The Rivanna Trail – Riverview Park

Riverview Park provides a great area to go for a walk or just enjoy the outdoors. A two-mile, paved portion of the Rivanna Trail—which encircles the entire City of Charlottesville—goes through the park. Another trail forms a loop through riparian forest and open, scrubby fields. The large open fields are a great place for blooming wildflowers and attract numerous butterflies during the warmer months of the year. Watch for red-spotted purples, eastern and black swallowtails, and the occasional passing monarch. These fields are also home to numerous Indigo Buntings whose high metallic chips sound similar to the Northern Cardinal.

Upon reaching the river, scan the overhanging branches for Eastern Phoebes and check the open water for ducks. The woods along the river host Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, and Carolina Wrens year-round; in summer look for Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Scarlet Tanagers, and other neotropical migrants. Once the cold weather comes, watch out for large flocks of American Robins as they descend on the woods in mass, at times covering every branch in site.