GENERAL INFO: Wilderness Road State Park was purchased in 1993; the park is approximately 200 acres that lie astride the "Wilderness Road." Wilderness Road was carved by Daniel Boone in 1775 to open America’s first western frontier. Most notable in the park are the Karlan Mansion, built in the 1870s, and Martin's Station, a replica of a fort built there in 1775. Click here to visit the Friends of Wilderness Road's website, which provides details about the fort.
Karlan Mansion is unfurnished but available for rent for special events. Bikes can be rented to ride the Wilderness Road Trail that passes through the park. The park also has a self-guided hiking trail as well as interpretive and environmental educational programs. Snacks and other merchandise are available year-round at the Powder Horn Gift Shop in the visitor center.
Click here (PDF) for a two-page brochure that generally describes the park.
LOCATION: At the intersection
of Routes 58 and 923, five miles west of Ewing, Va., and 10 miles east of
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Middlesboro, Ky.
Drive Time : Northern Virginia, 10 hours; Richmond, eight hours; Tidewater/Norfolk/Virginia Beach, 11 hours; Roanoke, five hours.
Click here for a Google map.
OVERNIGHT FACILITIES: The park offers primitive group camping for groups of up to 50. Campers must bring drinking water; pit-toilets are available, showers are not. Reservations can be made at the visitor center. (Camping is also available six miles away at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Middlesboro, Ky.) For information on availability of overnight accommodations, particular park amenities or to make a reservation, you can reserve online or call 1-800-933-PARK. Click here for park fees.
Click here for details on reservation cancellation and transfer policies. A fee is charged per pet per night for overnight stays.
Camping: Primitive; see above.
TRAILS: Wilderness Road Trail, a 10-mile hiking, biking and equestrian trail. Indian Ridge Trail, a self-guided, natural heritage trail.
PARKS CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Click here to view park events, festivals, workshops and interpretive programs.
VISITOR CENTER, GIFT SHOP: The LEED-compliant, state-of-the-art visitor center has a movie theater and the Powder Horn Gift Shop. The theatre showcases Spirit of a Nation, which depicts the history of the Wilderness Road. Many 18th century replica items, as well as art, snacks and refreshments, can be bought in the gift shop. May through October, the center's hours are from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. It's open 10 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. the rest of the year. Public restrooms are available.
NATURE AND HISTORICAL PROGRAMS: Seasonal monthly programs, schools, environmental education programs, living history and mansion tours. Raid at Martin's Station (re-enactment), May, sponsored by Friends of Wilderness Road State Park. Wilderness Road Heritage Festival, October. Christmas at Karlan and Yulefest Frontier Christmas, December. Click here to view park events, festivals, workshops and interpretive programs.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER: None.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Middlesboro, Ky.; Historic Cumberland Gap, Tenn.; Pine Mountain State Park, Ky.; Lincoln Museum, Harrogate, Tenn. Virginia Heritage Music Trail.
PICNIC SHELTERS: Call the State Parks Reservation Center at 1-800-933-7275 to rent a picnic shelter. Parking and other park fees are not included in shelter rental. Shelters can be rented from 8 a.m. to dark (all day). Click here for park fees.
Each shelter guest must pay applicable daily parking or admission fees. If you'd to have such fees for your guests paid up-front, please contact park staff before the day of your event. Also, a special use permit and additional fees may be required for any activities other than simply picnicking; call the park beforehand to discuss such issues.
Amenities: Shelters have a grill, picnic tables, water and electricity, and are near parking, horseshoe pits, playground equipment and restrooms. The shelters are handicapped accessible.
Shelter 1: Seats 48 under shelter; can accommodate more in surrounding picnic area, but those tables are not included in the reservation of the shelter. It has a water spigot and two electrical outlets.
Shelter 2: Seats 48 under shelter; can accommodate more in surrounding picnic area, but those tables are not included in the reservation of the shelter. It has a water spigot and two electrical outlets.
Shelter 3: Seats 60 under shelter; can accommodate more in surrounding picnic area, but those tables are not included in the reservation of the shelter. There's a built-in fireplace, a water spigot and two electrical outlets.
ACCESSIBILITY: Wilderness Road State Park is presently under development with limited handicapped accessibility.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Historic Martin's Station, an outdoor living history museum with daily first-person living history programs.
CONCESSIONS: Gift items and other merchandise are available year-round at the visitor center's Powder Horn Gift Shop.
HISTORY: Wilderness Road State Park is in a geographically and historically significant region of Virginia. The park lies astride the Wilderness Road that winds down the valley. In 1775, Daniel Boone carved the Wilderness Road, and by 1800 more than 300,000 settlers traveled the Wilderness Road westward through Cumberland Gap into Kentucky and the Midwest. It was originally settled by Joseph Martin, who arrived there on March 26, 1769, after a difficult journey. Martin abandoned a fort his group had erected after an attack by Native American forces that fall, but returned in earnest in January 1775. Click here to visit the Friends of Wilderness Road's website, which provides historic details about Martin's Station.
Wilderness Road State Park was originally part of a farm owned by Robert M. Ely. The mansion was built in the late 1870s, and several generations of Ely descendants lived there. The surrounding rural area still bears the name Elydale after the Ely family.
In the 1940s, the mansion and surrounding property were purchased by Karl and Ann Harris. Even though the mansion was renovated several times, the basic structure of the house remains the same.
Wilderness Road Trail bisects Wilderness Road State Park. Visitors may park cars and horse trailers at the park to access the trail. The trail connects the park with the campgrounds at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, six miles away.
