Ni River Trail

Great simple trail if you, the kids, or the dog need a break from the interstate. Nice easy walk through woods and around a pond.

Address: 8110 River Stone Drive, Fredericksburg, VA 22407 (next to the Spotsylvania School Board building and across from Massaponax High School)

Hours: Open sunrise to sunset.

Parking: Limited

Four Trails: Farm Pond Trail, Upland Forest Trail, Vernal Pond Trail, Ni River Trail

Walkers and hikers may catch glimpses of deer, beavers, foxes, birds and salamanders.

The river part of the trail is closed during the fall hunting season.

Salamander Loop: Two-mile stretch of the Ni River Trail, off U.S. 1, that loops past a wetland area and an old farm pond and includes an overlook of the Ni River basin. This portion of the trail opened June 2010 and was named after the colorful creatures that can be found in the Vernal Pond area.

Before Covid-19, the Master Naturalists conducted monthly tours at Salamander Loop. The free walks were the 2nd Sunday of each month, beginning at 9:00 am and lasting approximately 1.5 hours.

We visited Ni River Trail this past week and found a lot of downed trees. Thankfully, none were blocking the trails. We also noticed that the moving and storage company that is located just north of the trail has expanded its lot. Because of this, some of our favorite parts of the trail no longer exist.

Ni River Trail is still a great place for a quick nature escape.