyclists, runners and others to pass through without having to lift/climb over. The FOCT Maintenance crew has also laid down more than 20 tons of gravel to stabilize your ride. Give us your feedback, please!
The Trail’s total of 7 miles easily breaks up for shorter hikes, with multiple entrances along the way. Its level path, shady stretches and lovely scenery make it an ideal outing for families. Special-interest groups including birders, geologists and wildflower lovers frequent the Trail, and one of our current working goals is to make the Trail more ADA accessible. Check out our Events listings and our Facebook site ( friends of the chessie Trail ) for happenings on or about the Trail!
Read our Trail news –like the semester-long project that one class of VMI cadets took on...see TRAIL NEWS
The Chessie Trail Today
The Trail begins in Jordans Point Park in Lexington, just below the cliffs of the Maury and Virginia Military Institute on VMI Island. The Trail originally crossed the Maury directly from the park on a footbridge that stood on the foundations of the old C&O railroad trestle, washed out in 1969 by Hurricane Camille.
Today, the Trail leaves Jordans Point at Route 11 and crosses Veterans Bridge going north across the Maury. From there, walkers, runners, and cyclists may turn left onto Furrs Mill Road and descend to the Trail along the north shore of the Maury; travel under the bridge onto the “industrial” section of the Trail, and reach the more wooded area at the Mill Creek Gate.
The Trail begins in Jordans Point Park in Lexington, just below the cliffs of the Maury and Virginia Military Institute on VMI Island. The Trail originally crossed the Maury directly from the park on a footbridge that stood on the foundations of the old C&O railroad trestle, washed out in 1969 by Hurricane Camille.
Today, the Trail leaves Jordans Point at Route 11 and crosses Veterans Bridge going north across the Maury. From there, walkers, runners, and cyclists may turn left onto Furrs Mill Road and descend to the Trail along the north shore of the Maury; travel under the bridge onto the “industrial” section of the Trail, and reach the more wooded area at the Mill Creek Gate.
