Chessie Nature Trail

About this route

The Chessie Nature Trail runs seven miles along the Maury River between Lexington and Buena Vista, on the former Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad right of way. VMI owns much of the corridor and works with private landowners to facilitate access, and describes the trail as having a relatively flat grade with a gravel and dirt surface. It is a linear route rather than a loop. VMI lists four access points: the north end of the East Lexington bridge on U.S. Route 11 over the Maury, a spot near Mill Creek on Old Buena Vista Road (Route 631) about 0.6 miles east of Route 11, Stuartsburg Road (Route 608) where the South River flows into the Maury, and the eastern terminus where Route 608 meets U.S. Route 60. Pedestrians and bicycles are both welcome, dogs must be leashed at all times, and VMI asks that all litter be packed out. The Institute occasionally uses the trail for cadet marches and says it remains open to the public during those times.

A good deal of what you pass is left over from the corridor's working past. The canal company that built the North River navigation constructed four locks and dams along this stretch — Zimmerman's, Ben Salem, South River and Reid's — and VMI says the remains of all four can still be seen from the trail. Near the Lexington end, Jordan's Point holds a millrace dating to about 1810, built by John Jordan, and was the site of a mid-1800s saw mill, foundry and forge as well as the old canal basin. Farther along, the trail passes an old quarry site with drill holes left from the blasting that built the rail bed and canal works, and a series of concrete "BF" posts that once told train crews the distance in miles to Balcony Falls; VMI's trail log points out the BF 16, BF 14 and BF 13 markers. The river has cut its channel downward over millions of years and exposed large sections of cliff face, and the rock formations along the way run from the Edinburg through the Conococheague to the Elbrook. Toward the Buena Vista end, caves and solution cavities appear higher in the rock. VMI's wildlife notes mention river otters, beavers and muskrats where the view to the water is clear, downy woodpeckers, kingfishers and Northern cardinals year round, and a bald eagle nest that has been spotted from the trail near the Buena Vista end.

A few things are worth knowing before you go. VMI states there are currently no facilities on the trail — no restrooms and no drinking water — so carry what you need for the distance you plan to cover. The route crosses private land, including active cattle farms, and VMI asks users to exercise caution and respect, particularly when moving through gates in the pastureland sections. Ticks are fairly common in the area during warmer months, and where the river has undercut the cliffs VMI warns users to beware of falling rock and to refrain from standing too close to it; undercut banks can also produce small landslides and spots of erosion at the edge of the trail. This is a floodplain with a record to match. The August 1969 Hurricane Camille flood was the highest on record in the area, at a height VMI says would have covered the trail with 10 to 15 feet of water, and later floods washed out pedestrian bridges at South River and Jordan's Point. The South River trestle, lost to Hurricane Isabel in 2003, was replaced in 2021 with a Federal Highway Administration grant; the new bridge and a small parking lot opened that December. VMI's Physical Plant, at gordontp@vmi.edu or (540) 464-7358, is the contact for questions about the trail.

Why this difficulty rating: VMI publishes no difficulty rating for this trail, so none is assigned here. What VMI does state: the trail has "a relatively flat grade with a gravel and dirt surface" on a former railroad roadbed, it runs seven miles between Lexington and Buena Vista as a linear route, and there are currently no facilities anywhere along it.

Highlights

• Seven miles of relatively flat former Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad grade following the Maury River
• Visible remains of four North River canal locks and dams: Zimmerman's, Ben Salem, South River and Reid's
• Concrete "BF" posts that told trains the distance in miles to Balcony Falls (VMI's trail log notes BF 16, BF 14 and BF 13)
• Exposed cliff faces and the Edinburg, Conococheague and Elbrook formations, with caves and solution cavities toward the Buena Vista end
• A bald eagle nest that has been spotted from the trail near the Buena Vista end
• Jordan's Point at the Lexington end: a millrace dating to about 1810, a mid-1800s saw mill, foundry and forge, and the old canal basin
• An old quarry site with drill holes left from the blasting that built the rail bed and canal works
• Two wooden footbridges at the Mill Creek entrance, and a replacement South River bridge and small parking lot opened in December 2021

Map and trailheads

Approximate locations for orientation only. Carry an offline map — cell service is unreliable on much of this network.

Know before you go

Route type

Point to point

Surfaces

Gravel, Dirt

Setting

River

Amenities

Parking, Open year-round

Parking

VMI's trail log states that a small parking lot opened at the South River access in December 2021, alongside a replacement bridge funded by a Federal Highway Administration grant. VMI publishes no parking information for the other three access points it lists (the north end of the East Lexington bridge on U.S. Route 11, near Mill Creek on Old Buena Vista Road / Route 631, and the eastern terminus at Route 608 and U.S. Route 60). Confirm parking availability with VMI Physical Plant, gordontp@vmi.edu or (540) 464-7358, before relying on a specific access point.

