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Mother and daughter become Virginia Master Hikers and Master Naturalists together in 1 year
Shared by Kelly Veronica Roach, Master Naturalist and Master Hiker, as Guest Blogger.
When I learned of the Virginia State Parks Trail Quest Program on my birthday in 2023, I started planning what would become the absolute greatest year of adventure with my then 4-year-old daughter, and the grandest birthday gift to myself.
Left: Mother and daughter pose with their Master Hiker certificates after completing Trail Quest. Right: Daughter lays in between all their trail maps and car tags from park visits.
My birthday, June 15, is coincidentally shared by Virginia State Parks. The park system opened on June 15, 1936, celebrating an 88th anniversary this year! I spent a few weeks intentionally and methodically mapping out visits to all *43 Virginia State Parks with the goal to finish in just one year; hiking at all, camping and kayaking whenever possible.
*Note: Only 40 Virginia State Parks are currently part of the Trail Quest program, see the Trail Quest page for more explanation.
Planning with purpose and intention
I researched every park to ensure that our visits included unique elements to each park experience. We would sip hot cocoa and sit in the observation field of International Dark Sky Park, Staunton River State Park, in December to witness peak Geminid Meteor Shower. We would rent a pontoon boat at Smith Mountain Lake State Park in March to try our hand at winter largemouth bass fishing.
Our ‘first day hike’ would be at Virginia’s first state park, First Landing State Park. We would experience October’s peak fall foliage at Grayson Highlands, camping and climbing Mount Rogers. We would take our first-ever canoe-in backpacking trip to Belle Isle’s Brewer’s Point when the abundant osprey are most active in midsummer, hunting to feed their young.
Left: Kayaking on Hungry Mother Lake. Right: During their paddle-in camping adventure to Brewers Point at Belle Isle State Park.
National Trails Day would be spent at the first Virginia state park I visited when I was my daughter’s age, Sky Meadows State Park. We would picnic and play fairies amongst the magical blooming Virginia bluebells of Shenandoah River State Park’s Bluebell Trail in early spring. Forty-three unique experiences during each season of a year, July 2023 to July 2024; our year of epic Virginia State Park adventures!
The Master Naturalist perspective
During this same year, I was also becoming a Virginia Master Naturalist (VMN) with the first chapter chartered in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Leesburg’s Banshee Reeks Chapter. Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Northern Virginia, I listened to lectures on Virginia ecology, botany, dendrology, ornithology, climatology, geology, mammalogy, herpetology, entomology and more. I listed, I learned, and I couldn’t wait to travel around the entire state to apply my knowledge in the field at Virginia State Parks.
From the coastal habitats of Kiptopeke, False Cape, and Belle Isle state parks, to the mountainous Douthat, Grayson Highlands, and Hungry Mother state parks, and the riverine ecosystems of New River, James River, Clinch River, Staunton River, and Shenandoah River state parks, I integrated my Master Naturalist training into our adventures. I couldn’t wait to test my geology knowledge at Fairy Stone State Park where millions of years ago, the exact combination of heat and pressure provided by the folding and crumpling of the earth's crust during the formation of the Appalachian Mountains created staurolite crystals (aka “fairy stones”).
Left: Looking at tundra swans during at hike at Mason Neck State Park. Middle: Hiking among the Virginia bluebells at Shenandoah River State Park. Right: Hiking at Pocahontas State Park.
I challenged myself to see how many spring ephemeral wildflowers I could correctly identify at Shenandoah River State Park in early April. I learned that I could witness one of the rarest habitats along the East Coast at First Landing State Park’s cypress swamp which boasts a unique maritime swamp ecosystem. I made sure that we caught Virginia migratory bird species, like at Mason Neck State Park where you can witness the stunning Tundra Swans in late winter. Becoming a Virginia Master Naturalist while becoming a Virginia Master Hiker gave me an unparalleled opportunity to deepen my understanding of Virginia’s natural resources and I started seeing everything with a new perspective and appreciation.
The Junior Naturalist & Junior Ranger experience
As my own nature knowledge grew, so did my daughter’s. She became a Junior Naturalist and Junior Ranger at every Virginia State Park where we found it was offered – and there are many! Through scavenger hunts and habitat observations, nature journaling, map skills and animal tracking, her experiences at parks were so deeply enriched and enjoyed.
Left: Looking at Fairy Stones with a ranger at Fairy Stone State Park. Middle: Learning about turtles at Douthat State Park. Right: Learning about fireflies at Natural Tunnel State Park.
Even now, many months later, I can still picture the admiration on my daughter’s face at the park rangers who took time to teach her. The playful rangers who played indigenous games with her at Machicomoco State Park and the calming ranger who led us on a very windy canoe ride at Bear Creek Lake, the patient rangers who helped her catch fireflies at the top of Natural Tunnel’s Skyline Trail and the inspiring ranger at Fairy Stone who helped her find the most magical mini roman cross ‘fairy stone.’ While it was just the two of us adventuring that year, we never felt alone within the Virginia State Parks community.
