Forest Hill Park
Forest Hill Park has been around for awhile. It celebrated it’s 160th anniversary in 2002 and was also named a historic landmark by both the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register. Once a large country estate, the park became a terminus for a trolley line that was brought from downtown Richmond, which drew new residents to South Side Richmond. In the early 1900’s, an amusement park was established in the park. Waning popularity caused the amusement park to close in 1932, partially due to the Great Depression. The park was acquired by the City of Richmond in 1933.
The park is about 100 acres and has 2 miles of trails. The trails have been used as part of the Xterra Off-Road triathlon race numerous times since 2000. The trails are accessible from Reedy Creek and Riverside Drive. Since the trail system is so small, most people combine them with Buttermilk, North Bank, and Belle Isle to create a longer route. The trail system would be considered technically difficult singletrack with good “flow” and lots of lung-busting, quad burning hill climbs.
