This was a lovely nature preserve with well-marked trails and a beautiful reservoir. My son loved the view from the dam

This particular Nature Reserve centers around a very lovely, convoluted Lake that is large but doesnt appear so because you never really see all of it. There are mixed-use Trails for mountain bikes and walking, but I must confess that these were the most delightful Trails for simply taking a run. All in the woods so even during the heat of the day it is cool. There are interesting carvings at certain points and good information on how many miles each Trail is. You can bring your own kayak or canoe and it appears that many people leave theirs in place on the shore. Such a wonderful natural getaway within spitting distance of an urban setting!

We got here late in the day, 430pm. Had a few hours til sunset so tried to move quickly. We did the upper loop trail in a counterclockwise direction and fortunately had a good map! It was not well marked in some places and there were a lot of side trails to get lost on! (We only got briefly sidetracked once!) It was very steep and rocky at the beginning, and really slippery in several places. The lake was beautiful, the trail was shaded the whole way, and we had a great time!

I love to go hiking on Ragged Mountain. Unfortunately, I saw a group of 4 or 5 young people swimming in the lake. There are several signs stating that swimming is forbidden. Ragged Mountain is a water reservoir supplying drinking water to the households nearby. It is annoying to see that some selfish individuals ignore the signs and swim in the water.

Located outside of Charlottesville, this is a beautiful and moderately challenging hike. The trails wind along a scenic lake and meander through the woods & slopes nearby. There are two labelled trails. I took the Lake Front Loop from the lower parking lot (first you see on the entrance road). You can continue on road and find parking at the lake. Be aware, from the 1st lot, the old trail to the left is very strenous w huge step ups. It is straight up! The easier ascent is to the right. Much to my relief, the remaining trails are all smoothly worn and easy to walk. There is frequent elevation changes that makes this a challenging hike. The total length of the loop is nearly 6.5 miles w rest stops every mile if you choose to make use of them. I decided to stop every 2 for water. Im looking forward to returning and bringing my wife & others.

We went here in May 2020 (spring-summer). A very pretty area, complete with a 6.6 mile trail that seemed easy enough with gentle elevation. You have a floating bridge along the trail, at about 3 mile distance from the entry way. Lots of cute statues along the trail. We also caught a glimpse of some turtles chilling by the lake. Great, gentle hike.

Beautiful location to enjoy the nature around Charlottesville. A walk around the reservoir affords gorgeous views and great exercise. Its a long hike and there spots with no defined trail, but its a great place to spend an afternoon when the weather is nice.

Incredible running trail that encircled the reservoir. Be mindful of where you are, I tracked myself through Alltrails that i downloaded before I got there which really helped as there were several routes along the way. I didnt see much wildlife aside from a few hundred squirrels, but I was also there early evening.

Great for long or short hikes, also good for Mtn. biking

Lovely trails, much fewer people relative to the park and the parkway.

This 7 mile unpaved loop trail feels much longer because of the mountainous inclines and declines it follows. The scenery is pleasant, although a nearby highway can still be heard much of the time. The trail is mostly covered in shade, making it ideal for a hike on a sunny day.

I was visiting Charlottesville and hear about Ragged Mountain Nature Area for hikimg. It has a beautiful lake situated within the 980-acre forest of oak, hickory, poplar, pine, and maple trees. The lake serves as part of the community water supply so it is kept very clean. The biggest challenge is parking and one porta John toilet.

30June2020: Upper reservoir parking area, late afternoon, caucasian middle-aged male and female seated in parked dark blue Lexus SUV with VA personalized license plate of a name and single numeral clearly observed taking photo & video of group of young girls in their swimming attire at their parked cars. Male exhibited aggressive facial reactions when line of sight of his phone actions were “I see you” demonstrated at him. Vehicle left shortly after that with further glaring aggressive posturing by male in my direction as they drove away.Be mindful of parking area environs and remind your young ones of such.

Great improvement concerning the new trail from the lower parking lot to the dam. Very poor signage in the upper area (going toward the water tower and catching the upper trails. Very many dogs .I like the way the mountain bike trails are mostly separated from the normal trails (but not perfect). Great enjoyment when starting early and hiking the full trail.

Beautiful area! Great hiking!

Beautiful peaceful place. Lots of trails. Great for a family weekend.Getting to the parking lot can be tricky as the roads are all gravel and narrow. But once you get there it’s worth it.

Such a beautiful and charming scenery, it makes us forget our troubles!

