Saunders-Monticello Trail
June 2nd 2008 by Kelly in Charlottesville
At the base of Carter’s Mountain Kemper Park also known as the Saunders-Monticello Trail is a great place to go for a walk. The trail cuts through the woods and is a 1.25 mile hike up to Saunders Bridge. The trail has been completed for a 2 mile hike ending at the visitor center at Monticello. I like the way the trail combines stone trails and boardwalks through the woods to make the trail private and seem far away from the city.
This weekend I just noticed the Secluded Farm trails. The sign said that it was 250 acres of land dedicated by Clara and John Smart to the Albermarle County Soil and Water Conservation District, they wanted the land to be maintained in a state of nature. It was secluded, instead of passing by several people on my way up or down the trail, I didn’t see anyone. Even though the trail isn’t maintained with boardwalks and stone trails the grass is mowed where the trail takes you and there is a clear cut trail when you are in the woods. The trail was a lot more steep and the end result took me right to the Carter vineyard and had a very beautiful ending view. I walked down the mountain on the gravel road and then picked up the Monticello trail halfway down. I also liked the secluded farm trail because my dog could go to the top. The boardwalk and gravel trail only lets your dog go about a 1/4 mile into the trail.
Does the city maintain the trails for everyone? I saw an article back from 2003 when one of the boardwalks needed repairs.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:33 am
The Saunders Monticello trail was built by The Monticello Foundation and is maintained by the foundation. It is not maintained by the city and it is not even in the city but is in Albemarle County and is located on privately owned land.
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Thank you for the correction Kevin, sorry about the misinformation.
June 9th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
The Saunders Monticello trail is one of the nicest trails around. The Monticello Foundation does a great job keeping it clean and maintained. The high quality of their work creates an atmosphere of peace and tranquility that affects many of those who walk and run there. I find that the people using that trail are generally friendly and easygoing and I think the condition of the trail is part of the reason. The trail looks like it’s cared for and so it feels safe. The main trail is also very accessible to people with both vision and mobility impairments.