Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 26, 2010
Contact:
Bear Creek Lake State Park celebrating 70th Anniversary May 15
The renovated trail system will be dedicated at 11 a.m.
(Richmond, Va.) – Bear Creek Lake State Park, in Cumberland County, will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a ceremony, exhibits, refreshments and a special historic parking fee the weekend of May 15-16.
The parking fee for the weekend will be reduced to 10 cents, the fee charged in 1936 when the Virginia State Park system opened.
On Saturday, May 15, at 11 a.m., a brief ceremony will be held to dedicate the renovated trail system. A guided hike will follow the ceremony. Visitors should dress for a day of outdoor activities. Weather permitting, the swimming beach also will be open.
Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., the park will host exhibitors in Bear Creek Hall, including the Central Piedmont Virginia Master Naturalists. Additional interpretive programs will be conducted until sunset.
Refreshments will be provided by the Friends of Bear Creek Lake State Park.
Bear Creek Lake is less than an hour west of Richmond, nestled in the heart of Cumberland State Forest. Activities center on the park's 40-acre lake, complete with a boat launch, fishing pier, snack bar, boat rentals and guarded swimming beach. The park offers camping, cabins, a meeting facility, lakeside picnicking, playgrounds, hiking and access to a 14-mile multi-use trail in the state forest.
The park is surrounded by the 16,000-acre Cumberland State Forest, which provides opportunities for a wide range of outdoor activities. Four small lakes in the state forest are managed by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for recreational fishing. A network of forest roads enables great hiking, mountain biking and nature observation.
The 35 award-winning state parks are operated by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
For more information about Virginia State Parks activities and amenities or to make reservations for one of the more than 1,600 campsites or 200 climate-controlled cabins, call the Virginia State Parks Reservation Center at (800) 933-PARK or visit www.virginiastateparks.gov.
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