Be warned! This trail is MUCH longer than the Alltrails app indicates. It is even longer than the map at the area indicates, and the benches placed along the trail dont help much either. We used a GPS tracker to keep track of our steps and the entire loop is more like 8.5 miles. There is no way to make it shorter, unless one stops at a certain point and goes back rather than doing the entire loop. Also,what people say out the signage is true. Go clockwise or there are many signs missing. On a more positive note, if you are prepared for the hike it is phenomenal! It is a gorgeous area and very quick to get to from anywhere in Charlottesville. It is closer than the trails in the Blue Ridge, but easily as strenuous as many of them, so you will feel like you have gotten great exercise without driving too much to get there. Definitely worth a go! We will definitely be going back frequently as the weather warms.

Beautiful hike very close to Charlottesville. Medium to easy terrain,views of the lake are very pleasant.

Beautiful place to hike, medium exertion. Need to see this place its great!

Favorite park in Charlottesville. The road to it is a bit scary, gravel and can’t really fit 2 cars going the different ways so pray. BUT I’ve never had issues coming up the road and the park is awesome! There is a lower lot and an upper lot, keep going once the road turns to cement- this takes you to the park entrance. Walk down the hill from the upper lot and dive right into the water or just to the left of the upper lot is a hill with a big gate on it - walk around the gate and along the hill, this takes you to the trails!

Its a beautiful place and a great walk view, love it!

Beautiful park and little lake.

Very beautiful and peaceful. Mother nature, what more could I say!.

This is a beautiful trail! Does anyone know if the area is closed because of COVID?

Great 6 mile loop way closer than Shenandoah. Small parking lot can get crowded on the weekends

Close to Charlottesville, big and beautiful, hiking trails, lake, fishing, non motorized boating. A favorite place of ours!

Pretty, great views of the lake, and lots of options as far as trails.

No dogs allowed on these hiking trails.

Great

Great hike. Berries in season. Little ones whine for the first part bur then fall in love with the terrain and nature. Great for barefoot hiking, too.

Beautiful location, well-marked trails, cute wooden sculptures periodically.

Good hike

I have never been to RMNA. However, I very interested in fishing opportunities at the park.1) what species of fish should I plan to fish for?2) how far should I plan to walk to reach fishing areas that are not as actively fished?3) is shoreline fishing the only option, or if I have a fishing kayak can I launch it?Thank in advance and I am certain others will benefit from this answer in the future.

A good place for short day hikes.

Awesome moderate hike around a lake. Had some very beautiful views of the water from higher up as well as closer to the shore.

The reservoir is an awesome place to hike or enjoy the lake. I love to paddleboard here, but there are trails that run for several miles around the lake with lots of wildlife to view

Great walk, not strenuous . Beautiful colours in autumn.

Beautiful place

Getting to it means traveling 10 miles an hour down the road and hoping that nobodys coming from the other direction. Lots of blind turns and curves on the road going to it and coming back. We went in November and it was cold, so there was plenty of parking and only a few people there. Theres a lower parking lot, and you can hike up the road or over the mountain to the lake. We didnt realize that there was a small road you could drive up to the lake and a parking lot there. We only hiked, but love that the signs said fishing was allowed and so was kayak and canoeing. Plan to go back when the weather is warmer so we can fish and boat.

Peaceful, good hiking

While the views arent all that impressive, the extent, quality, and diversity of the trails is such that any hiker should be pleased with the number of lowland excursions one can enjoy.

Camping @ Holiday Trails lazertag,,rock wall, zip lining. Awesome.

Went to go on a convenient hike with my best friend, Winston. When we showed up there was a sign saying he and his kind were not permitted in the park...In the spirt of equality and nature for all, we still took to the river trail and had a blast running around the beautiful forest. Great place just a few min outside of town, too bad great Americans like Winton are not “allowed” to enjoy it.

Such a beautiful and quiet place right on the edge of Charlottesville!

Great trail. Rugged enough.

Always love to hike Ragged Mtn Trails

Pets are not allowed except service dogs.

Beautiful natural area with fun hiking trails and interesting features like statues and such

Just beautiful out here with a campground and places to walk around through the woods.

Great place for a hike/walk through nature

Huge, impressive nature area encompassing a reservoir, some colonial era ruins.

Great place to fish and run!

Nice place in the forest

No pets allowed

Great, easy trails

Not allowed to swim here

Beautiful

Spicy

Beautiful space for hiking