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Betsy Bell Wilderness Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 273 Google reviews · Running trail in Staunton, Virginia · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Crushed gravel
- Loop distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from Betsy Bell Wilderness Park's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Forested mountain terrain with sweeping views, some picnic facilities & hiking/biking trails.
What runners say about Betsy Bell Wilderness Park
“1 mile loop road it was well maintained.”
“Mornings and sunsets are beautiful and youre still in town but with a wonderful view.”
Nice smaller patch of wild to explore in the middle of Staunton! Some trails on the Mary Gray Park side and the road to the top of Betsy Bell wilderness is pretty cool. Great lookouts at the top to see Staunton from above. I do wish you could see the downtown area better from up there though.
I love going to this park its so unique. Its a single almost untouched mountain top surrounded by the town. At this point you definitely need a higher clearance vehicle to get to the top. You can hike or bike up but there but parking is really for the residents that live around the bottom.
Hiked 1.1 mile loop road it was well maintained. Could easily drive standard car up to top..I would not attempt it in bad weather though or after large rainfall .
Not much of a park really.. more like a one way gravel road that you drive up that leads to an overlook and bike path. Still beautiful though.
Trail conditions & character
“Very nice views from the top, and you can even see all the way to the nearby interstate, but the road up here is definitely a fixer upper.”
“You can hike or bike up but there but parking is really for the residents that live around the bottom.”
“more like a one way gravel road that you drive up that leads to an overlook and bike path.”
“There's no playground, there are no restrooms, but there is a bit of a picnic area.”
Plan your run at Betsy Bell Wilderness Park
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- SurfaceCrushed gravel — the rail-trail classic: softer than asphalt, still smooth enough for tempo work
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadparking, restrooms — reported by runners
- Websiteci.staunton.va.us
- Phone+1 540-332-3945
Hours
| Monday | 6 am–6:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 6 am–6:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 6 am–6:30 pm |
| Thursday | 6 am–6:30 pm |
| Friday | 6 am–6:30 pm |
| Saturday | 6 am–6:30 pm |
| Sunday | 6 am–6:30 pm |
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