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Motts Run Reservoir Recreation Area
6600 River Rd, Fredericksburg, VA 22407, United States
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It
Review №1

Great place to have a picnic/BBQ and for fishing. Definitely wanna come earlier in the day if you wanna fish. Very calming all around even when there are a lot of people. There are plenty of hiking trails. You can literally spend a whole day just hiking. Make sure to have food and water with you. Its kind of hard to get lost considering the amount entrence & exists. There is a 1.5mile and 8 mile hike but its all connected if you want to stay in there for more and less time.The picnic areas isnt really that good for strollers or wheelchairs. As many times as I have been here, I have always seen the bathroom close and bring your own water for cleaning/drinking.Also, great place if you have your own boat.

Ef
Review №2

Lots of trails. Nice hiking and biking. We walked down to the reservoir. It was very nice! It wasnt fully open. They had bathrooms but they werent open. Just a porta potty. There was also minor upkeep issues. Hopefully they can staff it again soon. It was fun!

De
Review №3

If looking for a quick trail to hike and youve already covered most of the main spots like Great Falls, these set of trails may provide an interesting, yet short, walk.The lake and nature are great to see with several looped trails of varying lengths available. Parking is limited to a few spots when the main gate is not open.As for upkeep, the trails could be a bit better. Halfway through a couple of the trails, the markings randomly stop. Some places have brush and trees that creeped into the trail, making it more difficult to determine the path.On the other hand, the park is small enough to where people could easily find their way. The foliage and birds make for a decent time in the outdoors. Additionally, the park has a service building with people who can provide you with additional information. Ill probably come back in the spring time to see the park change for the season.

Ca
Review №4

The parking area is near 6300 river Rd. Better signs could be posted.

St
Review №5

As of 13 July 2020 the water activities are still closed due to covid 19. Walking and bicycle trails are open. Between 1100-1300 there were few people there. Was my first time on the bicycle trails. Rode 4 of the 8 mile bicycle trail. Excellent trails for mountain/trail bicycles. Motor vehicles not allowed on the trails. Im going back this week to ride the entire 8 mile loop around the lake. Plenty of deer and squirrels around the trails and song birds were entertaining us the whole ride. Recommend carring water in this 90+ degree heat.

Mo
Review №6

Nice rec area with a bunch of nice trails. There were several amenities which were closed while we were here, but seemed to be nice.

Mi
Review №7

Shame they are running low on money this place is so Serene

Jo
Review №8

The MTB trails are looking good!

Bo
Review №9

Very pretty. I found the trails a little confusing (mostly bc I failed to take a picture of the map)... But nice hike, beautiful scenery.

Jo
Review №10

Great experience. In addition to the reservoir and seasonal activities, the Motts Run educational centre offers insights into native wildlife, flora and fauna.Attended a Scout activity here and was very impressed with the staff, facilities and grounds.Worth the visit.

Ju
Review №11

The location was great. The guest services was closed due to staffing expenses, which is unfortunate, but overall it was gorgeous. If you go, please make sure to pick up your trash.

mi
Review №12

Many trails to walk. Quiet atmosphere. Fishing kayaking available

co
Review №13

The first place in all my trips to America that’s actually stop to think I would actually quite like living here! What an absolute stunning nature reserve with a peaceful atmosphere and completely silent from the rest of the world apart from the occasional rustling of animals in the woodland..

Ja
Review №14

I really enjoyed the well maintained forest and trails. I certainly didnt expect such a relaxing wilderness in the middle of this area! Well worth your time to explore here. That have a great activities and learning center here as well!

Ra
Review №15

Bike trail is unfinished, and not clearly marked with blazes.

Ro
Review №16

You can catch great fish here. The reservoir is beautiful as well!

Ma
Review №17

Best Fredericksburg city park. This park is well organized and family oriented and extremely kid friendly, boat,canoe and kayak rental is responsibly priced. If water is not your thing they have multiple hiking trails along with a 9mi bike trail. Plenty of grills tables and shade.Facilities are well kept and staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Down side is park is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday and there is no overnight camping at this time but camping would turn this beautiful location to a most do tourist destination. With that said there is some over night fishing and camping that happens once in the fall check Fredericksburgs website for listings. This park is very clean and beautiful and is charest by locals so if visiting places do likewise.

