James River State Park: River/Cabell Loop (Blog Hike #921)

Trails: River and Cabell Trails
Hike Location: James River State Park
Geographic Location: north of Appomattox, VA (37.63436, -78.81154)
Length: 2.4 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: November 2022
Overview: A lollipop loop along the James River.
Park Information: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/james-river
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=924852
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of US 460 and SR 26 in Appomattox, take SR 26 north 13 miles to US 60, where SR 26 ends.  Continue straight across US 60 to begin following SR 605, and drive SR 605 for 7.2 miles to the park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and drive the main park road to its end at the park's boat launch on the James River.  Park in the boat launch parking lot.

The hike: Opening only in 1999, James River State Park protects 1561 acres on the south bank of its namesake river.  At this point the James River is about 1/3 of its way into its 348 mile eastward course, and it has just exited the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and begun its winding route across the Piedmont toward Hampton Roads.  The river is deep and broad here, but a few small cascades, remnants of the river's more youthful segment through the mountains to the west, persist.

            James River State Park offers many amenities including a 30-site developed campground, several primitive camping areas, a canoe launch on the James River, 18 cabins, several picnic shelters, and 3 fishing ponds.  For hikers, the park offers 14 trails totaling over 22 miles, and most of these trails are also open to horses and mountain bikes.  I came here late one morning with a long afternoon of driving ahead of me, so I chose the short and easy lollipop loop along the James River described here.  Plenty of longer options are available, and I left wishing I had more time to explore more of this park's trails.

Trailhead at boat launch

            From the boat launch, pick up the wide grassy River Trail as it heads west with the river on your right.  All of the trails on this hike are also open to horses and mountain bikes, and a few wet areas need to be negotiated.  Overall, although I did see a couple of equestrian users on my hike, these trails show no signs of heavy horse use.  A row of trees separates the trail from the river, but a few clear views across the wide and scenic river emerge.

James River

            At 0.5 miles, you reach a riverside picnic area with some swinging benches perched beside the river.  Follow signs for the River Trail as it heads up a dirt road that leads away from the river and then turns right to cross a small creek.  Just past 0.6 miles, you reach the trail intersection that forms the loop portion of this hike.  The Cabell Trail continuing straight will be our return route.  This description turns right to stay on the River Trail and hike the loop counterclockwise.

Hiking the River Trail

            True to its name, the River Trail heads back out to the river and continues its southwestbound course in a narrow riverside corridor of trees.  The James River on the right now features some small cascades, and a seasonal wetland appears to the left.  I saw many birds here including redwing blackbirds, woodpeckers, blue jays, and cardinals.

View of seasonal wetland

            At 1.35 miles, you reach another trail intersection.  If you want to extend your hike, you can turn right and continue the River Trail to a primitive camping area where it links up with the Cabell Trail; this option adds about 1.5 miles to the hike.  Because I had a long drive home that afternoon, I continued straight to hike the short connector trail to the Cabell Trail and turned left on the Cabell Trail.

Hiking the Cabell Trail

            When you start the Cabell Trail, the character of this hike temporarily changes.  Gone are the sunny grassy riverside areas, and they have been replaced by a single track dirt trail that undulates through dense maple and beech forest.  The change of scenery only lasts about 0.25 miles, at which point you reach a sunny bench that overlooks the wetland to your left.  At 1.8 miles, you return to the River Trail to close the loop.  Retrace your steps on the River Trail to return to the boat launch parking area and complete the hike.