Canal Walk and other trails, Richmond, Va.

To stretch our legs while in Richmond, we checked out the Richmond Riverfront Trail and the Canal Walk in downtown.

We parked at the Great Shiplock Park, where the Richmond Riverfront Trail starts. The park is below Tobacco Row, which I talked about here.

Here's some Shiplock Park shots:

Parking for the Shiplock is to the right and the Riverfront Trail is just beyond that. See the brick building in the background? That's part of Tobacco Row.

Richmond Riverfront is part of the Virginia Capital Trail, which is expected to be completed in 2014. The Capital Trail will connect Richmond, Williamsburg and Jamestown -- the state's two former capitals and current capital.

From Great Shiplock Park, Richmond Riverfront Trail heads west, following along Dock Street. To the south of the trail is a canal and a railroad bridge. Sidney was pretty scared of the train that passed on the bridge overhead. Other than watching for glass shards and the train, we liked this part of our walk, though it's not very scenic.

Tobacco Row is to the right. The canal is to the left.

I think this is actually part of the Canal Walk or this is where Riverfront and Canal join.

The paved Riverfront Trail connects to the Canal Walk 1/2 mile away. I enjoyed this part of the walk best.

The Canal Walk follows along two canals and is decorated with murals and historical markers up and down the trail. It's just over a mile and sections of it is lined with benches and trees. I thought it was very pleasant and would be a good place to take a lunch to escape during a work day. I would love to see what the tree-lined walk looks like in the spring!

Someone seems bored with this section of the trail.

This is so pretty! I love it!

If you decide to explore these trails, the Richmond Slave Trail, which explores the history of the city's pre-Civil War slave trade, is also nearby.