Hiking trail near Richmond
 

Hi, I’m looking for some ideas for a nice hiking trail near Richmond.
Thanks

There is nothing near Richmond.

Drive over to the pool in Bradford and get on the walking/biking path behind the pool. Turn right and follow the path thru Bradford, St. Catherine, Newell, Lake Denham, and Dabney. Stop at the pool in Dabney for a short rest and then walk back to your car.

That is what I call a hike.

There is a trail at/around the Okahumpka Rec Center

There’s nothing in Richmond? There are two good-sized ponds and beautiful walking trails to the west of the Richmond pool and the Richmond pitch and putt. I walk them several times a week - lots of wildlife and great nature.

Make's you wonder why people make ridiculous claims

Hogeye Sink
 

Drive on over to Edna's Hospitality (car to Marsh Bend Trail, or golf cart across the Water Lily Bridge). The Hogeye Sink Pathway trail starts/ends near Edna's and Cattail. A nice, paved walking trail that is used by bikers and walkers everyday.

Head East from the Edna's parking lot, and you have a 2-3 mile walk thru the wetlands area of the Villages of Marsh Bend. The trail takes you back to the Edna's parking lot and the Cattail Rec Center.

Hogeye Sink Pathway trail

It's the blue dotted line path in the map below.

https://cdn2.thevillages.com/wp-cont...019/02/map.jpg

That is a terrible idea because it means you have to walk along a MMP where golf carts whiz by.

Didn't you hear about the walker who was killed on an MMP in Chitty Chatty? MMPs are no place to walk.

Much of the trail referred to at Hogeye is bike/pedestrian only-a short distance is also a golf cart trail. Might want to take a peek before such a comment.

There are many parts of the Hogeye Sink Pathway that is pedestrian/bike rider only. That is the Blue portion of the Map I indicated. As for the part shared by an MMP for a short distance, there is also plenty of grassy areas that can be walked adjacent to the MMP.

The maps are quite helpful when studied closer.

Farther away, there is the The Sharon Rose Wiechens Preserve; it is a 624-acre nature preserve in The Villages, Florida. It has a boardwalk and walking path - no bikes, no golf carts. The trailhead is just off Moyer Loop.

We have walked that trail many times. Before the Water Lily bridge opened, the golf cart traffic was not bad, but now it is much too dangerous.

here are much better places to walk or ride a bike, like DeLuna or Hawkins.

Sharon Rose Wiechens boardwalk hardly qualifies as a “hiking trail”- takes about 5 minutes to walk it!

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You are absolutely correct, but some people are just too lazy to look at them. The maps have helped us find the great new walking/biking paths in Lake Denham and DeLuna.

I just checked out several maps that Goldwingnut has mentioned a few times in his videos. Search his website for William Vayens' maps about The Villages..

If you download and look at the latest multi-modal map, you will find MMP, recreational paths, and walking-only paths. A large and detailed PDF that you can use you PDF reader to zoom in for specific area details.

The maps are color coded to help you decide.

There are plenty of areas to safely walk. And others that are shared with bikes. The MMP are the least safe as you do need to be aware of golf carts drivers.

For the MMPs that are frequented by golf carts, always be on the alert, walk on the left-side, single file, facing traffic.

I've heard mention of the death in Chitty Chatty, but I know no specifics. Is there a story or article associated?

A few weeks ago, there was a person(s) airlifted from the tunnel from Hawkins to St.John. I never heard any details about that. I'm curious about what caused the emergency.


I rode a bike for 12 miles on the MMP around Bexley, Saw Grass, Meggison on Sunday. When carts approached, I slowed down and it seemed to work to indicate that I was fine with them passing. I haven't walked on the MMP to have an opinion.

Thank you! This is helpful information.

It’s an MMP, not a CP. Accidents happen. I see a lot more healthy walkers and bikers. That is why we moved to the south side.

That sounds like a great walk. Would you happen to know how far that is?

It's about 2.5 miles doing the complete loop. I take my dog for a walk all the time.

The Richmond path by the dog park is 1.1 miles if you start and end there. The Lake Okahumpka path is 0.6 miles from the St. John's postal station. The Hawkins path is 1.3 miles if you do a complete loop but you will need to walk on a few residential streets for a small portion.

I wouldn't classify this as close to Richmond but if you're looking for something different check out Rusty Nelson's video. Leesburg Lake Denham. https://youtu.be/gQflI4BqRb4?si=kBT9ah8OtfTTf-9x

We really like that walk. It is especially nice because the path is a little elevated and it gives you a nice view of the marsh and the wildlife.

We park our car at the pool and walk down Hawkins Drive to catch the trail around the marsh. When we reach the houses, we turn around and go back the same way we came.