Restrooms

None. VMI states there are currently no facilities on the trail.

Water

No drinking water is provided. VMI states there are currently no facilities on the trail, so carry all the water you need. As for the river itself, VMI says the Maury "has relatively high-quality water, but is degraded along the trail as polluted tributaries flow into the river," with agricultural runoff contributing nitrogen, phosphorus, fecal coliform and sediment, and with additional pollution from parking lots, interstates, buildings and other city infrastructure.

Fees

VMI describes the Chessie Nature Trail as a year-round public access trail and publishes no entrance fee, parking fee or use charge for it. No fee schedule appears on any VMI trail page.

Permits

VMI's trail pages state no permit, registration or reservation requirement for general public use. VMI does ask that all planned community events on the trail be coordinated with the Institute in advance to prevent trail use conflicts, and invites groups wishing to hold a trail clean-up or other volunteer maintenance to contact VMI for support.

Hours

VMI publishes no opening or closing hours for the trail, describing it only as offering year-round public access and stating that it is open to the public. For questions or current conditions, VMI lists its Physical Plant at gordontp@vmi.edu or (540) 464-7358; a comment form for trail feedback and damage reports is linked from VMI's trail page.

Dogs

Dogs allowed on leash

Accessibility

Not yet verified

Stroller friendly

Not yet verified

Good with kids

Not yet verified

Seasonal notes

VMI describes the Chessie Nature Trail as a year-round public access trail. Ticks are fairly common in this area during warmer months. Bird interest shifts with the season: downy woodpeckers, kingfishers and Northern cardinals are among the birds seen year round, indigo buntings and barn swallows are summer residents, and yellow-rumped warblers and white-throated sparrows pass through in spring and fall.

Weather exposure

VMI publishes no shade or sun-exposure information for this trail. It does state that the route passes through private pastureland, that large sections of cliff face are exposed along the river, and that habitats along the river include pastureland, riparian buffer and mature trees. VMI specifically flags ticks in warmer months and falling rock beneath the cliff sections.

Cell service

Not yet verified

Emergency

Not yet verified

Hazards and wildlife

• Ticks are fairly common in this area during warmer months (VMI advises appropriate clothing and a thorough tick check afterward)
• Falling rock where the river has exposed cliff faces; VMI advises users to beware of falling rocks and refrain from standing too close to the rocks
• Undercut river banks can cause small landslides, and VMI notes trail users may see spots of erosion at the edges of the trail
• The trail goes through private lands, including active cattle farms; VMI asks users to exercise caution and respect, and to do so particularly when moving through gates in the pastureland sections
• Floodplain corridor with a documented flood history: VMI says the August 1969 Hurricane Camille flood, the highest on record in the area, reached a height that would have covered the trail with 10 to 15 feet of water, and that various floods have washed out pedestrian bridges at South River and Jordan's Point
• No restrooms, drinking water or other facilities anywhere along the seven miles — VMI states there are currently no facilities on the trail
• Shared use: VMI states pedestrians and bicycles are both welcome on the trail

VMI says up to 43 species of resident and transient mammals may be present at some point in the ecosystem around the trail. The most commonly observed are white-tailed deer, gray squirrels, opossum, raccoons, cotton-tailed rabbits and groundhogs; river otters, beavers and muskrats may be seen where the view to the river is clear, along with raccoon and mink. VMI notes that "right before the trail closes, bats may be seen swooping erratically overhead, some of seven or eight known species in the area." Birds seen year round include downy woodpeckers, crows, mourning doves, Carolina chickadees, blue jays, white-breasted nuthatches, kingfishers and Northern cardinals; summer residents include indigo buntings, orioles, tree swallows and barn swallows; yellow-rumped warblers, golden-crowned kinglets, brown creepers, winter wrens and white-throated sparrows pass through in spring and fall. A bald eagle nest has been spotted from the trail near the Buena Vista end. VMI offers a downloadable checklist of bird species and plants. Native plants along the corridor include bladdernut, may apple, pawpaw, solomons seal, spicebush and wild ginger, with heavy invasive pressure from tree-of-heaven, Japanese stilt grass, garlic mustard, Japanese and other invasive honeysuckles, and autumn olive. VMI's trail log asks visitors not to pick or dig up wildflowers, noting that in some cases this can be a criminal offense.

Read the Virginia wildlife and safety guide