High Bridge Trail State Park in Southside Virginia follows a former railroad corridor for more than 30 miles and centers on historic High Bridge over the Appomattox River, built in 1854 as a major transportation link between Petersburg and Lynchburg. During the Civil War’s final days, retreating Confederate forces tried to burn the bridge on April 7, 1865, but Union engineers stopped the fire after several spans were lost, helping prevent Lee’s escape. Rail service resumed later that year, and after the line’s abandonment the corridor became a shared-use trail, opened in stages from 2008 and later extended to Pamplin, where recreation, railroad remains, and wartime memory meet.

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Farmville, Virginia · USA