Get Outside and Walk the 7 Hills of Richmond! | Richmond Moms

The routes below were kindly shared by reddit user u/trashymob and are a great way to get out of the house, enjoy the spring weather, and get to explore the city of Richmond, all while still maintaining distance. For our family, being able to take regular walks in our neighborhood and nearby trails has definitely been a welcome break from spending so much time in the house, so I’m eager to explore these new routes and get to know Richmond better too! They are all loops, so you will end up back where you started, which makes it easier if you have to drive to get to the start.

 

 

Shockoe Bottom into Church Hill

 

Distance: about 3.75 miles 

Location: 17th Street Farmer’s Market, 100 N. 17th Street, Richmond, VA 23219

 

  • Begin your walk at the 17th St Farmer’s Market, facing Main St. Take a right to walk up Main St and walk past the train station until you arrive at 15th St.

  • Continue down 15th St, then turn left on Dock St.  Walk until you reach 17th St.

  • Continue up to 18th St. Turn left at 18th St, then turn right on Cary St.  Continue until you reach 20th St.

  • Turn left on 20th and walk up one block to Main St.

  • Turn right on Main St.  Turn right on 22nd St. Turn left on Dock St.  Continue on Dock until you reach Pear St.

  • Make your way up Pear Street away from the park.  Walk across Main St and continue up the hill into the park, which is in front of you.  You will make your way across the park to find Franklin St where it intersects with 29th. Perhaps you’ll find one of the staircases…

  • Continue down 29th to the large monument.

  • Go back up 29th St away from the park.  Turn right on Broad St. Continue until you reach 32nd St.

  • Turn around and head back down Broad St. (so that the cross-street numbers are decreasing).

  • Turn left on 23rd St. Turn right on Grace St. and walk up to 22nd.

  • Find the cul-de-sac close by.  This is one of my favorite views of this city when there is fog in the air at dawn.

  • Loop back and turn left to travel up 22nd St towards Broad.  Take a left on Broad St and walk up to 21st.

  • Turn left on 21st.  Turn right on Grace.  Continue until you reach the end of the road at Ambler St.

  • Turn left on Ambler and follow the road around the 17th St. Make a right on 17th St and find the farmer’s market.  You’ve made it!

 

 

Hollywood Cemetery

 

Distance: about 3.25 miles

Location: 412 South Cherry Street, Richmond, VA 23220

 

  • From the parking lot, enter through the gates and walk past the office. Continue to the left at the fork.  You’ll continue on this path for a bit.  Continue around when the path curls to the right. When you get to the “Eastvale Ave.” sign with the Hobson grave behind it, turn to the left.  Take the far left path. As you work up the hill, stay left at the fork.

  • Keep moving straight along this path.  As you crest the hill, enjoy the beautiful view of the James River to your left! At the next fork, again stay left.  Keep going along Waterview Ave. Bare left at the grave of Turner Miller.  Then, at the Fitzhugh Lee grave, turn right.

  • Continue up along the blue line on the ground. At the Turman grave, take the far left path.  Continue on Lee Ave. At the Scott gravestone, bare left.  Follow the road as it curves right onto Adams Ave.  Continue on Adams Ave past Midvale Ave, Ellett Ave, and New Ave. Stay left past the Gordon and Brothers gravestones.

  • Keep to the left at the Bowry grave.  Continue on past Freeman Road. When you get to the Clark Springs Cir. sign, follow the path to your far right.  (You should see the Moore and Coleman graves to your right along this path). You will come up to 4 paths.  Take the road between the gravestones marked “Arrington” and “Bella” to go down the hill. Bare left at the Haxall Ave sign and continue around until you reach the Confederate Ave sign.

  • Turn around and take Westvale Ave. back towards the way you just walked up. When to road forks, go left.

  • Turn right at Freeman Ave. When the road forks 3 ways, take the far left.

  • Just past the Charter’s gravesite, take a “u-turn” around the corner to your left. Continue until you see the stairs labeled Gary, then Evans.

  • At the fork, go left. When the road splits 3 ways, take the middle road.

  • At the fork, go right. Take the next right turn (at the Beasley grave). At the fork, go left.  Continue around to your left to find the Lillie Faherty grave.

  • Turn right on Confederate Ave.  At the end of the road turn left to make your way back up to the parking lot.

 

 

Belle Isle, Gamble’s Hill & Oregon Hill Exploration

 

Distance: about 4.35 miles

Location: 300 Tredegar St, Richmond, VA 23219

 

  • From the parking lot, turn right to travel along Tredegar Street.  (You’ll see the Dominion sign ahead) As you approach the sign, follow the fence up and around to your right to go up the ramp and across the foot bridge to Belle Isle. At the base of the ramp off the bridge, follow the path straight ahead.

