Powhatan State Park is located about an hour outside of Richmond in Central Virginia and hugs the shoreline of the James River. 

Smiling faces and happy hikers at Powhatan State Park

This is park #23 of our challenge to hike every Virginia State Park in 2016 and we're happy to share that our hiking companion and co-blogger Mr. Rigby was able to join us on this wonderful day of exploration.

August 28 Powhatan State Park and The Tabb Monument

With 8-miles of trails, exploring the entirety of this park is feasible in a day, but its connection to the James River is what sold it for us. We had a picnic lunch at tables overlooking the James while boy scouts used the boat launch for their tube float down the river. We decided to start on the 0.8 mile River Trail which meanders along steep wooded slopes next to the shoreline.

The picnic tables are right along the James River, a perfect spot for lunch

The River Trail also cut through the park’s canoe-in campground. This was a really impressive addition, and a fun way to begin a weekend of primitive camping at this park. There is a convenient ramp for boaters to load and unload their canoes/kayaks, racks to store the boats, and campsites nearby. It’s certainly on our list to try out.

The Canoe/Kayak ramp at the canoe-in campground 

We continued through the camping area to the Gold Dust Trail (0.81 mi), walking through the woods and along a beautiful stream-filled ravine. This trail open up into a wildflower meadow and continues along a mowed path through the flowers and grasses turning into the 1.24 mile Turkey Trail. What a beautiful transition from forest to field. 

A scenic spot along the James River on the start of the Gold Dust Trail 

The Turkey Trail cuts through a lovely wildflower meadow filled with native passion-fruit vines

We followed the Turkey Trail back into the woods and ended up at the River Trail and campground, an easy, yet enjoyable afternoon hike.

Our day wasn’t over after Powhatan State Park as we journeyed another 30 minutes to pay a visit to The Tabb Monument in Amelia County. A nice tribute to the birthplace of John Bannister Tabb, a Virginia-born poet and patriot. 

The Tabb Monument

If you would like to go on your own adventure to Powhatan State Park and would like more information about this park, click here. 

Guest Bloggers Peter Radlowski and Sarah Sumoski plan to tackle all 36 37 Virginia State Parks in 2016 and they invite you to come along on the adventure with them. They visited Powhatan before the newly opened full service campground was open.