PLACES TO TAKE A HIKE
Why use the treadmill when you can let the green space and trails on the Peninsula take you away for a few hours? You can get in your recommended 10,000 daily steps with the area’s history as the backdrop of some of these suggested walks:
Beaverdam Park The hiking trail at Gloucester County’s biggest park offers anything from a 0.33-mile nature walk through hardwood forest to a 19-mile round-trip hike across the park. Get a trail guide at trailheads or at the ranger station near the main entrance lot for an enlightening walk with attractive views of the park’s reservoir from various vantage points. The park’s main hiking and multi-use trails form several loops, allowing hikers to customize their adventure. From Main Street at Gloucester Court House, take Roaring Springs Road (Route 616) for about three miles to the main entrance. It runs into the park’s parking lot. There’s also an entrance on Farys Mill Road (Route 606) with a boat ramp and restrooms. 804-693-2107.
Grandview Nature Preserve Get a glimpse of more than 475 acres of salt marsh, tidal creeks and Chesapeake Bay beachfront while at Grandview Nature Preserve. The roughly two miles of beach that make up most of the park is ideal for a quiet beach day, a high-impact run on sand or long nature walk. Its location on the bay at the mouth of the Back River also makes it ideal for beachcombing. The preserve doesn’t offer any facilities or staff members. A short gravel pathway, about a third of a mile long, leads from State Park Road (off Beach Road in the city’s Fox Hill area) to the beach. Park along the street, but don’t block the entrance. 757-727-8311.
Matteson Trail The Matteson Trail offers a flat, asphalt path. In a few areas, tree roots have caused ripples in the asphalt, but it’s suitable for buggies and wheelchairs. The shady, leafy path follows the contours of The Hamptons golf course through deciduous woods. There are ponds along the path, too. Want to pace yourself? There are benches at the mile markers. Developed by a bird enthusiast, the trail has display boards depicting birds that may be seen along the way, including wrens, thrushes and bluebirds. The songs of the birds are a nice transition from the noise of the traffic on Magruder Boulevard you’ll hear at the beginning of the trail. The trail begins and ends near the Hampton Teen Center on Butler Farm Road. 757-766-9148.