The past few years have been filled with challenges: lockdowns, virtual school, and social distancing from family and friends. Now that life is more normal, make plans to break free and enjoy a Virginia State Park staycation!
Whether you're making plans for spring break, summertime, a fall getaway, or winter break, Lynchburg Macaroni Kid has you covered! Virginia State Parks are wonderful to explore in any season!
Here's 10 reasons to put a Virginia State Park staycation at the top of your bucket list:
Close to home.
- Locations galore. There are lots of Virginia State Park locations - 42 to be exact, including Machicomoco State Park on the York River, the newest Virginia State Park. Choose from Wilderness Road or Natural Tunnel in Southwest Virginia, Sky Meadows or Shenandoah River in Northern Virginia, First Landing or Kiptopeke on the Eastern Shore, Occoneechee or Staunton River in Southside Virginia, or any of the other 31 parks.
- Secluded getaway. Check out this secluded Virginia State Park where vehicular traffic isn't permitted. False Cape State Park, located between Back Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, is one of the last remaining undeveloped areas along the Atlantic coast. The park is accessible only by foot, bicycle, tram or boat. In addition to guided kayak trips, primitive camping, hiking and biking trails, False Cape State Park has six miles of Atlantic Ocean beach access.
- History and nature. Explore Civil War battlefields, discover unique geologic formations, visit archeological sites, bask in the solitude of nature, tour Colonial homes, and much more. Natural Bridge State Park is located an hour from Lynchburg. The 215-foot tall Natural Bridge, a unique limestone gorge carved out by Cedar Creek. was designated at a National Historic Landmark in 1988. High Bridge Trail State Park has a 31-mile hiking, biking, and horseback riding trail with multiple parking lots between Burkeville and Pamplin. The park's centerpiece is the majestic High Bridge, which is more than 2,400 feet long, 125 feet above the Appomattox River, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Hiking and biking. In the Virginia State Parks, there are more than 55 miles of biking and mountain biking trails, more than 130 miles of hiking and biking trails, and more than 250 miles of multi-use trails for biking, hiking, and horseback riding. Some of our favorite trails are Turtle Island Trail and Lakeview Trail at Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Huddleston, Lakeshore Trail at Holliday Lake State Park near Appomattox, and Beaver Lake Trail at Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield.
- Camping. Twenty nine of the Virginia State Parks offer camping with a total of more than 1800 campsites, ranging from primitive tent sites to full-service campgrounds. Park campgrounds are pet-friendly and many offer ranger programs in season. Starting in 2022, reservations at all Virginia State Parks are site-specific so plan ahead and reserve your favorite sites.
- Cabins, lodges, and yurts. Many of the parks also offer camping cabins or lodges, but the most fun place to stay is in a recreational yurt, a cross between a tent and a cabin found in 14 Virginia State Parks. Yurts offer a tent camping experience, with no electricity, heat, air conditioning or on-site water (but close access to park bathhouses). Once you're inside the yurt, it's more like a one-room cabin with beds, a kitchen table, and living room furniture. Smoking, cooking, and pets are not permitted in yurts. However, there's a deck for hanging out and a fire ring, food prep table, and picnic table outside. We rate the yurts at First Landing State Park at our top choice since there are boardwalks steps away leading to a nice beach on the Chesapeake Bay.
- Reasonably priced. For day use, there's a parking fee of $5 - $7 per vehicle at most of the parks. A few of the parks charge $10 on the weekend. Cabin rates vary by park and time of year. Camping fees also vary by park, ranging from $15 for some primitive sites to $30 - $40 for most RV sites. Group tent campsites are available in some of the parks for bigger groups. You can find the fees for camping, cabins, yurts, swimming, and equipment rentals here.
- Ranger programs and events. There are many special events and ranger programs at Virginia State Parks. You can search by park or find the complete listing of upcoming events on the Virginia State Park website.
- Water activities. From swimming and boating to river, lake, and open water paddling, there's a lot of water fun waiting at Virginia State Parks. Between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, swimming beaches are open at small lakes at six parks and large lakes at three parks. Both First Landing State Park and Kiptopeke State Park offer swimming beaches on the Chesapeake Bay. There are seasonal swimming pools or spraygrounds at some of the parks too. Boating access is available at 29 parks, most with ramps. In addition, 18 parks rent boats. Fishing is also available at 35 parks, including 12 with piers.
- Family fun. Picnic tables (first-come, first-served) and shelters (rent in advance) are available at most of the parks. Many families enjoy geocaching, using a GPS receiver or smartphone app to find caches, small containers containing log books. There are playgrounds, camp stores, and lots of memories waiting to be made at Virginia State Parks. You can reserve a cabin, campsite, lodge, or shelter up to 11 months in advance by phone, online, or by app. Read about the reservation process here and start planning your Virginia State Park staycation.
Check out our Campground Guide for for information about camping in Virginia State Parks, national parks and forests, and public campgrounds.
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