Cover Photo: Canoes on river- Paddle on the James River with Downtown LYH views
Whether it’s a day on the trails, canoeing down the James River, or spending an afternoon in one of our parks, it makes sense that LYH is a Top Adventure Town! Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, our City is in the perfect urban destination for outdoor adventure.
What is a Top Adventure Town?
Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine hosts a Top Adventure Town contest every year where they ask folks to vote for their favorite towns with great outdoor adventure options. There are four categories that organize nominated cities and towns based on their population size. Lynchburg is in the large town category because of its population of 80,000.
How do you become a Top Adventure Town?
There are several rounds of voting, where a number of cities will move on to the next round if they receive the top number of votes. Anyone with an email can vote one time per round.
What makes LYH an Adventure Town?
- With LYH situated along the James River, it makes activities like canoeing and kayaking so much more accessible. If you have your own gear, you can put in at one of the boat ramps. Or, try renting canoes or even take a guided trip down the river with James River Adventures. You can also find spots to fish in LYH. Learn more about where and what you can fish in our fishing blog.
- There are over 40 miles of urban trails in LYH — perfect for biking, running or walking. The trails wind through wooded areas and lead you to the riverfront in Downtown. If you don’t have your own bike, you can easily rent through Bikes Unlimited, located by the Percival’s Island trail entrance.
- Lynchburg is just a short drive away from the Blue Ridge Parkway and many other trails that are perfect for hiking. If you need some inspiration check out our fall hikes suggestions.
- No snow is needed to ski, snowboard, or tube down the mountain at Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre. You can rent gear and have your winter adventure year-round all in LYH!
- Outdoor recreation like disc golf and pickleball are becoming increasingly popular around the city. Lynchburg is lucky enough to have multiple amazing public parks that have disc golf courses and pickleball courts available to anybody. And, did you know LYH was named the host City for the 2024 Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) World Championships in August?
- Our public parks also have a variety of jungle gyms, tennis courts, and basketball courts, and some have splash pads perfect for families during the summer.
