Have a craving to get outside or looking for a new challenge? Virginia State Parks has you covered with recreation at parks near the most popular waterways, and trails in some of the most stunning landscapes of Virginia.

CHALLENGE

New River Trail Challenge Triathlon is held in September each year, which gives you plenty of prep time to get ready to meet this challenge. New River Trail State Park parallels the scenic and historic New River for 39 miles and passes through four counties and the city of Galax.

The race begins with a 40-mile bike ride, followed by a 12-mile kayak run, and finishes with a half marathon along southwestern Virginia’s New River Trail State Park. Entrants can choose to compete solo or in teams of two or three. Everyone is welcome and the race attracts athletes of all fitness levels competing in various age groups and categories, from hardcore solo competitors to “bucket-listers” of all ages. 

Learn more about the New River Trail Challenge Triathlon here.

Kayaker tackles the whitewater at New River State Park

TRAILS

Escape the crowds and daily grind while hiking or biking on over 600 miles of trails from the Atlantic seashore to the rugged mountains of Virginia at Virginia State Parks. Hiking is one of the most popular recreational activities and is available to everyone.

There are accessible trails (like below at Natural Bridge State Park) available for people with limited mobility, young or old, as well as difficult strenuous challenging trails with lofty rewards. See the types of trails with the mileage at each park here. 

Earn pins for hiking trails at Virginia State Parks in our Trail Quest program, learn more here.

626 miles of scenic trails at Virginia State Park even include the Cedar Creek Trail that leads you under one of Virginia's most famous icons, Natural Bridge 

BIKING

Many parks have multi-use and specially designated biking trails like Douthat State Park known as the mountain biking mecca with its more than 43 miles of hiking, mountain biking and bridle trails.

Pocahontas State Park offers more than 25 miles of directional mountain biking trails including traditional single-track, machine-built flow trail, and hand-cycle friendly trails. Pocahontas State Park trails, along with the James River Parks systems trails, combine to form the uber-popular IMBA bronze level RVA Ride Center.

Mountain biking is a popular sport at Virginia State Parks

BOATING

Parks access Virginia's most popular waterways, including Buggs Island Lake, Claytor Lake, the Chesapeake Bay, the James River, Lake Anna, the Potomac River, the Rappahannock River, New River, Smith Mountain Lake and the York River. 

Click here to see a list of parks with boating access, and here to find boat rentals at Virginia State Parks. 

Kayak fisherman at Dixon Landing takeout, James River State Park

FISHING

Virginia State Parks has fishing on just about every size body of water in Virginia, from tidal fishing for flounder or cobia in the Chesapeake and Atlantic Ocean to citation striped bass at Smith Mountain lake State Park or creelfulls of crappie at Buggs Island Lake from Occoneechee State Park in Southside Virginia. 

Thirty parks offer fishing from the shore; six offer pier fishing. You can learn more about the great fishing at Virginia State Parks here.

Ocean fishing in the blue waters of the Atlantic from False Cape State Park

BOULDERING

Amy Atwood, Visitor Services Specialist describes bouldering in this way "For those of you who aren’t familiar with the sport of bouldering, it is rock climbing at its most fundamental level. You have a rock and a climber. No anchors are driven into the rock, no harness, no ropes or safety lines, just the challenge of dominating something with strength, grip, flexibility, sheer will and many, many layers of skin. Boulderers aspire to master the most technical aspects of rock climbing.

They rise to the challenge of ascending overhangs that are nearly horizontal, finding finger - and toe-holds on rock faces that you and I would call smooth. The mere physical challenge of the sport calls to those with mental focus, determination and the desire to do the impossible."

Learn more about the fantastic bouldering at Grayson Highlands State Park's four main boulder fields and three smaller fields with more than 700 named climbing routes, also known as problems, here and here.

The view from the boulders at Grayson Highlands State Park

 

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