What is the best way to find new routes for running, walking or biking in Charlottesville? Some people would say that just exploring on your own is the best way. Others will suggest talking to friends and seeing where they go. If you still need some ideas for routes to walk or run in Charlottesville, the internet has many great resources for you! There are some websites that allow users to map their own route on a map, and it calculates things such as distance and elevation for you. These websites have forums for comments about the routes, and you can search them for loop courses, paved or trail, hilly or flat. You can also narrow down a search by starting location — you’d be surprised how many routes begin right from your doorstep! A couple of websites to get you started are www.mapmyrun.com and www.usatf.com/routes
If you need one, http://www.charlottsville.org/trails has a map of all City trails and the RTF loop. I am the City trail planner, and we are working to expand the system significantly city-wide, so that map should be updated every 6 months or so with a new section.