Cold Harbor Battlefield

A pleasant hike on the winding and rolling hills of the trails at Richmond National Battlefield Park.

Be warned! In the humid summer months, you'll probably want to use bug spray to keep the mayflies off. Parts of the trail pass a creek and some swampy wetlands.

Parking at the visitor center, you can access the trails that pass back and forth across Union and Confederate trenches. Several rolling hills make for steady endurance training and beautiful scenery.

This hike first travels across the open field from the visitor center before entering the wooded trails for the remainder of the track. Several intersections give you options to shorten or lengthen your hike as desired. I take a left at the first Main Trail (Blue) intersection; then turn right at the road following along until the Extended Loop Trail (White) breaks off into the sticks again on the left.

Take a left to include the Western Trail (Yellow) loop, which takes you out to a beautiful lake and then back. Take a left to continue the Extended Loop Trail (White) around the remainder of the battlefields.

I often pass songbirds on the trails and see some larger birds at the lake on the Western Trail (Yellow).