Best Hiking Trails in Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia — updated August 22, 2026
Trails in and around Lynchburg, from the Blackwater Creek network and the James River parks to a Peaks of Otter climb off the Blue Ridge Parkway, ranked by how well the reviews hold up.
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Lynchburg's walking is split between three things: the city parks department's trail network along Blackwater Creek, the university-run singletrack on Liberty Mountain, and the Blue Ridge Parkway climbs an hour or so out of town. That mix means you can pick a paved creek-side mile or a mountain summit without changing counties. Below, the trailheads are ordered by how directly they answer the question and how settled their ratings are, with review counts given so you can judge for yourself.
1. Blackwater Creek Natural Area
This is the closest thing Lynchburg has to a proper trail system inside the city limits, and it has the best-supported rating of any of them: 4.7 from 368 reviews, which is enough volume to call the score proven rather than promising. It is run by Lynchburg Parks and Recreation, which publishes the individual routes on its trails-of-Blackwater-Creek page, so it is worth checking the map before choosing an entrance. Because the area is large and reached from more than one point, decide which section you want first rather than driving to the first sign you see.
2. Riverside Park
At 2238 Rivermont Ave, Riverside is the most-reviewed outdoor space on this list by a wide margin, with 1,004 reviews behind a 4.6 rating. That combination is about as settled as local evidence gets, and it reflects a park that draws steady everyday use rather than occasional visitors. It sits on the Rivermont side of town, which makes it an easy pairing with a walk elsewhere in the same afternoon. Details on hours and facilities are posted by Lynchburg Parks and Recreation.
3. Liberty Mtn Trail System - Mike Donahue Trailhead
The Liberty Mountain Trail System is the local option built specifically for trail users rather than picnickers, and the Mike Donahue Trailhead is its better-documented access point, holding 4.5 from 46 reviews. Forty-six is a modest sample, so treat the score as indicative rather than settled. The system publishes route information at liberty.edu/trails, which is the sensible first stop given the trailhead sits on an unnamed road off the 24502 side of town and is easy to drive past. Check the trail page for current access before setting out.
4. Peaks View Park
Peaks View, at 170 Ivy Creek Ln, carries 4.6 from 943 reviews, putting it in the same proven bracket as Riverside. It is a city park rather than a wilderness route, so expect walking rather than climbing, and expect company on good-weather weekends given the volume of people clearly passing through. Lynchburg Parks and Recreation maintains a page for the park with the current details. The Ivy Creek Lane address puts it near the other Ivy Creek entry below, so the two can be combined into one trip.
5. Ivy Creek Park
Ivy Creek sits at 118 Clemmons Lk Pl and rates 4.4 from 328 reviews. That is the lowest average here, but it comes from a large enough sample to be trustworthy, which is more useful than a perfect score from a handful of visits. Read it as a solid, unspectacular walk that a lot of people return to rather than a destination hike. If you are already heading to Peaks View, it is close enough to add on.
6. Harkening Hill
The one genuine mountain hike on this list, and the one that requires leaving Lynchburg. Harkening Hill lies just off the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 85.6, with a 2.8-mile out-and-back that starts and finishes at the trailhead behind the visitor center. It is the lowest of the three Peaks of Otter and the only one with a loop trail that swings by the top. The rating is 4.7, but from just 16 reviews, so the evidence is thin even though the route itself is well documented by regional hiking guides.
7. Point of Honor Trail
Listed last for one reason: it has a perfect 5.0 rating from only 3 reviews, which is not enough to conclude anything. The trail runs off Hollins Mill Rd on the 24504 side of the city, close enough to the Blackwater Creek area to fold into a longer outing. Go if you are already nearby and curious, but plan the day around one of the better-established options above rather than around this one.