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BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY - STOP #1

through

TRAVEL DAY - 25.4 miles

OTTER CREEK CAMPGROUND
to
PEAKS OF OTTER CAMPGROUND

A short hop between campgrounds today

FRIDAY

While we were at Otter Creek Campground we finally got some decent weather. On Friday morning we took advantage of a clear day and got out to see a man-made waterfall at the dam on Otter Lake. It is mainly fed by Otter Creek, the same creek that two miles upstream runs right past our campsite. Here are a few photos we took that morning!

A view of the waterfall from the parking area

Down near the creek bed looking up to the parking area

A trail crossing that Tricia just had to prove she could tiptop across

A large boulder that must have tumbled down the mountain into the creek

That looks like a doable trail for us. We'll have to try it tomorrow!

Right after we visited Otter Lake we traveled another mile down the Parkway to check out the James River Visitor Center. We saw they had a short trail that crosses the James River to an historic canal lock. It was one of nearly a hundred locks that were built in the 1800s to allow small boats to travel up and down the James River when water levels were much lower, which created shallow rapids all along the river. Here is a slideshow of the trail!

THE JAMES RIVER CANAL LOCK TRAIL

The James River Visitor Center
Their picnic area down by the river
A pedestrian bridge below the Parkway allows you to cross the river on foot
The James River as it looks today
A foot path leading from the bridge to the Historic Canal Lock
A little wildlife along the trail
Another one who prefers purple to yellow flowers I guess
The entrance to the canal lock
The canal lock exit
Nearly the full length of the canal lock
Well that's enough for today! Tomorrow we are going to check out the .9 mile long Otter Lake Loop Trail. It's supposed to be a 45 minute walk, we'll see how long it takes us, weather permitting of course.
Until next time
TWO PEAS
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