GENERAL INFO: Just an hour’s drive from Washington, D.C., Sky Meadows State Park in Clarke and Fauquier counties, offers a peaceful getaway on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With rolling pastures and woodlands, the park boasts beautiful vistas of the foothills and access to the Appalachian Trail. Its rich history is shaped by the development of agriculture and the impact of the Civil War. Activities include hiking, fishing, picnicking, horseback riding, primitive camping, and nature and history programs. Please click here to view a short video of the park.
Park Size: 1,862 acres.
Weather: Click here to visit the Weather Channel's site for this zip code.
AT-A-GLANCE: The pictographs directly below show park offerings. Click on those of interest or read below for more detail. Mouse-over the image for a short text description or click here to view a legend in which each pictograph's meaning is expressed.
LOCATION: The park is less than two miles south of Paris, Va., via U.S. Route 50 to Route 17 South; or seven miles north of I-66, Exit 23 on Route 17 North. The park entrance is on State Route 710.
Drive Time : Northern Virginia, 45 minutes to one hour; D.C., over one hour; Richmond, two hours; Tidewater/ Norfolk/ Virginia Beach, three hours; Roanoke, two and a half hours
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Latitude, 38.988703. Longitude, -77.968913.
PARK MAP: Click here for a map of the park's trails or click here for a map of the park's facilities.
OVERNIGHT FACILITIES: This park offers year-round primitive hike-in tent camping. Reservations are required. There are no cabins or developed campsites with hookups at this park. The 15 tent-only sites are hike-in primitive tent camping and are not site specific; the TentPrimRed sites require you to set up on a site with a red marker.
There are 3 primitive, hike-in, tent group areas: Camp Washington accommodates 18-36 campers, called WashingtonGrpGreen(Lg): please set up on the site with the green marker; and Camp Slater accommodates 18- 24 campers, called SlaterGrpBrown(Sm): please set up on the site with the brown marker. There is one primitive tent only Buddy hike-in site, BuddyPrimBlue which accommodates up to 12 campers: please set up on the site with the blue marker.
Please note that the single primitive hike in tent sites are non-site specific; the large group site and several of the individual tent sites have been slightly relocated to better situate them in the terrain. Improvements include level site, table and fire ring pads, lantern posts, improved primitive toilets and access to non-potable water.
- Camping guests must set up camp on the color to match the campsite type you reserved: 15 individual primitive tent sites have red signs; Camp Washington has a green sign; Camp Slater has a brown sign; BuddyPrimBlue has a blue sign.
- Honor camping is not offered at this park. Reservations are required.
- The park's main campground has fire rings at the ground level with a metal grate covering about one-third of the top. There are tent pads, pit toilets, picnic tables and non-potable water.
- All sites in this campground are a 3/4-1 mile hike from the parking area. No vehicles are allowed near or on any campsite.
- Check in 4pm; check out 3pm.
- The park closes at dusk so campers must arrive before dusk.
Site type:
TentPrimRed: 15 primitive, hike-in tent sites; no hookups; non-potable water only; pit toilets. Set up on site with a RED sign.
WashingtonGrpGreen(Lg) - Green sign: Camp Washington is the large primitive tent group camp area which accommodates minimum 18 people and up to 36 maximum. Hike in; no vehicular access.
SlaterGrpBrown(Sm) - Brown sign: Camp Slater is the small primitive tent group camp area which accommodates minimum 12 people and up to 24 maximum. Hike in; no vehicular access.
BuddyPrimBlue - Blue sign: The Buddy primitive tent group camp area which accommodates up to 12 people maximum. Hike in; no vehicular access.
Sites: 15 non-site specific primitive tent sites; Camp Washington primitive tent group site (Lg), 1; Camp Slater primitive tent group site (Sm), 1; Buddy primitive tent group site, 1.
Total sites: 18
For general information about Virginia State Parks accommodations, amenities or to make a reservation, you can reserve online or call 1-800-933-PARK. Click here for park fees.
CABINS / CAMPING: None. This park has no cabins or standard campsites, only primitive campgrounds. If you're interested in other parks' overnight accommodations, rental rates for cabins and camping vary by season, offering and park. Rates are subject to verification by DCR's state parks reservations staff (1-800-933-PARK). First determine the park, the season (which varies by park), then the rate. Click here for park system fees.
TRAILS: The park has more than 12 miles of hiking trails ranging in difficulty from moderate to hard. In addition, the park offers access to the Appalachian Trail. The park is a three-day hike from Harper’s Ferry, W. Va., and two days from Shenandoah National Park. To protect our wildlife, all pets must be kept on a leash no longer than six feet. Vehicles and bicycles are permitted only on paved park roads. Horses are not permitted on hiking trails
The park also has bridle trails; bring your own horse to enjoy more than six miles of challenging, scenic riding on two loop trails.
Visit the Explore Virginia Outdoors website for enhanced maps and video tours of Sky Meadows' trails.
WILDLIFE: Virginia State Parks are great places to connect with the wild world. Bring a camera and share your captures with the world. But please don't disturb or get too close to the animals. The park is, after all, their home. Here are a few recent natural encounters others have had at Sky Meadows.
View all wildlife encounter photos from Sky Meadows.
FISHING, BOATING: Freshwater fishing in one-acre pond. Fishing is permitted from the shoreline only, with a valid license. Fish typically include largemouth bass, catfish and bluegill. No boat rentals or launch.
HORSES: No rentals, however the park has more than six miles of bridle trails for those bringing their own horses. State law requires that visitors carry a copy of a negative Coggins report with each horse brought to the park.
PARKS CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Click here to view park events, festivals, workshops and interpretive programs.
VISITOR CENTER, GIFT SHOP: The visitor center has nature and history exhibits and a gift shop. From April through October, hours are 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and major holidays. From November through March, hours are 11 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
NATURE, HISTORY PROGRAMS: The Delaplane Strawberry Festival is held on the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Click here to view park events, festivals, workshops and interpretive programs.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER: None.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS: Historic homes, Civil War sites, horse farms, bed and breakfast inns, Virginia State Arboretum, quaint villages, wineries, and Virginia and International Gold Cup steeplechase races.
PICNIC SHELTERS: One shelter is available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are only two picnic tables under the shelter, which overlooks rolling pastures. The area has drinking water, grills and modern restrooms.
- Two parking spaces
- Restrooms
- Visitor center and gift shop
- Picnic site with one table and grill
- Fishing pond (no paved sidewalk access)
- Although motorized vehicles are not permitted on park trails, electric wheelchairs and electric scooters that meet the federal definition for wheelchairs are allowed to enable people with disabilities to use the trails.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Historic Mount Bleak House, built in 1843, is open for guided tours on weekends and holiday afternoons from mid-April through October.
CONCESSIONS: Small gift shop; beverage vending machines.
HISTORY: Settlement of the area can be attributed to nearby Ashby's Gap, which gave settlers access to the Shenandoah Valley.
In 1731, Lord Fairfax sold a 7,883-acre tract of land just south of Ashby’s Gap to James Ball. Ball died in 1754, and his land was divided among his daughter and five grandsons. One grandson sold his land to John Edmonds in 1780. Edmonds died eight years later, and his land was divided among his five children.
Isaac Settle of nearby Paris bought land from two of those children and in 1812 built a large brick house called “Belle Grove.” In 1842, he sold Belle Grove farm to his son in-law, Lewis Edmonds, who shortly thereafter sold 148 acres to Settle’s son, Abner, who built Mount Bleak House.
Mount Bleak in 1868 became the property of George M. Slater, who had been in Mosby’s Rangers during the Civil War. Slater and his son lived there for 55 years.
The property changed owners several times in the 1900s. In 1975, Paul Mellon of Upperville, Va., donated a 1,132-acre tract to the Commonwealth for the development of a state park. Another 248 acres were acquired in 1987, thus providing a corridor to the Appalachian Trail. In 1991, Mr. Mellon donated another 248 acres, designated the Lost Mountain Bridle Trail Area.
The name Sky Meadows comes from former owner Robert Hadow, who named the property "Skye Farm" after an island in Scotland.
CONTACT INFO: Sky Meadows State Park, 11012 Edmonds Lane, Delaplane, VA 20144-0710; phone: (540) 592-3556; Email, skymeadows. Learn more about park offerings by calling 1-800-933-PARK or email resvs. Be sure to specify the park of interest. Click here to reserve a campsite or picnic shelter or to check cabin availability.
This park was supported by the Land and Water Conservation Fund: Helping states and communities provide outdoor recreation and open space for all Americans.
Visit Explore Virginia Outdoors for virtual tours of state parks' trails and more.