At nearly 1,200 acres, Biscuit Run is twice the size of the County’s next largest park, the Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve. Apart from its enormous size and diverse ecosystems, what makes Biscuit Run Park so special is its location. It is both close to Charlottesville and in the part of the county where most of its people live. While the park itself is a work in progress, PEC is collaborating with the County and neighboring communities to make the park better connected — and more accessible — to area residents.

Albemarle County has several gorgeous local parks, as well as one of the nation’s premiere national parks: Shenandoah. Because most of those places are located in the rural area or on the county’s edges, most area residents have had to pack up and make a daytrip to enjoy these parks. That’s if they have the time and the wherewithal to do so.

Biscuit Run changes all of that. 

This new signature park is located in the heart of the community. Its many offerings, including seclusion, diverse habitats, more than 8.5 miles of well-marked trails, and abundant fresh air are now available to far more people within a walking, biking or a short drive’s distance. There are heritage trees, multiple streams, a pond with beavers, historic home sites and much more. These assets can now be part of people’s everyday lives.

We know that regular exercise and everyday access to nature improve our lives in myriad ways, from improving kids’ grades to lowering blood pressure to driving economic growth. We also knew that many existing parks and privately managed preserves are beginning to feel over-crowded. This vast new park can absorb many visitors, offering educational and stewardship opportunities that can bring the love of the outdoors and a sense of stewardship to more area residents, with benefits in both the present and the future.

What’s Next for the Park

Albemarle County is taking a phased approach to developing Biscuit Run Park and will be adding recreational amenities (such as trails and a few flat fields) while also strengthening stewardship through the protection of designated natural and cultural resources.

The next phase will include basic infrastructure (like a maintenance yard and more parking), many more trails (including a mountain bike skills area), and a second entrance and pedestrian bridge close to Southwood, for which PEC and our allies fought hard and won.

At the same time, Albemarle County is undertaking an ambitious project to restore a mile of the stream valley from which the park derives its name. These projects are being done thoughtfully and intentionally to minimize disruption of vital ecosystems.

Because the underlying land is owned by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the landscape has multiple layers of protections. Most of the park shall forever remain predominantly forest and meadows. The County must follow best practices in everything it does there (such as trail building) and it is committed to the removal of invasive species, which arrived during the decades of transition from working farm to abandonment to public park.

What we see now is only the beginning. I encourage you to spend some time reading the county’s website about the park. It’s packed with details.

What’s Next for PEC

PEC has been advocating for this park for more than 15 years and we are far from finished.

For example, we led the design of that second entrance at Southwood, with support from the Anne and Gene Worrell Foundation, plus Southwood and other area residents. Surplus funds from that grant are now being used to design a mile-long streamside greenway that will connect the trailhead to Southwoods’s future Monacan Nation Tribute Park.

PEC is also working with the County and residents of the surrounding neighborhoods to expedite the creation of walk/bike connections to the rest of the community and the wider greenway network. Our next push will be to construct a greenway path along the stream valley to connect the park to the neighborhoods downstream, including Mill Creek, Foxcroft as well as Fifth Street Station and the City of Charlottesville.

Further Advocacy is Needed

After hundreds of conversations with area residents, we are convinced that the overwhelming consensus is that they do want well-designed connections to the park and elsewhere. This is particularly true if the trails are done in a way that is both useful for getting around and if they maintain a bucolic natural setting. But it is by no means a sure thing that these connector trails will be built —– particularly the Biscuit Run Greenway. That is what we propose and we need your support.

Here are some things you can do right now:

• Sign up for our “Greenways” action alerts and email updates 
• Ask the Board of Supervisors to fund better connectivity and access to the outdoors
• Support PEC so we can continue and expand this important work

We have gotten this far because, as a collective, we have been dogged in our advocacy. The County has delivered extraordinary results. But this is just the first step. Much more needs to be done.