Blackwater Creek

Planning to go out exploring with your fur buddy? The Blackwater Creek Natural Area near Lynchburg in Virginia is a great place to spend a day outdoors. Your pup won't get bored here as the main trail, the Blackwater Creek Trail, interlinks with six more shorter trails which are all ideal for dog walking. Your fur baby will need to stay on its leash while you're there, but that means you won't need to go searching for them in the undergrowth!

There are three, easily accessible trailheads for the three-mile-long Blackwater Creek trail. They are at East Randolph Place, on Langhorne Road, and at the intersection of Jefferson and 8th Street. Join the trail at any of these points, and in a few steps, you and your fur buddy will leave the city behind to wander through forests on an old railroad track. If you want to explore deeper in the woods, you can. There are multiple, unpaved tracks winding through the trees which your pup will adore sniffing its way down. Chasing wildlife is off limits though, so keep your fur buddy well-reined.

As you go adventuring with your dog, depending on where you started, you'll come across the trail entrances for either the Point Of Honor trail or the very popular, River Walk Trail. The Point of Honor trail is just one and a half miles of easy graded walking. It passes through the scenic Hollins Mill Park where there's a grassy field which is the perfect place for a picnic. The five-mile-long River Walk trail is a mixture of rural and urban as it skirts through downtown Lynchburg, around the Riverfront Park and over the natural area called Percival's Island.

You'll be able to get yourself and pup a drink when you're in downtown Lynchburg, but when on the rest of the trails, it's best to take some water with you. Don't miss out on the Creekside, Kemper Station or the Ruskin Freer Loop. They're all paw-fect for pups. Have a great, dog day out!