The Best Fall Hikes for Kids around RVA

Ready to get moving with kids outside? Central Virginia has some of the prettiest hikes around The Commonwealth, and there are so many family-friendly walks and paths to explore. With Virginia's foliage expected to reach its peak fall colors between mid to late October, now is the perfect time to try these family friendly hikes and walks around Richmond.

I've rounded up some of my favorite spots to hike with kids in the fall, and the majority of them are free to visit. These are also all beginner walks and hikes, with 7 of the 8 hikes being completely stroller friendly!!

Follow @thewestendmom on Instagram for things to do with kids in Richmond!

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My Favorite Fall Hikes around Richmond with Kids:

1.A Historic Hike: Hollywood Cemetery

Hollywood Cemetery is a stroller-friendly urban hike in the City of Richmond. Spanning 135 acres with hills, valleys & over 2,000 trees, it's an active cemetery, a registered arboretum & an outdoor museum. Hollywood Cemetery is also the final resting place of two United States Presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler. Since it was established in 1847, you'll find a lot more notable figures!

With views of the river, the city & the fall foliage, this is a peaceful walk you’ve got to try this fall!!

Cost: free to visit

Address: 412 S Cherry St, Richmond, VA 23220

*Check here for my full review of Hollywood Cemetery.

2. A Boardwalk Hike: Dodd Park

This park is 176 acres with a lot of history & a lot of areas to explore! The grounds of the park were used during the Bermuda Hundred Campaign, and there are remnants of these battles & historical markers around the park. Dodd Park has two main areas: an upper area & a lower area. The upper area has athletic fields, picnic areas, a large playground with two play sets & swings. The lower area has a play space, 2.7 miles of trails (paved & hard pack), and a floating boardwalk over tidal marsh!

The floating boardwalk has gorgeous views of the fall foliage, but the boardwalk itself is not stroller friendly.

Cost: free to visit

Address: 201 Enon Church Road, Chester, VA 23836

*Check here for a full review.

3. A Classic RVA Hike: Maymont Park

With 100 acres and 400 animals, Maymont Park is the perfect spot to explore with children, and it is always free to visit the outside park. Most of the paths are easy to navigate with children & strollers, plus there are large, grassy areas for play, hills to run, and old trees to climb.

We especially love visiting in the fall because the property looks gorgeous - you'll see all the colors of fall and the trees reflect on the pond in the Japanese Garden. We enjoy taking the path from the Children's Farm to the Japanese Garden & back (it takes us at least an hour to walk). This is stroller friendly, and we sometimes park our stroller in the garden to explore the more narrow paths. Maymont is a workout - especially coming back up the hills and carrying kiddos.

Cost: free to visit

Address: 1700 Hampton St, Richmond, VA 23220

*Check here for my full review. 

4. A Nature Hike in Short Pump: Deep Run Park

This 165 acre park is the perfect spot to explore with little kids & big kids! It has a pond, 3.4 miles of trails, two separate playgrounds, picnic shelters, a basketball court, soccer fields, and multiple open spaces. Deep Run Park also has the first pump track in central Virginia - it’s made for all ages & abilities. If you visit this week, the park looks beautiful too!

The trails are paved & hard pack - all little kid-friendly. A regular stroller works on most trails too.

ICYMI: The rec center hosts Story Tots & Tunes (for 2-5 yo & caregiver). This free class meets on the 2nd & 4th Tuesday of each month from 10-10:45.

Cost: free to visit

Address: 9900 Ridgefield Pkwy, Richmond, VA 23233

*Check here for my review of Deep Run Park.

5.A Hike for Sports Fans: University of Richmond's Lakeview Walk

Located on University of Richmond’s campus, Lakeview Walk is a paved trail around Westhampton Lake & it’s open to the public. This trail has partial shade, with full shade on one side. Our favorite parts of the trail are the bridges over the lake & the gazebo on its own “island.”

Tyler Haynes Commons is also located on the Lakeview Walk - it is climate controlled, has bathrooms & food options! Park by Westhampton Lake & Pitt Field (baseball field) for the easiest access to the trail.

Westhampton Lake’s trail takes ~10-30 minutes to complete with kids, depending on your speed. Also, if there's a sporting event going on around campus, you can easily watch it during your walk! We love stopping by the football field, tennis courts and baseball fields as we stroll!

This trail is: stroller friendly, bike friendly, scooter friendly and toddler friendly,

*Check here for more details on walking at University of Richmond.

While these hikes are not in the Richmond metro-area, they are an hour and half or less from RVA. They are worth the trip because of the gorgeous fall foliage views plus each one is stroller-friendly and bike friendly!

1.A Mountain Hike: Saunders Monticello Trail

Located in Charlottesville, this ADA accessible trail is worth the drive! It's in Kemper Park, this 2 mile trail is wheel chair accessible! We like this trail because we can easily bring a stroller, it has beautiful mountain scenery, there are unique boardwalks & it has lot’s of the shade! There are also a bunch of other hiking trails that connect to it. These gravel paths, boardwalks & woodland trails weave through the trees, by a pond & Palmer Woodland Theater, and all the way up to Monticello Visitor Center.

This entire trail has gorgeous views of the fall foliage, and it's entirely stroller friendly.

Cost: free to visit

Address: 503 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy, Charlottesville, VA 22902

*Check here for a full review.

2. A Historic Tunnel Hike: Blue Ridge Tunnel Hike

Also known as the COOLEST HIKE IN VIRGINIA, the Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel is an ADA accessible trail that has a 4,273 foot-long historic railroad tunnel through Afton Mountain! In the fall, you will see exceptionally beautiful views of the fall foliage too (peak colors are expected between October 10 and October 31).

This trail is perfect for train lovers, history buffs and every day explorers! With a trail of mixed, small gravel and paved paths, you will find pedestrians, cyclists, families with strollers and wagons, and self-propelled mobility devices.

The total trail is around 2 miles one way, and 4 miles if you go out and back. Since we opted for a hike without a stroller, we went about 2 miles - walking from the parking lot to the tunnel and then turning around.

I found the East Entrance to be pretty easy with children. Park at 215 Afton Depot Lane. It has a large parking lot with portapotties.

Heads up: It's completely dark in the tunnel. Every one in your group will need a flash light. You can also get your kiddos head lamps too! Also, bring a jacket. The tunnel stays around 50 degrees all year.

Add on visiting Blue Mountain Brewery and apple picking & pumpkin picking at Critzer Family Farms for a full day of all fun!!

Cost: free to visit

Address: 215 Afton Depot Lane

*Check here for more things to do around the hike!

3. The Longest Pedestrian Bridge Hike: High Bridge Trail State Park

The High Bridge is longest recreational bridge in Virginia -- it's more than 2,400 feet long & 125 feet above the Appomattox River! While the complete trail is 31 miles, you can jump on the trail at Camp Paradise. It’s just .3miles from the bridge.

I love this hike for families, especially with young children. The paths are wide & flat. It’s completely stroller friendly! You can also ride bikes, scooters or horses. A new visitor center is being built at Camp Paradise too. The 2,600 square-foot trail center will resemble a 1900s train station with exhibits & an ADA-accessible path to the trail!

Cost: parking fee of $5 per vehicle

Address: 1466 Camp Paradise Road; Rice, Virginia (Prince Edward County)

*Check here for my full guide. Check here for details on how to visit Virginia State Parks for free!

For more things to do with kids around Richmond, follow @thewestendmom on Instagram!