Saturday, September 23, 2023
National and Virginia Public Lands Day
Free parking for Virginia's State Parks*

Virginians are fortunate to own over 3.7 million acres of land in our state managed for the public's benefit, according to the Nature Conservancy. Between National Parks, National Forests, Army Corps of Engineers sites, and Bureau of Land Management properties on the Federal side, our 42 State Parks, Natural Area Preserves, State Forests, Wildlife Management Areas, and regional, county, city and town parks, we are blessed with land open to our use for outdoor recreation and just spending time in nature.

Westmoreland State Park - one of the six original Virginia State Parks

The fact that this land is managed for our benefit means that it is protected against development and is a legacy for generations to come. We celebrate more than 76,000 acres, from our six original Virginia State Parks, which all opened on June 15, 1936, to now 42 parks.

Seven Bends State Park

Take Ownership - Volunteer

Thankfully, Virginians take an ownership role in their public lands by offering their time and skills to volunteer. From volunteers like scout troops, college and university spring and fall break groups, AmeriCorps members, Camp hosts, Friends groups, and more, Virginians come out to support our State Parks. Volunteering is easier than ever with our online application and portal. Find out more about ways to get involved here.

Leading support efforts is the Virginia Association for Parks (VAFP), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, all volunteer-run, that bolsters our parks and advocates on our behalf to stakeholders. Nearly all of our individual parks have Friends of Parks organizations as well. Whether they raise money, lend a hand in park activities, or talk to legislators on the park's behalf, their love and dedication to our Virginia State Parks is apparent. Many may not know that they can join the VAFP at no cost, or become a member at various levels of dues-paying support. Find out more here.

Special Events

On September 23, all of our Virginia State Parks will celebrate National Public Lands Day with all the public lands across the country.  We open our parks that day as a free parking day* and offer special programming, including volunteer events across the parks. Find a list of all of those events here. 

We celebrate our commitment to National Public Lands Day by partnering with our national sponsor, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF). 

Know Before You Go

Recreate responsibly. 

*While nearly all our parks will be free, there are exceptions. Natural Bridge State Parks has a per-person admission fee for access to the bridge that still applies. The $5 parking fee for trail access outside of the Natural Bridge is waived. Per-person admission at Southwest Virginia Museum also applies. The parking fee will not be waived at Grayson Highlands due to the park's annual Fall Festival.