Virginia’s largest state park, at nearly 8000 acres, takes its name from the famous daughter of Algonquian Chief Powhatan. The name is incredibly apt for the park and the system of trails within it. Pocahontas, meaning “the playful one,” embodies what you’ll experience when you ride your bike, either mountain or gravel, along the carefully built trails and network of gravel roads.
The trails in the Lakeview section of the park are much more “rustic” than those in the Swift Creek and Morgan sections. They offer a little old school feel to your ride and have wonderfull views of the Swift Creek
Pocahontas State Park
Location: Richmond, VA
Length: Up to 43 miles of Singletrack trails and nearly 70 miles of gravel roads.
Ride Time: varies, depending on skill level and routes chosen
Ride Type: MTB
Difficulty: Level 3 Riding: The Pocahontas State Park routes in my book Mountain biking Virginia (also below) highlight the three main trail systems available in Virginia’s largest State Park.
The trails at Pocahontas are divided into three distinct systems that can be combined for an epic ride, all three are documented in detail in Mountain Biking Virginia:
Morgan Mountain Bike Trails: Built in the mid to late 1990s, these trails are known for their technical riding with rocky and root-filled terrain.
Lakeview Mountain Bike Trails: Developed later, these trails offer a mix of rake-and-ride and hand-built trails with rolling terrain and scenic lake views.
Swift Creek Trails: Opened in 2015, these machine-built flow trails are accessible to beginners and pros alike. The Swift Creek Trails include seven miles of purpose-built trails for cyclists with disabilities. The accessible trails were the first of their kind in the Mid-Atlantic Region and set the standard for others that followed, including those closer to home at Patapsco Valley State Park and in Montgomery County, MD.
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