On an unseasonably warm December afternoon, my girls and I headed to Sweet Run State Park for the first time. The 42nd and newest park in the system, Sweet Run was just dedicated by the governor a couple of months ago. It is located in Loudoun County’s Hillsboro, Virginia, about 45 minutes from our FairfaxContinue reading “Sweet Run State Park: Virginia’s Newest State Park”
Category Archives: Virginia State Parks
Belle Isle State Park
We recently enjoyed the most lovely, peaceful visit to Belle Isle State Park. Located in Lancaster, VA, this 892-acre park just celebrated its 30th birthday. Though it is known for its seven-mile stretch of shoreline along the Rappahannock River, Belle Isle is also flanked by Deep Creek, Mulberry Creek, and several smaller inlets. In addition,Continue reading “Belle Isle State Park”
Powhatan State Park
Today, we had the pleasure of visiting Powhatan State Park for the first time. This 1,565-acre park can be found about 40 minutes northwest of Richmond. Powhatan is home to 12 miles of trails, including options for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Other features include picnic shelters, campgrounds, yurt rentals, a playground, three canoe slideContinue reading “Powhatan State Park”
Grayson Highlands State Park
Grayson Highlands State Park is one of those elusive, bucket list destinations that I had been longing to visit for ages. This 4,502-acre park is nestled in the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains, adjacent to Mount Rogers, Virginia’s highest peak. Its elevation varies from 3,698 feet to 5,089 feet above sea level, which I believe makesContinue reading “Grayson Highlands State Park”
Machicomoco State Park
Virginia is so steeped in history and natural beauty that it boasts some of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. I genuinely enjoy exploring all of our state’s must-see attractions, but it is sometimes even more rewarding to visit newer, quieter gems. That is just one of the reasons why I was soContinue reading “Machicomoco State Park”
Pocahontas State Park
It’s amazing how quickly time passes. It recently occurred to me that I had never written about my extended family’s visit to Pocahontas State Park. When I sat down to sort through photos for this post, I discovered they were taken nearly TEN MONTHS AGO. It feels like only weeks have gone by. In anyContinue reading “Pocahontas State Park”
Seven Bends State Park and Woodstock
As this past year wound down, I found myself scrambling to fit a few final adventures into 2022. We had been sitting at 12 state park visits for a while, so I decided it was time to squeeze in a 13th park. On an unseasonably warm December 30th, we headed to Seven Bends State ParkContinue reading “Seven Bends State Park and Woodstock”
Kiptopeke State Park
I am the type of person who likes to stay on top of projects and tasks because I get anxious when I get too far behind. Apparently, I am also the type of person who writes about a summer beach trip the week before Halloween. To be fair, we moved this summer, and moving withContinue reading “Kiptopeke State Park”
Douthat State Park
When we first set our goal to visit all of Virginia’s state parks, I don’t think I quite realized how big this state really is. The 41 parks are spread out all over the place. It takes 8-9 hours to get from the state’s westernmost park to its easternmost park, and those two parks areContinue reading “Douthat State Park”
Shenandoah River State Park and Front Royal
I’m sure I’ve written something similar before, but I’ll say it again: one of the things that I enjoy most about Northern Virginia is that we have easy access to all of the amenities of a major city, while at the same time living a short drive away from beautiful rural landscapes. With that inContinue reading “Shenandoah River State Park and Front Royal”
Old Dominion for Young Virginians 