Name: Climb the Mountain
Start: 2025-11-01T08:30:00-04:00
End: 2025-11-01T11:00:00-04:00
Location: 1050 Monticello Loop, Charlottesville, VA, United States, Virginia 22902

"When clambering a mountain, we always hope the hill we are on is the last. But it is the next, and the next, and still the next.”
— Thomas Jefferson, 1786
Join us for a special community event as we “climb the mountain” together, marking the launch of Monticello's new strategic plan, "Climb the Mountain, Discover America." Starting at the base of the Saunders-Monticello Trail, participants can walk, run, or stroll along the scenic, family-friendly, 2-mile route up to the iconic West Lawn of Monticello.
Once on the West Lawn, enjoy free coffee and donuts courtesy of local vendors, performances from historic interpreter Bill Barker as Thomas Jefferson, and hands-on fun at the Mountaintop Activity Center.
To ensure safety, the trail will be open to pedestrians only during the event, and the Route 53 and Route 20 trail parking lots will be closed.
See below for schedule:
8:30 AM | Park at the David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center and shuttle to the Route 53 trail head parking lot
9:00 AM | Community walk begins at the Saunders-Monticello Trailhead
10:15 AM | Free coffee and donuts, family-friendly activities, and remarks on the West Lawn by President Jane Kamensky and other Monticello leaders