Venture off campus
Students can explore many parks and trails around the area
Adventure — Lynchburg and the surrounding areas offer opportunities to catch a breath of fresh air. Photo credit: Courtney Russo
Lynchburg, Virginia, is home to more than just Liberty University. Beyond the bounds of campus, recreational activities abound.
The James River Heritage Trail network, described by lynchburgva.-gov as the city’s “greatest asset,” is a 10-minute drive from campus, and offers tree-shaded avenues for running, walking, and biking.
Park the car at Percival’s Island or one of seven other access points and take advantage of 21 miles of mostly flat paths. Karin Botzenhart, Lynchburg resident and recent Liberty graduate, said her “craving for exercise and adventure” is satisfied by a 13-mile bike ride on the Blackwater Creek Bikeway.
Hike — Students relax and enjoy the view . Photo credit: Christieanna Apon
“After a long day at work, these trails offer relief to my stresses,” Botzenhart said. “The trails travel through miles of urban greenery and are a hidden treasure right in the heart of the city.”
Bikes can be rented from Bikes Unlimited Downtown Riverfront for $12 an hour. The shop is located at the junction of the Blackwater Creek and Riverwalk trails, which its website calls “the perfect place to hop on a bike and explore the trails.”
Hiking is another of Botzenhart’s favorite activities.
“With the Blue Ridge Mountains so close by, the temptation is always there to go out and get lost on an adventure in the woods,” Botzenhart said.
Sharp Top Mountain, visible from Liberty’s campus, “provides a spectacular panorama from the top,” according to Botzenhart. Located in Bedford, Virginia, it is within an hour’s drive of campus.
Lynchburg also plays host to a variety of parks. One of these, Riverside Park, is 14 minutes from Liberty and boasts tennis and basketball courts, a sprayground, as well as the first dedicated hiking trail in Lynchburg.
Created in the 1920s, the mile-long Alpine Trail offers a steep loop overlooking the James River, according to the
Lynchburg city site.
Waterfall lovers will be pleased to know that Virginia is host to 42 waterfalls, as tallied by geology.com. Located in Nelson County, 45 minutes from campus, Crabtree Falls is the highest waterfall East of the Mississippi, as stated by the website virginia.gov. Dropping 1,200 feet over a series of five major cascades, the falls can be enjoyed from a wide, gentle path to the base.
The more adventurous hiker will be tempted to continue up the three-mile-long trail, which promises spectacular views of the waterfalls, as well as wide vistas of the Tye River Valley.
Panther Falls is another of Virginia’s hidden treasures. The falls were the destination of a Liberty brother-sister dorm outing two weekends ago. Jessica Trotter, a resident of the Annex and a freshman at Liberty, went on the trip and had a great time.
“I think everyone should go and enjoy it with friends,” Trotter said.
The site, according to swimmingholes.org, stands out due to its “beautiful falls with several deep swimming places.” However, it is advised that only the lowest pool is used for swimming and that visitors should stay off all other falls, as slippery conditions, hidden rocks and fast currents render the rest of the falls highly dangerous.
The falls are about an hour’s drive from campus, an hour which Trotter said “flew by” because the students were having so much fun together. Once they arrived, it was only a 5 to 10-minute hike to the falls, according to Trotter.
Dozens of other activities are available for the outdoor enthusiast, including kayaking on the James River, hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail, or exploring the Liberty Mountain Trail System on campus.
Jimmy Slyby and Jordan West, freshmen at Liberty, did just that on a recent Saturday.
“The trails were beautiful and worn. … They would have been even more beautiful had we known which way was North,” Slyby said, reflecting on the two and a half hours spent wandering through the woods on what should have been a 25-minute hike.
Outdoor adventures like this one can strengthen legs, lungs and friendships, as West and Slyby will attest. Botzenhart said that the trails allow her to de-stress, pray for people that come to mind and admire God’s creation.
Botzenhart also recalled escaping north to Shenandoah National Park and being left breathless by
the views.
“Our God took good care to create a world that we could delight in,” Botzenhart said.
For more information on parks, trails and directions, visit lynchburgva.gov or virginia.org.