Da
Review №18

Its pretty nice, good fishing spot and the reservoir is nice.

Gr
Review №19

Great trails. Entrance road needs some maintenance, but we were in our 4 Wheel drive vehicle.

Ju
Review №20

Awesomely beautiful. Canoe folks easy to work with. Privacy in a Friday.

Br
Review №21

Best local hike you could ask for. Parking can be sparse.

Je
Review №22

What a beautiful place to picnic, boat, fish, walk, and relax. My kids and I had a wonderful time here. The volunteers in the boathouse were so helpful and nice. What a great place!

Ro
Review №23

Awesome mountain biking loop. Enjoyed it a ton.

Su
Review №24

Just the area by the reservoir is around 160 acres. You are welcome to bring your own boat or kayak but they also let you rent them out. We rented a jon boat with a motor for 2 hours for 16 dollars. There are also 8 diffrent trails to choose from with various levels of difficulty.

An
Review №25

One of my favorite places to hike. Great trails and fun to rent a kayak and paddle around the lake.

Ma
Review №26

Big Carp Big Bass Big Pike oh my

Ch
Review №27

Beautiful setting and terrific trails.

Ja
Review №28

Man, it was locked to vehicles. Their services and marina operations are closed for no reason.

Ch
Review №29

Great Park, lots of hiking trails. There are boating activities with boats to rent too. Fishng is allowed. There is a set of compass courses as well. Its a really nice little Park and water area. I would highly recommend checking it out.

Ru
Review №30

Amazing mountain bike trails

Br
Review №31

You absolutely have to come here. It is so peaceful!

Ke
Review №32

It is fairly well developed. The fishing areas have benches and platforms plus there I a lot of bank area. The picnic area is nice with portapotties and a covered area.

J.
Review №33

Did a little fishing there. A really nice place for families and pretty decent fishing.

Ch
Review №34

The kids had a day camp here otherwise I would continue to have missed out on this awesome spot. You can canoe, fish or walk one of the several trails. I had no idea this was back there!

Pa
Review №35

Normally 5 stars, but only the trails are open right now.

Ja
Review №36

Fun mtb ride!

K
Review №37

Very beautiful place with lots of space to park.No swimming or wadingThey have a dock with benches for you to sit at and several picnic tables to sit at along the waterHandicap fishing pier available4.1 mile hiking or biking trailIt wasnt busy when we went on a Sunday.Ive added info with prices from the fishing brochure. (which is available from them if you go there)From their website:ADA Accessible FishingBenchesBike TrailBoatingCanoe and Kayak RentalCanoeingFishingHiking TrailsJon Boat RentalNature CenterOrienteering CourseParkingPicnic ShelterPicnic Tables and GrillsPorta JohnsRestrooms

Ka
Review №38

Kayaking in this spot is a lot of fun! Kayak rental is only $10

Ma
Review №39

Good walk but easy to get lost/sidetracked because not all the trails are clearly marked. They are currently making improvements though so hopefully its getting better

Le
Review №40

Nice quiet place. Rented a kayak for an hour. Helpful staff. No gas powered motors so very calm water

D
Review №41

Great trail network

Na
Review №42

This is a great place to enjoy fishing no matter what your resources are. There are over 5 structures to fish from and tons of accessable bank fishing. Boats are available for rent to access the entire reservoir.

Je
Review №43

Great place to fish and go out on the water. Location is easy to get to.

Gh
Review №44

Great park and peaceful trails for hiking. Lake facility was closed for the season.

Wa
Review №45

This place charges for everything. If you want to fish, theres a charge for that, if you want to go out on the water, theres a charge for that. We took our own kayaks, they charged us a fee to float on the water! The fishing is terrible, not sure if it was that weekend, but there was tons of dead fish along the banks. Doesnt seem like a healthy reservoir. Just my opinion, Im not an expert in Marine Biology.

Jo
Review №46

This is a beautiful place to visit, you can rent canoes and boats with motors, hang out and enjoy the scenery and have a picnic. The day I was there it was extremely hot and the fishing wasnt that good, but there are a lot of different species of fish in there.