  • Keep going. When you see a picnic table, keep following the path as it loops around to the left.

  • Continue on and learn about the old equipment sites along the way!  Hang a left at the call box when you get to the clearing. Make your way back around to the ramp and head back over the bridge.  Once you’ve made it back to the “mainland”, walk back past the parking lot, and then turn left on Brown’s Island Way. Here is Gamble’s Hill – make your way up! (You can do it!) Once you make it up the hill, turn right on 2nd St. Turn left on Spring St. This is before you get to Byrd St. Carefully continue across Belvidere St.  You’ve made it to Oregon Hill. Turn right on Pine St. and continue for a while.

  • Go left on Idlewood Ave. Then, turn left on Cherry St.

  • Go left on China St.

  • Turn right on Pine St.

  • Turn right on Holly St.  At the playground, follow the road to your left.  Continue straight ahead as the road turns to a dirt path to loop down to your right, around to your left, and up the hill to Oregon Hill Parkway.  As you walk down O. Hill Pkwy, enjoy the views and keep going! You’re almost there! When the sidewalk ends, carefully cross to the other side. You will see the Virginia War Memorial come up on your left.  Take a detour up into the memorial and look around.

  • Carefully pass back over 2nd St. and back down Brown’s Island Way.  Make your way back to the parking lot. You made it!

 

 

Maymont Park Exploration

 

Distance: about 2.30 miles

Location: Begin at Hampton Street Entrance, 1700 Hampton Street, at intersection of Hampton St and Pennsylvania Ave (I’m not sure if Maymont is open or the visitor center is just closed but this can be done once it does open if you want!)

 

  • This one had us use the map and hit every spot. I had not actually been to the wildlife side so going through each section was interesting.

 

 

Monuments – Museums – Carytown

 

Distance: about 4 miles

Location: Start from the Belmont Library 3100 Ellwood Ave, Richmond, VA 23221

 

  • Begin standing in front of the Belmont Library.

  • Walk across Belmont Ave and down Ellwood Avenue past Stuzzi. (walk towards downtown)

  • Turn Right on Boulevard.

  • Turn Right on Cary St.

  • Turn Right on Thompson St.

  • Turn Right on Monument Ave.

  • Turn Left on Boulevard.

  • Turn Right on Board St.

  • Turn Right on Lombardy St.

  • Turn Right on Monument Ave again.

  • Turn Left on Robinson St.

  • Turn Right on Kensington Ave.

  • Turn Left on Boulevard.

  • Turn Right on Grove Ave.

  • Turn Left on Belmont Ave.

  • The library will be on your right.

 

 

JSRCC Downtown/MCV Campus

 

Distance: This one I didn’t do because I did the Out of the Darkness walk instead.

Location: Reynolds Community College, Downtown Campus, 700 East Jackson Street, Richmond, VA 23219

 

  • Take Jackson St towards MCV across 8th St.

  • Continue walking down the path in front of you, along side this building.  When you get to the compass on the ground, turn right. Turn left on Leigh St.  Walk down the block. Cross N. 10th Street (Remain on Leigh St.)

  • Keep going.  Once you get to the school of nursing, turn right and continue up 11th St.  Take the shaded side of the street (look for trees).

  • Continue on.  Cross Clay Street, but remain on N 11th St. Cross E. Marshall St. remaining on N. 11th St.  Then, turn left on Broad St. Stay on Broad St.

  • Turn left on College St. (the next cross street). Continue until you reach a staircase on your left.  Take the stairs up until you reach the Molecular Medicine Research Building.  Then, turn right and go down the stairs.

  • Continue walking.  The Hermes A. Kontes Medical Sciences Building should be on your left. Turn left to go up Marshall St.  Cross N. 11th St.  Stay on Marshall St.

  • Keep going.  Cross N. 10th St.

  • Cross over 9th Street, then turn right and cross the street to the John Marshall House.

  • Go left as you exit the brick path through the white gate. Continue down 9th St.

  • Continue walking down 9th St. Cross Leigh St. and continue walking down the street until you reach the Larrick Student Center. Once you get to the Larrick Student Center, turn right.

  • Take a peek at the community garden on your left.  Cool, isn’t it? Now walk up 10th St towards Broad St.

  • Continue walking up N. 10th St.

  • Turn left on Clay St.

  • At the critical care hospital, make a u-turn to come back up Clay St.

  • Turn left on 10th St.  Cross E. Marshall St.  Continue on N. 10th St. Turn Right on E. Broad St.  Cross N. 9th St.

  • Cross N. 8th St. Continue on E. Broad St.

  • Turn right on N. 7th St.

  • Continue until you reach Jackson St again.

  • You made it – Great work!

 

 
 
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