Pony Pasture

A cold and rainy morning, but still a good area for a nice brisk jog. Thinking about Spring today!

Love this place, and so does my pup! The trails are easy to navigate, with a great view of the river. There are plenty of benches and boulders along the way to sit down on and enjoy the scenery. There were a lot of people on the main trails, but there are a bunch of less crowded trails slightly further from the river for us loners, too!

Great on a sunny day! They have trails that you can walk near the river. Bring a cooler and radio to catch some rays on a big rock or bring a tube to float down the river. The parking lot is pretty big but can fill-​up fast, especially on weekends, so get there early.

After not feeling well for the last month, I was finally well enough to go on a hike. My husband found this park off of Unilocal and we went with our puppy. Finding the place was a bit tricky, after reaching the destination on Unilocal,just drive a bit further and you will come to the parking lot.
There are a few trails to take. We took the trail that was next to the river. There are a few beaches where you can sit back, relax, enjoy a cup of coffee and the view. If you go a bit further into the trail you can also visit the wetlands.
We saw a lot of people with strollers so the trail is kid friendly as well. I can imagine that this area get packed on nice days.

I am new to the area and have found this place on the internet after some intense searching for a lake/​river for my dogs to swim. I went there today with my dogs and enjoyed this park a lot. There’s several beach area where the water is shallow enough for my dogs to swim and play fetch in the water. We found a place that is pretty quiet, far away from the crowd but it was quite a walk from the parking lot (which we did not mind). The water there is decent, not dirty, no algea or any gross stuff that you can see, so it’s pretty safe for your dogs if they happen to swallow several sips. If you have a dog (or two, or three) who loves to swim, this is a place to go. I’ve seen some dogs walking on this trail (on and off leash) as well.
The current in Pony Pasture varies depending on the location. If you do not like the current at certain location, walk further down and you’ll notice the difference. There are areas for people to kayak, swim, sun bathe, have a small picnic, etc. People seem to gather near the parking lot, but if you walk further down the trail, it’ll get less busy. The road leading to this park is narrow, if you miss the parking lot, there is no place for you to make the U turn. Be careful driving because people run, hike, bike, etc. a lot on this road.

I love it here! I walk the dog, go tubing, kayaking, go fishing with the kids (don’t eat the fish though) or just have a picnic on the rocks.
The only negative is the trash that others leave behind. There are several trash/​recycle bins– use them when you visit, please.

I’ve been coming here for a couple years whenever I want to run in a scenic area. I love this place for running! There’s many outdoor activities that you can do here.
The neighborhood is really nice. There are some real beautiful houses on Riverside Drive. There are some real good spots to view the River; I’m going to keep that to myself… lol.
I recently found out that there are bald eagles around here. I didn’t believe it at first but one of my professors said that he spotted one before while he was fly fishing. Pretty awesome to hear that there are bald eagles around here!
All in all… awesome place to visit if you haven’t already!
akatek1

This is my favorite place to hike around and search for wildlife in RVA and my favorite spot to swim too! In the regular section of the park, I have seen a mother raccoon in the trees, Osprey, Bald Eagle and Broad Winged Hawk circling the waters. In the rapids here is my favorite swimming spot, there are also great rocks for sun bathing further downstream where the water is more gentle. However my favorite hiking and nature watching is in «The Wetlands» section of the park. Here I have seen Barred Owl in the middle of the day near the «Wetlands» park entrance. In the meadow area Eastern Cottontail (bunnies) and Eastern Bluebird and Many great butterfly and dragonfly species. Do not pass by the wooden walls which allow you to peak through at the pond without scaring the wildlife, I have seen Deer, frogs, and Wood Ducks hanging out there. The River side of this part of the park has the same Birds of Prey but it is also where i have seen more Great Blue Herons and water fowl. Lets not forget that this park offers more shade for hiking around then most of the RVA parks.

This is one of Richmond’s most popular spots for hanging out, playing in the water, sunbathing and just enjoying the James River. Be prepared, if you go on a weekend, it’s going to be crowded. This is why I only gave three stars.
Parking can be limited, especially on nice days. There are trails all around that lead you down to the water. Once you’re down there, you have to wade through the water to get to big, flat rocks where you can relax and enjoy the sun. The later you wait in the day to go, the farther you’ll have to wade to get a good rock. Some people really enjoy this, but I’m more of a lounge-​next-​to-​the-​pool kind of girl, so this can get kind of annoying to me.
Because the water starts at wading level and gets deeper, this is a popular place for people to bring dogs who like to splash around in the river or kids who are just getting used to water. Just be careful: the ground under the water is uneven and you can slip if you don’t pay attention.
Pony Pastures is a fun place to hang out, but can be a pain if it’s too busy.

Pony Pasture is one of the nicer portions of the park system in Richmond, and it’s a popular destination for picnicking and river wading in the summer. It’s particularly popular for family picnics and things of that nature– it’s a little woodsy so also good for light hiking, or making out in the bushes.
Unlike Belle Isle, there aren’t as many rocks to be found here for sunbathing, but there are a few beachy strips and of course lots of rivers edge real estate where you can set up a grill, plop down the cooler, and get started drinking.
For me, it’s a little buggy here because of the standing water near the edges, and the trees… so I prefer to go hiking around here as opposed to picnicking, but I’ve seen a lot of both.
Parking is limited so be prepared to park and walk a little bit on the weekends if you don’t get there early. They often have parking attendants when it gets really crowded, but even so it can be challenging.