En
Review №47

This is a very nice trail. Its short but you can connect to others to make it longer. Lots of spider webs on some of the trails so it might be helpful to have stick in front of you as our walk between someone the trees.Ill definitely do this one again. There are some nice water views that are a quite nice and worth checking out.

Ry
Review №48

Great place! The have canoe, kayak, and fishing boat rentals. Theres no swimming, no gas power engines, so its very quiet, and very clean. They rent by the hour, so its very flexible. Theres also a kids play area the hideout, next to the Nature Center. The nature center is open on weekends. Plus... There are hiking trails, and you get to see some wonderful wildlife. Ive gone 3 times now, and I cant wait to go back again.

Je
Review №49

Wonderful trails, spectacular views and peace that cant be bought.

Va
Review №50

The trails here would be classed as easy to moderate by my measure. Wooded terrain and lakefront paths were both easily passable. There was an occasional steep hill. Trails were well marked. Watch out for spiderwebs!

Ra
Review №51

This is a gem for locals and visitors. It is in the heart of Fredericksburg and yet so far from the noise and the crowds of the town. Well marked trails for cyclist and hikers, staffed information booth where you can rent a canoe or get information on the park. It is perfect for a quick getaway if you have little time to spare.

J
Review №52

Nice trail, dog friendly, but unfortunately couldnt kayak because dogs are not allowed in and on the water

Al
Review №53

Had fun with my fiance and daughter on the boat rental, not really all that expensive either. Great place if you like to kayak, or fish, or just want to float on the water. Theres walking paths around the reservoir as well in the shade of the trees if thats more your thing.

bi
Review №54

AN ABSOLUTELY A BEAUTIFUL LOCATION ....I bring my young children here ... as my Father before me took [U]s.Always clean.... Always helpful Staff on hand , for questions or rentals of the boats. The multiple docks are in tip-top shape. Picnic tables everywhere ... Stand alone grills for use ...(got to bring your own charcoal and lighter fluid) ...If you do decide to rent a boat , (as I have on numerous occasions) the Reservoir is absolutely humongous , as you would find out. The prices are dirt cheap...all vests and gas, for the trolling motor, is included.You can fish out of the boats or off of any one of the docks...(ADULTS will need a license)For a day of RELAXATION and FAMILY FUN , you cant beat this...THESE ARE MEMORIES ! !

Do
Review №55

Very clean, people super nice, great place to take your kids for a day out in nature.

Da
Review №56

Great location and beautiful scenery

Co
Review №57

Very pretty place....scenic water views...hiking..fishing...great place for outdoor lovers

Ch
Review №58

Beautiful views and nice trails, but a little overgrown in parts so be prepared to climb over some downed trees.

Lu
Review №59

Nice outdoor area for the kids, nice fishing area for those who just earthy to get off and go fishing. Very rustic, simplistic. Not modern so much but good trade off.

Da
Review №60

Beautiful place

ra
Review №61

Guys that run the place are always super nice and informative.

Mi
Review №62

Nice place for a casual paddle around the reservoir. Canoe and kayak rentals. John boat with electric motors available for fishing if you have a license.

Kr
Review №63

My new fave park! Boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking: Motts has it all

Ga
Review №64

Nice place

Ap
Review №65

Love this place! So kid friendly.

Pa
Review №66

Nice bike trails built by Fredericksburg Trail Alliance

Ri
Review №67

Not good for biking.When I checked in, I asked where the biking trail was. The man at the desk showed me using another map, which did not have the biking trail written on it (They were all out of maps intended for the bikinh trail). This is completely forgivable. Its not that big of a deal. However, I was told in a rather strict manner that if I came off of the bike trail onto the walking trail that I was to immediately return to the biking trail. Obviously, I dont want to ride a bicycle down a hiking trail (especially with how tight these walking trails get), so it seems unnecessary to try to enforce it especially as the trails are very confusing. From what I could tell, the biking trail was unmarked, and without the map, It was very hard to tell where the biking trail was intended to go. So unsuprisingly, I got lost on the walking trail, which was not fun for two reasons: I had to carry my bike up and down many hills because it wouldnt fit and because I knew that the park had a problem with it. The biking trail should really have some sort of markings. I saw a couple of pink flags about halfway through, but I think they were for another trail.