Ask a Virginia park ranger
Early on we established a tradition of asking every park ranger we met which trail they would hike if they could only pick one. My determined daughter made sure to inform them that she hiked all of Shenandoah National Park’s 9.4-mile Old Rag Mountain on her own two feet at age 3, so they should not recommend the “easy kid trails.” We hiked Hungry Mother’s challenging Molly’s Knob and Grayson Highland’s memorable Cabin Creek and Wilburn Ridge Trails, Douthat’s heart-pumping Mountain Top Trail and Sky Meadow’s North Ridge Trail to the picturesque Piedmont Overlook.
Left: Hiking at Grayson Highlands State Park. Middle: Hiking at Fairy Stone State Park – Little Mountain Falls Trail. Right: Hiking at Hungry Mother State Park – Molly's Knob.
We hiked around countless Virginia State Park lakes like Lake Anna, Holliday Lake and Claytor Lake. We hiked through the beautiful Blue Ridge, Appalachian, and Allegheny mountains located within Virginia State Parks. We hiked alongside (and kayaked and canoed) the rivers of the Shenandoah, Rappahannock, Potomac, Staunton Appomattox, New, York and James, which all flow through Virginia State Parks. We happily hiked hundreds of miles in our year of adventuring throughout the Virginia State Parks.
Tent camping as nature immersion therapy
We hiked and we camped at Virginia State Parks. We tent camped for a total of more than 3 months together during our Trail Quest year! We camped on the beach and in the deep woods, on mountaintops and lakefront, in thunderstorms and near wildfires, in snow and in sweat. We camped in every season of the year, which meant 20-degree and 100-degree days. There is nothing better than sleeping under the stars, seeing the first fireflies of the season from your tent, and closing your eyes to the sounds of spring peepers and summer songs of the eastern whip-poor-will.
Pro tip: Virginia State Park campsites can be booked up to 11 months in advance, and they do!
Waterfront camping at Occoneechee State Park
I always approached our epic Virginia State Parks Trail Quest year as an immersion experience, not a list to check off, and there is no better way to do that than tent camping in nature, often primitively so. Tent camping offers a unique way to connect with the outdoors, allowing you to fully appreciate the natural beauty and tranquility of the state's parks. Virginia State Parks has some of the best tent camping. As part of my early planning, I created a list of dream campsites within the 29 Virginia State Parks that offer tent camping. Topping the list were the few coveted waterfront sites at Douthat, Bear Creek Lake, and Occoneechee state parks, as well as the more forested sites at Grayson Highlands, Chippokes, and Pocohontas state parks.
Left: Hanging out at Hungry Mother State Park, just outside of the waterfront "honeymoon cabin”. Right: Camping at Chippokes State Park.
Build your dream list
Outside of tent camping, there were a few overnight accommodations within the parks that also topped my dream list. I planned a stay at the first yurt Virginia State Parks built, Kiptopeke State Park’s only “glamping” yurt that overlooks the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. I also planned a week-long stay at Hungry Mother’s only waterfront cabin, aptly named “the honeymoon cabin,” where we listened to the sounds of the summer concert series from porch rocking chairs. We rung in the new year from within the historical walls of our 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps- built (CCC) cabin at First Landing and warmed by the fire of our Fairy Stone CCC cabin after hiking to the waterfall to celebrate the first day of winter. The Virginia State Parks happily became our second home.
Officially Master Hikers
We visited all 43 Virginia State Parks in one year and made memories that will last our lifetimes. There were so many 'firsts' for us in that year; from our first backpacking trip to our first time seeing both a bear and a bobcat on a trail! There were so many s'mores and Virginia LOVE signs along the way! The experience changed us both for the better. We grew and learned with every park we visited; in the woods as we hiked hundreds of miles, on the road as we drove thousands of miles, and under the stars as we camped for more than three months.
Every unique and intentional park experience, every park ranger and camp host we met, every trail town we visited and colorful local diner where we ate imprinted on us. We learned together and from one another, motherhood and childhood, unplugged and natural with laughter, tears, sweat and fears. We did it!
We were awarded our Virginia Master Hiker certificates and badges from the local state park, Sweet Run State Park, in our very own town of Hillsboro where we volunteer (we were just recognized as April’s volunteers of the month!) and I lead hikes with the Interpretive Team. That day at the park, we celebrated by hiking one of our "home trails" together (Farmstead Loop) and at home we celebrated with a homemade hiking boots cake, reminiscing on all the memories we made together. I hope to inspire others to experience some of the same awe-inspiring adventures that we did at Virginia State Parks.
Take the back roads, set up a tent and slow down in #VaStateParks.
Plan your own Virginia State Park adventure year:
Have you completed Trail Quest yet? Simply start by visiting a Virginia State Park and then log your hike on the Adventures Page. It’s a fun experience for the whole family or for solo adventurers. Collect cool pins along the way at certain milestones until you hike at all parks in the program and receive your Master Hiker certificate.
Plan to paddle at the parks this summer? Log your paddle adventures on the Adventures Page and complete the Wandering Waters Paddle Quest!
If you have read the article and have a question, please email nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov.