Open fires are prohibited throughout the park from midnight to 4 p.m. through April 30 per the 4 p.m. Burning Law. This includes wood and charcoal. Gas is permissible. Campground fires are allowed during the restricted time if a camp host is on duty and signage to that effect is posted in the campground. Failure to observe the 4 p.m. Burning Law can result in a fine. Contact the Park Office for additional information.

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Are you looking for a beautiful family camping getaway, a little off the beaten path, with a lot of space to offer? Well, Holliday Lake State Park may just be for you!
We took full advantage of this park, passing up our original plan to spend half of our weekend at James River State Park (about a 40 minute drive from Holliday Lake), and opting to stay and enjoy the scenery.
Ferns blanket the forest floor creating a prehistoric vibe at Holliday Lake State Park in VirginiaFerns blanket the forest floor creating a prehistoric vibe at Holliday Lake State Park
June 4-5 Holliday Lake State Park

Our weekend away started off a little iffy. We had plans to head to Holliday Lake State Park Saturday night and in the morning go on a quick hike before heading straight for James River State Park. Unfortunately, Mother Nature doesn’t really care about camping plans or tight schedules and as we drove toward Holliday Lake State Park we peered out the window at building storm clouds off in the distance. 

A view of the glassy lake with the dam nearly hidden in the background at Holliday Lake State Park in VirginiaA view of the glassy lake with the dam nearly hidden in the background
This weekend was our first time back in a tent for the season and we were very pleased with the choice of campsites. None were a far walk from bathhouses and they varied slightly by their size and proximity to other sites. Despite the impending weather, we felt quite safe, with one of the park rangers coming around to give everyone the head’s up to prepare in case of a direct hit. Fortunately, despite rain and storms predicted the duration of our weekend, we lucked out and only had to endure the bad weather while we were sleeping! Maybe Mother Nature does care about our camping trips.
We made our way down to Holliday Lake State Park around 9:30 p.m. to partake in our first Virginia State Park Program and were quite pleased. This program, “Beneath the Surface”, provided an underwater, illuminated view of the lake shore with cricket frogs chirping loudly in the background, friendly rangers sharing their knowledge, and really neat views of blue gills, crappies, musk turtles, and non-venomous northern water snakes going about their nightly routines.  We went to bed listening to thunder, and already planning to forgo our original plans to leave this park early in the morning.
A peek "Beneath the Surface" at Holliday Lake State Park in VirginiaA peek "Beneath the Surface"
On day two at Holliday Lake State Park we woke up planning to hike portion of the 6.3 mile Lakeshore Trail, which travels around the perimeter of the lake and includes a halfway viewpoint of the Holliday Lake Dam, which we were told is quite a sight to see.
A glimpse at the Lakeshore Trail, which truly does run right along the Lake at Holliday Lake State Park in VirginiaA glimpse at the Lakeshore Trail, which truly does run right along the Lake
We ran into a ranger from the night before, Ranger Spears, who shared more information about the park and became our unofficial tour guide the remainder of the day. We cannot thank him enough for all his knowledge and help throughout our stay. 
After getting a new vision of the park we decided to rent a canoe to explore the lake. In an hour we were only able to see a small portion of this 119 acre lake via the Sunfish Aquatic Trail with informational markers placed throughout. Rentals are very affordable and available for 1 hour, 4 hours, or 8 hours. Along with canoes you can also rent John Boats with an electric motor, kayaks, and even stand up paddle boards.
Thanks to Ranger Spears, after our canoe session we received a private tour of the park’s new re-creation of a Native American hunting camp. It was built recently after Rangers found 5-6,000 year old arrowheads on the property! You can enjoy this tour on Fridays, and we recommend it if you're around; you won’t be able to find its hidden location without a guide.
Small creeks flow into lake creating beautiful spaces to explore at Holliday Lake State Park in VirginiaSmall creeks flow into lake creating beautiful spaces to explore
On our way back we opted to hike a bit too, and explored the Dogwood Ridge Trail (0.7 mi), Northridge Trail (0.4 mi), and a portion of the Lakeshore Trail (6.3 mi in entirety). Our glimpse of these trails was quite positive with the Lakeshore Trail running directly along the water. 
Overall, we were quite pleased with this park. Its accommodations are more compact than other parks, but the lake and Lakeshore Trail offer some great recreational opportunities well on par with the other parks we’ve visited. Enjoy!

If you would like to go on your own adventure to Holliday Lake State Park and would like more information about this park, click here

Guest Bloggers Peter Radlowski and Sarah Sumoski plan to tackle all 36 Virginia State Parks in 2016 and they invite you to come along on the adventure with them.

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If you have read the article and have a question, please email nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov.

COMMENT

Martin Brown (August 15, 2016 11:12:15 AM): Thanks for this information, it is useful to see what kind of activities you can do in this park and I was particularly interested in the canoe part of your trip. It sounds like fun, and I am inspired to take the family out on a similar adventure closer to our home.

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