Te
Review №68

Always nice to go out out to Motts. It is peaceful and not crowded. There are newer trails to explore if the fish arent biting.

Jo
Review №69

Cheap boat rentals. Nice variety of them. Fish jumping everywhere. Beautiful.

St
Review №70

Nice place with a great dock. Its not exactly beautiful, but it is functional.

Al
Review №71

I have always enjoyed motts run reservoir, the staff are usually pretty friendly its not relatively expensive to rent canoes or trolling boats, its a great place for fishing, and there is a LOT of area to walk through the woods around the reservoir.

JP
Review №72

Hands down one of the best tours of any Distillery I have ever been to and Ive been to many

An
Review №73

Love taking the kids fishing here.

Ka
Review №74

Great park to picnic and hike

Ch
Review №75

Great trails for Mountain Biking

Al
Review №76

Wonderful trails. Beautiful scenery.

Cr
Review №77

Good place to fish. Has fishing piers easy access to water, rents boats and has bait

Br
Review №78

Great little reservoir to kayak around in for the day or an hour or two. Caught a decent size bass, too! Nice picnicking areas.

ma
Review №79

This is a great way to spend time with your kids your family and its cheap to free, Even if Need Time yourself this is the great thinking spot Also plenty of trailsNever a dull moment I love it here

To
Review №80

Great place to the kids and fish.u can rent boat there also.

Ma
Review №81

Trails a little worn but still a lovely walk and a picture perfect lake

To
Review №82

Great park really nice air.

M
Review №83

I think the reservoir is getting fished out. Caught about 15-20 bluegills and one tiny bass in about 3 hours. Granted we were mostly using nightcrawlers.

FA
Review №84

Good place to fish,kayak and you can rent a jon boat as well and fun bike trails!

Lu
Review №85

Trails are not stroller friendly (not even joggers). Was pretty sites, steep trails for kids.

Ry
Review №86

Everyone had a great time. Caught lots of small bluegill off the dock and a descent bass.

Jo
Review №87

Staff is helpful, reasonably priced for rentals, piers and walk around the bank for fishing.

Ja
Review №88

Great fishing there.

gr
Review №89

It was a nice enough place but my 1st (and probably last) time going there when asking about the rates and using my stand up paddle board the way the guy talk to me you would have thought I was 14yrs old (Im 49). Telling me it was ok just this once for me to use my around the waist inflatable life vest even though I told him I use a leash, I had to remain in sight of there building etc...

Ad
Review №90

Mountain biking trails are fairly well maintained and extensive.

Sa
Review №91

Beautiful scenic trails and excellent workshops on nature for children.

Ge
Review №92

Went here in late September with my family and everyone had a blast canoeing. The people are friendly and helpful and the reservoir is just lovely!

DJ
Review №93

So I had no idea this gem was located just around the corner from me - hiking trails, great areas for canoeing and fishing, as well as plenty of areas for picnicking and exploring. There is even a nature center for the kids and kids at heart.

Hu
Review №94

There are rental facilities for canoes and such and a small beach. Great trails and inlets to explore on land and in the lake

Ry
Review №95

Great place to walk and explore nature. Good for fishing and kayaking.

Ai
Review №96

I got some nice bass from out there

Fr
Review №97

Beautiful and lovely

Re
Review №98

Great for outdoor fun! The nature center is awesome!

Lo
Review №99

Great trails and access to docks and boat ramps.

Wy
Review №100

Beautiful park with lots of things to see

Information
100 Photos
100 Comments
4.5 Rating
  • Address:6600 River Rd, Fredericksburg, VA 22407, United States
  • Site:http://www.fredericksburgva.gov/facilities/facility/details/Motts-Run-Reservoir-Recreation-Area-10
  • Phone:+1 540-786-8989
Categories
  • Tourist attraction
  • Boat ramp
  • Hiking area
  • Nature preserve
  • Park
Working hours
  • Monday:Closed
  • Tuesday:Closed
  • Wednesday:7am–7pm
  • Thursday:7am–7pm
  • Friday:7am–7pm
  • Saturday:7am–7pm
  • Sunday:7am–7pm
Accessibility
  • Wheelchair-accessible entrance:Yes
Amenities
  • Good for kids:Yes
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