Trails at Richard B. Russell State Park

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Cottage Loop Trail

1.29-mile loop | Compacted Gravel Surface | Moderate | 2.25 hours

This trail begins near cottage 1 and takes you along the connecting trail, then veers off to the left down a hill. This loop is hilly, crosses a steel bridge in the back of one cove and offers outstanding scenery along the lake’s banks across from the cottage area. At the connecting trail, turn right to return to the cottage area, go straight for a longer walk to the campground, or turn left to go to the beach.


Cottage/Beach Trail

1.55 miles | Compacted Gravel Surface | Easy | 1.5 hours

Connecting the cottage and beach areas of the park, the Cottage/Beach Trail is flat and runs close to the main road. The woods are a mixture of hardwoods and pines. This trail is 1.55 miles in length, offers potential wildlife, has a steel bridge near the main road and is open to bicycle and foot traffic.


Campground Spur

0.5 mile | Compacted Gravel Surface | Easy | Half-hour

This trail is one of the two trails that begin or end above campsite #28 and goes to the connecting trail, making it easy to ride a bike or walk to the cottage area, cottage loop trail, or the trail to the beach.


Campground/Picnic Trail

0.5 mile | Compacted Gravel Surface | Easy | Half-hour

This is the other trail that begins or ends above campsite #28 and is a more natural and hilly trail. It leads to the picnic area where it becomes asphalt all the way to the beach.


Blackwell Bridge Trail

1.6 miles | Rubberized Surface & Compacted Natural Soil | Easy to Moderate | 1.5 hours

Near the rear of the beach parking lot you will find this well marked trail. The first section goes to the bridge and begins with an asphalt/rubberized surface that is wheelchair accessible. No bikes are allowed on this surface. The loop starts and ends at the bridge. There is a sign to continue to the right where you follow the shoreline for half a mile. From an old road bed near a group shelter you will continue to the big steel bridge with a nice view of the lake on Vans Creek. This ends the easy portion of the trail. Continuing over the bridge and along the old road, the trail takes you back around a cove and up a hill and back down to the first little bridge where the loop began. Along this trail are old and young forests with more wildlife as you get further into the woods.