Pocahontas State Park is Ahead of the Curve on Adaptive Trail Inclusion

It’s a sad but true fact that many trail systems don’t have any trails that work for offroad handcycles.  So finding a trail or two that we can ride can feel like a big win.   Finding a trail system that has more than a half dozen adaptive friendly trails is like uncovering a buried treasure.   That’s how I felt after riding at Pocahontas State Park.

Located near Richmond, Virginia, Pocahontas State Park has over 7 miles of trails that were designed with offroad trikes in mind.   They feature a wide trail surface with well designed turns, jumps and features and are even marked as adaptive friendly with big blue signs.   And that’s just the beginner level trails.   There are many additional trails, the blue intermediate rated trails, that are also passable for adaptive bikes, but require advanced riding skills. 

I rode these trails at an adaptive event in April, and I was blown away by how many trails we could ride.   The park is massive with 3 distinct trail systems, all interconnected by gravel service and fire roads.   In total, there are 44 miles of singletrack and 64 miles of gravel service and fire roads.  You could make a full day of riding the service roads if you’re looking for a gravel race type of course.  Here’s an overview of each of the 3 singletrack trail systems.

Morgan Trail System

These trails are old school singletrack, winding through the woods with roots, rocks, sharp turns, creek crossings and lots of handcut fun.  There are 4 trails in this area, 1 green, 1 blue and 2 black diamonds.   We rode the green rated Box Turtle with no problems.

Trail Ridden – Box Turtle: 2.5 miles long with some roots and rocks to navigate. It seemed more like a blue intermediate for adaptive bikes.

Lakeview Trails

There are 3 trails in this area, stacked loops that ride along the lake and connect to each other so you can cater your ride to anywhere from 3.6 miles for 1 loop, up to 8.2 miles for all 3 loops.   We didn’t ride these trails as the general consensus was that they are narrow singletrack that might be passable but not easily.   I would like to try these someday though.

Swift Creek Trails

These trails are the stars of the show for adaptive riders.  This is the newest trail system at the Park and the trails are built for great flow and progression for all skill levels, and most trails connect to a central hub.   There are 5 green rated trails that are designated as adaptive friendly:

Blueberry Downhill –  1.4 miles, fast downhill run with jumps and fun turns

Blueberry Climb Trail – 2.4 miles, fun climb winding through the woods, back to the hub

Bell Lap Downhill – 0.6 miles, another fast downhill with jumps, not as many turns

Bell Lap Climb Trail – 0.9 miles, return climb back to the hub

Bellberry – 0.5 mile beginner climb trail, an alternate way of climbing to the top of Blueberry downhill section

Even More Trails at Swift Creek

In addition to the 5 green adaptive trails, we also rode the following trails that are blue or black rated, but are still rideable for adaptive bikes.  We had support riders along and we did utilize them in a few spots on the blue rated Sunsetter and black diamond rated Zero trail.

Blue Jay – 0.6 miles, a blue intermediate flow trail with lots of jumps and berms.  Wide enough for three wheelers, but some tricky off camber sections that require good balance and skill.

Corkscrew – 1.4 miles, a blue intermediate/advanced trail that is a little narrower than the green trails, and has some technical sections with roots and rocks, as well as flowy, winding fun through the woods.

Lost Spring – 1.4 miles, another blue intermediate/advanced trail similar to corkscrew, but with more flow and berms.

Sunsetter – 2.1 miles, this trail is rated blue for regular bikes, but it’s definitely advanced for 3 wheeled bikes.   There are quite a few challenging rocky sections, some narrow off-camber trail and some creek crossings that could be difficult for some.    A support rider is recommended for this one. 

JT (Jerry Trail) – 3.8 miles, this is the newest trail in the park and it’s really well done.   A blue intermediate trail that’s mostly cross country but does have some technical sections as well.   At nearly 4 miles, it will give you a nice long ride.

Zero – 2.4 miles, this black rated trail has a little bit of everything.   Challenging rock sections, closely spaced trees, steep descents and climbs and flowy cross country too.   A support rider is required in one or two spots and recommended for a few others.  It’s worth the effort though, it’s a really fun and challenging ride.

To summarize, Pocahontas State Park is one of the best places I’ve ridden.   Not only have they put a lot of thought and resources into making the trails accessible for three wheeled bikes, but the trails there are really fun to ride.  They have something for riders of every skill level and ability. 

To see what the trails at Pocahontas State Park are like, check out the Youtube playlist below for full ride vids of all the trails listed in this article.