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So…my daughter and I were out Sunday looking for new places to ride. The challenge is that my daughter is 2 and she loves to ride with daddy, but daddy does not like riding on the road…especially with baby on board. (Yes I have a special rack on my bike that allows me to put a baby seat on my mountain bike.) So we are looking for new and exciting off road places that will not bore daddy to death, but still mild enough as to not endanger baby. We are cruising parallel to the James and see signs indicating outdoor activities, so I banged a left and went in search of. We spoke to several people and were delighted at how nice everyone was and the "vibe" was great. So we strapped in and took off. We rode for a good 45 minutes on smooth, well-maintained trails with mild switchbacks and foot bridges. It was almost level with just enough roots on the paths to keep you attentive. My daughter and I had a blast. We paused for awhile and played in the playground with the other well-behaved children and had a great time. We then went back and enjoyed another half hour or so of riding through the woods beside the river and generally had the most perfect day imaginable. As we wrapped it up and were headed back to the car, I had to stop where we came out of the woods to wait for a car entering the park. I looked over my shoulder to check on my nugget and that is when I saw it…a little bitty sign on a post about 3 feet off the groung in small lettering that said something to the effect of "Pedestrians only on paths". I was crest-fallen, heart-broken, crushed. There had been no sign where we entered the wood, but there was clearly a sign here. Robious Landing, tucked neatly behind James River High School on the south bank of the James, after providing a single perfect day…was now inexplicably off limits. I hate haters.
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Bummer. But hey, with a 2-year-old on the bike you won’t get in trouble!
The thing is, the trail probably isn’t closed to bike for environmental reasons–more than likely it’s to avoid hiker/biker conflicts. Since you’re riding slow and not in a big group, hikers shouldn’t mind too much.
I ride with my 3-year-old using the "Tyke Toter" on my mountain bike and she loves it too. It’s fun to see the looks on people’s faces when we come tearing down the trail!
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Is this the James River Park System in Richmond, VA? If so, there is a ton of bike-legal singletrack to be had there. Not sure exactly which trail you were on (or if that’s even where you were), but do some searching in the trail database here on Singletracks.com, and I’m sure you can find some good stuff to ride!
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I had a similar experience there. A riding buddy of mine lives in a neighborhood that is connected to the park. I took my son over to their house one day, we geared up, rode through the neighborhood, hopped on a short bit of paved path, and then connected to dirt trails that led us right into the park.
We were having a great time and everyone we encountered was pleasant until…we encountered two two trail runners as my buddy’s son was trying to pedal up a short hill. He ran out of steam and sort of did a stop and hop causing the runners to have to dodge him as they came down the hill. One of the runners yelled at us informing us that bikes weren’t allowed on these trails.
We headed toward home after that, but still encountered people that didn’t seem at all concerned that we were on the trails with bikes. The next day his wife called the county and they confirmed that bikes were not allowed. I don’t recall seeing any signs either, but I am sure they are there somewhere. If you look at the park’s website it does reference the trails as "walking trails", but it doesn’t specifically say bikes are prohibited.
@mtbgreg1 – this park is on the James River, but west of downtown out in Chesterfield County. It is a nice park — unless you want to ride your bike.
@Brisco — if you haven’t already, check out Pocahontas State Park. There are miles and miles of fire roads to explore the park and when your daughter is ready, there is some sweet singletrack you can jump on. As far as JRPS, you can ride the fire road that runs along the train tracks. It can be easily accessed from the Reedy Creek parking lot. It also will take you over to Belle Isle and Browns Island. There is plenty to explore on relatively tame trails. I highlighted some of that area here. -
Thanks for the replies, and Fleetwood, you rock. Thanks!
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Just keep going in where there is no sign. Pleed ignorance it busted. Ignorance is bliss, so be happy. May not be a perfect but the young one will love it! 😄 Later,
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If the sign said "walking trail" why we’re they running?
I,have been doing about half of my rides with my 5 year old daughter in tow on her third wheel trailer as of late. Great load of fun. Really need to attack the climbs now.
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yeah, good info to me, Thanks for the replies, and Fleetwood, you rock. Thanks!
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