National Park Service
Location:
Green County
News, Updates, & Warnings:
Nothing to report at this time.
Directions:
From Springfield , take Hwy 44 west to exit 69, James River Freeway/Highway 360 east. Take the Hwy 60 west exit and turn right (west). Follow to Hwy M (stoplight) and turn south (left). Follow M to Hwy ZZ (stoplight) and turn right (south). Follow Hwy ZZ to West Farm Road 182, turn left. The entrance is at the corner on the right side. Follow drive to the Visitor's Center. A current valid state ID is required for all persons entering the park . Pay your fee at the visitor's center to get a token to open the gate. Drive through the gate and follow the road to just past tour stop 2, the Ray House. Turn left on the small gravel road and follow it about ¼ of a mile to the horse trailer parking on the right. There is additional horse trailer parking along side the tour road just south of the east overlook area, but there is nowhere to tie your horse. There is a drop-off on the left and the tour road on the right
Miles of Trails:
7 miles.
Trail Notes:
The trail corridor is well traveled and easy to follow. The terrain is gently rolling, with only a few hazards. One stretch of the trail runs alongside a barbed wire fence for a short distance. There are also two creek crossings. One of the crossings is only about knee-deep on the average height horse, but the other is slightly deeper than stomach-deep on an average height horse. There official trail at this point crosses over a large bridge, but the bridge has bizarre-looking cable supports on the sides that your horse could get tangled up in if he spooked. There is no marking at that creek crossing to indicate it’s not acceptable for horses to cross there, and the remainder of the trail is very well-marked if horses are not to go onto a side path. Parts of the trail goes through woods, but large stretches of it are along the edge of large fields so would be very hot in the summer. Work is being done to add erosion control berms and to add gravel to the trail surface. A few spots in the park have places to stop and read the history on the Civil War battle fought there, but several of them can only be accessed by hiking. It's a really fascinating place with a lot of history. Riding off the trail
into the historic areas is not permitted (hitching rails are provided at the historic spots that are located next to the trail). Riding across pastures or fields is also not permitted, and horses are to be kept to a slow walk at all times.
Other Trail Users:
Walkers, joggers, and bike riders.