Review Date
January 2, 2007

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: AirborneRider ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Great trail and lots of fun each time you ride it. It is technical enough to keep you on your toes without being impossible to ride.

Recommended Route:
Start at Reedy Creek ride downstream, cross over to Belle Isle take the northbank trail, cross the nickel bridge and return via Buttermilk to Reedy Creek.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Northbank, Pocahontas State Park, Petersburg National Battlefield

Review Date
November 27, 2006

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: Guy in USA ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
visited Richmond over Thanksgiving -I live in Boston. Trail is well maintained -obviously by mountainbikers - trail follows the contours nicely - switch backs keep the climbs reasonable, berms are nice on the decents - trails are smooth - the area at Forest Park was sweet with fresh signs of maintenance- very twisty definitly taking advantage of every inch of terrain - call the UP DOWN TURN AROUND trail. Couldn't get to Belle Island from that side due to the James being extremely high. Fun with flow. thanks to the locals.

Recommended Route:
Park near the Boulevard Bridge. Forest Park area best from the actual park area toward the road/river - but good both ways

Review Date
September 8, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: jwbllr ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
This is a no joke trail. I put many hours of labor into this trail and the North Bank trail before I even had a mountain bike. I would hike both of these to get in shape to go on 20 mile treks in the mountains. Since I got a mountainn bike I have been burning these trails up, to the best of my ability that is. They can really kick your but if you are not paying attention and if you do not know what is ahead then best of luck. Many tehnical spots including rock jumps, log rolls, and tight single track. If you can ride these trails you can ride anywhere in the country.

Recommended Route:
Park at tredager street parking lot (parking lot for Belle Isle, Browns Isle and Civil war museume). The north bank trail begins in the upper section of the lot. Follow the trail all the way to the nickel bridge, about 3.5 miles. Cross the Bridge and buttermilk picks up on the other side. Another 3.5-4 miles you will be at Belle Isle. Go around the Isle and cross the pedestrian bridge then you will be at your car. An amazing loop that can take as long as an hour and a half. If you want to make it longer go into forrest hill park and mess around there. They have some serious hills. Just ask any biker if you think you are lost.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Forrest Hill, North Bank, Larus Park.

Review Date
January 15, 2006

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Big Al ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I rode the Buttermilk, Forrest Hills and North Bank trails on Thursday Jan 12. Many thanks to the volunteers who installed the reroutes and stone dust at several problem areas. I was in shock when I saw the Ramp on the Buttermilk, what a great solution to a long time sore spot. The repair work on the North Bank was a welcome surprise also. This is a trail system that will always keep improving and remain challenging.

Recommended Route:
Ride upriver on the Buttermilk to take advantage of the new ramp.

Review Date
September 26, 2004

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: Butch ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Buttermilk is a no joke trail for the hardcore MTB enthusiasts. Definitely meant for expert riders, this trail is full of steep up/down hills, jagged rocks, tree roots, and even a few stream crossings. I understand that this trail is currently under re-construction due to the bad rain storms VA has been having lately. Hopefully this trail will be more in tuned for riders looking for something a little more difficult, but not suicidal (which this trail is).

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Poor Farm and Deep Run Parks