Belle Isle (Richmond, Virginia)
Belle Isle is a54-acre (22 ha) island in the city of Richmond, Virginia on the James River, and is part of the James River Park System. It is accessible to pedestrian and bicycle traffic via a suspension footbridge that runs under the Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge from the northern shore or via a wooden bridge from the southern shore. Except when the water level of the James is high, it is also reachable by foot from the southern shore via easy boulder-hopping. From Belle Isle, one can see Hollywood Cemetery, the old Tredegar Iron Works, and Richmond City's skyline. There are many bike trails around the island as well as a small cliff used for rock climbing instruction.
People on the rocks of Belle Isle
Major Thomas P. Turner (in the foreground,) commandant of Belle Isle and Libby Prison, inspects the neighbourhoods
Illustration of U.S. prisoners at Belle Isle (Harper's Weekly, May 21, 1864)
Herons fishing in the rapids. A view from the northern bank of Belle Isle, across the James River, to the bluffs of Hollywood Cemetery.
Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge
The Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge in Richmond, Virginia carries U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 301 across the James River at the Fall Line.
Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge viewed from underneath, showing footbridge to Belle Isle.
Historical Marker located on the entrance of the bridge
