Can you name the oldest Virginia State Parks? How about the largest?

CCC building a cabin

In June of 1936, the Commonwealth of Virginia opened a system of six state parks. The opening of the system placed a state park within an hour’s drive of most Virginians. The movement to create a state park system, however, had its beginnings a decade earlier.

In 1926, the Virginia Legislature created the State Commission on Conservation and Development. For the first time, the state had a single agency responsible for managing the conservation of its natural resources. Initially, the commission’s efforts with regard to parks centered around acquiring lands for Shenandoah National Park, the first large national park in the east. By 1929, as acquisitions for Shenandoah were nearing completion, things began to change.

Park - Year Acquired; Park Acreage 

Douthat - 1933; 4,545
Fairy Stone - 1933; 4,678
Hungry Mother - 1933; 2,345
Seashore (now First Landing) - 1933; 3,598
Staunton River - 1933; 2,563
Westmoreland - 1933; 1,387
Tabb Monument - 1936; 1
Sailor’s Creek Battlefield - 1937; 324
Bear Creek Lake - 1939; 562
Holliday Lake - 1939; 250
Twin Lakes - 1939; 484
Southwest Virginia Museum - 1943; 2
Pocahontas - 1946; 7,691
Claytor Lake - 1951; 476
Staunton River Battlefield - 1955; 345 
The Shot Tower - 1964; 7
Grayson Highlands - 1965; 4,857
Smith Mountain Lake - 1967; 1,506
Natural Tunnel - 1967; 881
Mason Neck - 1967; 1,863
Chippokes - 1967; 1,945
False Cape - 1968; 4,321
Occoneechee - 1968; 2,690
York River - 1969; 2,553
Lake Anna - 1972; 2,469
Caledon Natural Area - 1974; 2,608
Sky Meadows - 1975; 1,618
Leesylvania - 1975; 511
New River Trail - 1987; 1,224
Kiptopeke - 1992; 536
Belle Isle - 1993; 747
James River - 1993; 1,568
Wilderness Road - 1993; 192
Shenandoah River - 1994; 1,704
Powhatan - 2003; 1,563
Seven Bends - 2004; 1,067
Widewater - 2006; 1,089
Middle Peninsula - 2006; 408
High Bridge Trail - 2006; 608

Total cumulative acreage as of June 15, 2009: 66,786

Why is this important? These parks belong to you.

A fragile dune system protects parkland near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay 

Trails for walking, biking and exploring your state parks

Wildlife encounters - make sure you put your snacks away while camping...

On June 15, 1936, Virginia became the first state to open an entire park system on the same day. The new parks offered modern outdoor recreational facilities while protecting areas with significant natural resources. The original six-park system has expanded to include nearly 90 parks, natural areas and historic sites. Each has natural and historical resources carefully managed and preserved while providing a wide variety of recreation for Virginia's residents and visitors alike.

A visit to today's state park reveals a myriad of outdoor experiences. Featured are some of the commonwealth's most spectacular scenery and outstanding natural resources, such as Natural Tunnel in southwestern Virginia or the fragile coastal environment at False Cape in Virginia Beach.

Parks offer boat access to most of the major bodies of water in Virginia, including the commonwealth's four largest lakes, the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. Camping and cabins have long been favorites of Virginia State Parks visitors. In addition, Virginia State Parks have offered the best in nature and history programming for more than 40 years, increasing the public's knowledge and understanding of the environment.

I hope you will make plans to visit your favorite Virginia State Park in each season this year. The parks are open, the trails are open and waiting for you!