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All the United States Virginia Richmond James River Park Pipeline Walkway
James River Park Pipeline Walkway is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

James River Park Pipeline Walkway

Heron, whitewater rapids, and urban industrialism all add to the beauty of this concrete nature walk.

Richmond, Virginia

Added By
Eric Elder
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James River Park Pipeline Walkway   jericelder / Atlas Obscura User
James River Park Pipeline Walkway   jericelder / Atlas Obscura User
James River Park Pipeline Walkway   jericelder / Atlas Obscura User
James River Park Pipeline Walkway   jericelder / Atlas Obscura User
James River Park Pipeline Walkway   jericelder / Atlas Obscura User
James River Park Pipeline Walkway   jericelder / Atlas Obscura User
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James River Park Pipeline Walkway   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The beauty of nature and the usefulness of city works are harmoniously joined in Richmond's James River Park Pipeline Walkway, a little known scenic area where fish, birds, and human waste collide. 

Pipeline Park is accessed via a small catwalk on top of a pipeline that cuts across a section of the James River in Richmond, Virginia. The walkway is just above water level most of the time, but occasionally below it when the flow is high. On a small island just across from the pipeline is a large Great Blue Heron rookery, where dozens of herons nest and raise their chicks. It's rare to get such a close-up view of nesting herons and fascinating to watch them hunt fish in the river, which they do constantly during the shad and herring migrations each spring.   

In addition to the birds, the pipeline parallels and overlooks a section of Class III whitewater that is popular with rafters and kayakers. People also picnic, sunbathe, swim, fish or just hang out on a large sandy beach at the downstream end of the park, which has a nice swimming hole. 

The pipeline itself is actually part of the storm sewer system, carrying street run-off to a storage area downstream. While this does seem kind of gross, it is the pipeline's very existence that has kept this part of the river so clean and verdant! The James River Park Pipeline Walkway is a really unique way to experience the river and see some nature, literally right in the middle of downtown.  

Related Tags

Parks Industrial

Know Before You Go

Unfortunately, the pipeline is closed as of September 2024.

Community Contributors

Added By

jericelder

Edited By

Mom0ja, Chris H, christiancbriggs, Chittick...

  • Mom0ja
  • Chris H
  • christiancbriggs
  • Chittick
  • Osage
  • Explorer8778
  • Lauren D
  • thesaturdayadventure
  • breaingram
  • DCbmyers
  • blimpcaptain
  • elemenope
  • travelsyte

Published

April 30, 2014

Updated

January 3, 2025

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Sources
  • https://jamesriverpark.org/whats-going-on-with-pipeline/
  • http://rotj.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/pipeline-rapids-downtown-richmonds-best-kept-secret/
James River Park Pipeline Walkway
1101 Haxall Point
Richmond, Virginia, 23219
United States
37.532919, -77.437723
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