Peninsula Trail
Bob Gore
Bench 5. South Fork Rivanna Reservoir
This bench is at the end of a short spur trail to the water. Here you have a view of a branch of the Reservoir, which was created in 1966 when the South Fork of the Rivanna River was dammed. It is also a good place to look for fish, water birds, and turtles, such as cooters and painted turtles. Notice the large tree on your left closest to the water. This is a surprisingly large specimen of musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana), which is an understory tree and commonly much smaller.
