Blue Ridge Parkway - James River Visitor Center

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.

Track an adventure here

Location Details

Recreational Features: Picnic Tables, Interpretive Programs
Amenities: Restrooms, Visitor Center
ADA Compliant: Partial
Seasonality: Open all year

Adventures for Blue Ridge Parkway - James River Visitor Center

Hiking

Flower Power

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.00
Many flowers depend on relationships with pollinators to reproduce. Use the clues in this brochure to see how a flower’s size, shape, color and smell have the power to attract unique pollinators.
Hiking

Types of Trees

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.00
It’s easy to get confused with the various types of trees that can be found in the forest. Use this guide to identify and learn about a few of the common types of trees in the area.
Hiking

Rivers Through the Ages

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.00
In its journey to the sea, a river flows through different stages, much in the same way that an organism grows and ages. In this brochure, you will learn about common characteristics of each stage of a river to help you identify whether the river you’re observing is Young, Mature, or Elder.
Hiking

James River: Lock 7 on the James River and Kanawha Canal

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.00
Before trucks and trains, boats were used to transport goods long distances. At Lock 7, you can use this brochure to discover how locks were used in canal systems and how they helped in transporting goods and people by water.
Hiking

James River: Birds of the River

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.00
The Birds of the River brochure is an illustrated field guide containing some of the more common birds found along the trail. Each illustration contains the bird's common name, Latin name and phonetic spelling of their call. Having trouble locating birds? Use the back panel illustration to identify their preferred location within the forest.
Hiking

James River: Need for Trees

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.00
By following the picture and textual clues found in "The Need for Trees" brochure, you will discover six of the more common trees found in the area. During your adventure, you will learn about the need we, and other animals, have for trees and about the roles they play in the forest.
Hiking

Nature's Hide and Seek - Bilingual

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.00
El Juego Del Escondite En La Naturaleza/Nature's Hide & Seek brochure is designed so that kids of all ages can walk along the trail and discover common things that are often overlooked in nature. Written in both Spanish and English, discover new things hiding in nature with the help of this bilingual brochure.
Hiking

Animal Athletes - Bilingual

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.00
The Animales Atletas/Animal Athletes adventure challenges kids to exercise with the animals. This bilingual brochure gives kids eight different animal exercises they can do along the trail, written in both English and Spanish. From hummingbird hand-swings to lizard pushups, kids are sure to have fun getting in shape with the animals during their outdoor adventures.
Hiking

Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.00
The Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains brochure shows kids where to look for different birds along the trail. The brochure contains illustrations of some of the more common woodland birds and information on how to identify them through various clues. 

Directions

Milepost 63.6 Blue Ridge Parkway
Monroe, VA 24574
Latitude: 37.555480000000
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