Richmond is home to an array of beautiful locations for VCU students to escape from the stresses of campus life. Most students know about Belle Isle, a popular getaway along the James River for students to sight-see, tan, relax, fish, and even swim (for those daring few). However many students do not know about The Pipeline, located on the James River in downtown Richmond. In my second addition of my photoblog, Megan’s Map, follow me as I show you the beauty of The Pipeline on the James River.Â
The Pipeline is about 2 miles away from campus and takes about 10 minutes to get there. The Pipeline features a pipe that you can walk along and see the rapids up close. It is also underneath a railway, so if you are walking on it while a train is going across you can see the train up close and personal. The Pipeline features Baliey’s Island and Devil’s Kitchen Island, which is in the center of the river. There are sandy banks along the pipeline that you can access and just sit out and relax (if you aren’t one for hoping on rocks).
The Pipeline is also filled with much wildlife, such as the heron, some crab and tons of fish. There is one way to access the walkway on top of the pipe, but you can also go on an overlook to see the rapids and The Pipeline. You can also access the bank if you wish to go fishing.
There is a part of The Pipeline that doesn’t have a guardrail on it, but the pipe is covered in cement so it is wide enough to walk on without rails. At the end of The Pipeline, there are a bunch of points where you can walk on rocks out into the middle of the James. Some of The Pipeline even continue out under shallow water. If you are daring, you can go near the Mayo Bridge to catch small mouth bass, channel catfish, and sunfish.Towards the end of The Pipeline, you can also hike to Brown’s Island or see Manchester Bridge.Â
If the weather permits, you will see people white water rafting, canoeing and kayaking through the James River’s many rapids.Â