Shared by Brian Finkle Virginia Backpacking, as Guest Blogger.

When most people think of backpacking they imagine tall mountains and several miles of trail with significant changes in elevation. For some, this becomes an insurmountable mental obstacle to enjoying the wonderful world of backpacking.

I’m hoping to change that perception for those that will listen.

A winter backpacking adventure at the beautiful Belle Isle State Park

Virginia State Parks offers a great opportunity to those just starting out with backpacking in a safe and easily managed experience. One such example are the primitive campsites at Belle Isle State Park.

I’m part of a hiking group called Virginia Backpacking and I’m always looking for new opportunities to share with others. I’ve enjoyed backpacking the primitive sites at Caledon and False Cape State Parks and discovered that Belle Isle State Park had some as well so I set off to check it out.

I scheduled an overnight Belle Isle State Park event with the group for the weekend of December 9^th. December can be hit or miss with temperatures so a few adventurous souls initially signed up. As the event grew closer the temperatures were looking colder and there was an outside chance of a snowstorm. One by one people began to drop from the event until I was the only one left. I had a conversation with the wife and gauged her comfort about my going alone, overnight, in the cold, and the snow. Thankfully I had earned enough credibility from past trips I’d taken and was cautiously given the green light.

Be prepared for inclement weather when you backpack in the wintertime

I was both excited and nervous about the event. It had been awhile since I backpacked by myself but I imagined the trip would be absolutely peaceful.

Saturday morning I woke up to falling snow. The front yard was completely covered but the roads were decent. I said goodbye to the family, hoisted my pack, and set off to Lancaster. This was an unusual snowstorm as the eastern side of the state is typically spared from the heavier amounts of snowfall yet forecasts were calling for 3 to 6 inches in Lancaster by Sunday morning. Richmond was expecting less. The 90 minute drive was absolutely beautiful. Trees and fields were covered with freshly fallen snow.

As I pulled into the entrance of Belle Isle State Park nervous excitement began to kick in. I found the parking area near the trail where I would start. I stepped out of my warm car and felt snowflakes fall upon my head and begin to melt.

Standing near the back of my car I checked my pack one last time as a state park employee was about to drive by. His truck began to slow and came to a full stop.

He then kicked it in reverse and drove up to where I was standing.

I cracked a smile as I saw the amused look on his face while he rolled down the window. We had a pleasant conversation about the weather, and how I was heading to Brewer’s Point. He wanted to make sure I was ok and well prepared for the night ahead of me. I assured him I was and he wished me the best before driving off with that same amused look.

Brewer’s Point sits on a spit of land that juts out into the Rappahannock River

The simplicity of Belle Isle State Park’s primitive sites is that they are just a short, flat 1.5 miles from the parking area. 

It includes a community fire pit as well as a porta potty for when nature calls. I began my short hike on the Watch House Trail passing a large field on my right.

A large group of goose meandered through the field and suddenly froze when they realized my presence.

I told them they had nothing to fear and continued on my way. A reasonable distance later I took a right and continued my hike on Neck Fields Trail. I would essentially follow this trail to its termination near Brewer’s Point.

You can have the park to yourself when you backpack in the colder months

As I walked I could hear the pelting of snowflakes hitting the ground. Lost in my thoughts I was suddenly startled as a lone deer quickly dashed across my path. This section also had several younger pine trees that bowed with the weight of heavy wet snow. As Brewer’s Point came into sight I could see the water just off in the distance. I forgot to mention earlier that Brewer’s Point sits on a spit of land that juts out into the Rappahannock River. The campsites are literally a couple dozen of feet away from the water.