Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 05, 2023
Contact: Dave Neudeck, Communications and Marketing Director, 804-786-5053, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov
Natural Bridge dedicates new Thistle Ridge Disc Golf Trail
(Editors: Follow this link to download an image. Photo caption: Thistle Ridge Disc Golf Trail Hole 5)
(Editors: Follow this link to download an image. Photo caption: Thistle Ridge Disc Golf Trail Hole 1)
(Editors: Follow this link to download an image. Photo caption: Thistle Ridge Disc Golf Trail)
RICHMOND – Natural Bridge State Park celebrated the completion of its newest trail, Thistle Ridge Disc Golf Trail, with a dedication ceremony on Saturday, June 3, 2023. The 18-hole disc golf course features extensive views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is designed for players of all skill levels.
Thistle Ridge, a mix of fields and woods, also serves as a learning opportunity for players and hikers. Years ago, the landowners cleared the area to build a golf course but abandoned their plans. Today, the whole course is an example of secondary forest succession, and educational signs will be placed throughout the trail to help visitors understand how a forest comes back to life.
Other course highlights include environmentally friendly tee pads that consist of 100,000 crushed glass bottles and a managed pollinator habitat. Additionally, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks program designed scorecards that double as field guides, providing players with identification information for some of the more common bird and tree species that can be found along the course.
“Any time we can do something that causes people to unplug and enjoy nature, maybe even gain a better appreciation for the world around them, we’ve left our mark on the next generation,” said Park Manager Jim Jones.
Thistle Ridge Disc Golf Trail was made possible by the collective donations from the Rockbridge Area Community Health Foundation, Washington and Lee University, The Friends of Natural Bridge State Park, Rockbridge Outdoors and the Rockbridge Disc Golf Club. The course is also joining the Kids in Parks program’s network of nature trail disc golf courses, which include more than 30 other courses in the country.
The course is located north of the Natural Bridge Visitors Center at the Blue Ridge Trailhead. State Park parking rates apply.
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Virginia State Parks are managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. For more information about Virginia State Parks’ activities and amenities or to reserve one of the more than 1,800 campsites or 300 climate-controlled cabins, call the Virginia State Parks Reservation Center at 800-933-PARK or visit www.virginiastateparks.gov.
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