Charlottesville--Accessible nature? (Appalachia: homes, live in, move)

[Wildflower Summer]

Where we live, we see an abundance of natural beauty--from our car. There are very few places where we can actually enjoy that beauty without driving (sometimes pretty far) to get to it. I've noticed the same problem when we visit friends in Denver. If you live in Charlottesville, is there ready access to nature (abundant trails, parks, etc.) without having to drive miles to get to it? Or, like us, do you mostly enjoy all that beauty through your car windows?

[Ed_Wood]

Just move on, you have some sort of ideal that you've already decided won't be achieved. I'm assuming you're begrudgingly doing this research to fulfill a promise to a spouse about a consideration of a new area.

In reality, all of your questions can be answered by simple google searches, so why not start there rather than asking ambiguously worded questions about how "accessible nature is". If you want to hike through the woods, yes, there's plenty of that. If you want to walk by a river or go swimming in a creek, yes there's plenty of that. If you want to go skiing or hiking on a 10000 foot mountain, no there's none of that.

[gregir]

If we consider the region (say within 40 miles of Charlottesville) there are many many places to enjoy nature. There is a trail around the city, trails in parks, trails in forests, lakes, reservoirs, and more within that 40 mile range. How you enjoy is a little subjective. The Appalachian trail runs through the area as does skyline drive and the blue ridge parkway. All of it within 30 to 45 minutes of downtown Charlottesville.

[TN Lily]

If abundance of natural beauty means lots of trees and grass, there's plenty to see around C-ville.

Go east a bit and drive around the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District & you'll see lots of natural beauty and beautiful older & some historical homes:

Green Springs (U.S. National Park Service)

[Wildflower Summer]

Thank you, gregir and TN Lily and even Ed_Wood (who, despite the acidity of your initial response, came around and eventually answered my--sincerely posed--question better than any google search could have). My family is looking to make a big move, and it's difficult to research all these different places remotely. Your responses really helped!