At milepost 63.7 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, stop at the James River Visitor Center to stretch your legs on the Trail of Trees or Canal Lock Trails. Or you can make a day of it with the 3.5-mile Otter Creek Trail that connects Otter Creek Campground to the James River Visitor Center.
Where better to learn about the evolution of transportation than along “America’s Favorite Drive?” Traveling through the James River Gorge has evolved from foot, to boat, to rail, to today's modern highway road system. At the visitor center, you can discover why Virginians built a canal system rather than simply float along James River, and why a railroad would buy an entire canal system.
Location Details
Adventures for Blue Ridge Parkway - James River Visitor Center
Flower Power
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Types of Trees
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Nature's Hide & Seek
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Rivers Through the Ages
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James River: Lock 7 on the James River and Kanawha Canal
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James River: Birds of the River
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James River: Need for Trees
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Longitude: -79.366605000000
Partners
The TRACK Trail program is sponsored by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.
The Peaks of Otter TRACK Trail was made possible through a partnership formed between the Kids in Parks program and the National Park Service.
There are several other activities for kids available on the Blue Ridge Parkway! To find out more, visit the NPS website at http://www.nps.gov/blri/forkids/index.htm