Back in October, I wrote a column about Larus Park (above), a little-known piece of the Richmond Park System. When I visited the park back then I was struck by a couple of things: 1) How few people I saw on a two-hour walk with my dog 2) How enclosed and hidden you feel in Larus despite the presence of busy roads on three of its four sides (Huguenot, Chippenham Parkway, Stony Point) 3) How the place, which had many trails, was begging for a single loop trail that would allow walkers or bikers to see it all without doubling back on their route.

So, I was intrigued to open yesterday’s T-D metro section and find an article by Luz Lazo about Larus. Apparently the city decided the time for a loop trail has come, and it allowed residents to take home saplings and bushes that were in the new trail route that would have been thrown away.

I have to say, now that this is going to happen, I’m a little ambivalent. It’s great that the city is going forward with the loop, but I wonder if the improved ease of use will bring more people to Larus and alter what I loved about it in the first place: It’s forgotten feel. It seemed so improbable when I first visited, and it still does today, that a park so hidden, with multiple streams and a variegated hardwood forest, could exist within city limits.

If you get a chance, go visit now. The loop trail will be nice, but I have a feeling something about Larus will be lost when it goes in. If you’d rather visit Larus from in front of your computer screen, check out Phil Riggan’s tour of the park on http://www.DiscoverRichmond.com

Posted by Andy Thompson in • Outdoors • Hiking & Trails
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