All 35 Virginia State Parks will be hosting special events for 
National Get Outdoors Day on June 8, 2013 

This family poses after a hike to scenic Molly's Knob, Hungry Mother State Park.
I think the dog is saying, "What's Next?"

2013 marks the fifth annual National Get Outdoors Day (Go Day) to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun. Scheduled programming in Virginia State Parks will feature opportunities for families to experience traditional and non-traditional types of outdoor activities. Prime goals of the day are reaching first-time visitors to public lands and reconnecting our youth to the great outdoors.

Programs across the state will feature guided nature hikes, geo-caching, canoeing and kayaking. Visitors wishing to explore on their own can rent GPS units or enjoy self-guided hikes. Many parks have available for checkout backpacks with binoculars, field guides and other useful tools. A list of the programs being offered can be found by clicking here. The Virginia State Parks event search tool makes it easy to search by program, date or specific park and can be found here.

Claytor Lake Hosts their Celebration of Summer Event

June 8 is also part of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Free Fishing Weekend so it is a great opportunity to grab a fishing pole and head out to a Virginia State Park to enjoy this past time without paying for a license. Bear Creek Lake, Chippokes, Hungry Mother, New River Trail, and Smith Mountain Lake state parks are all offering special fishing programs as part of their GO Day events but all but a few parks offer fishing opportunities for the whole family.

Bear Creek Lake State Park Fishing Program

“Today we are all less connected to the outdoors. Our kids spend 6.5 hours a day watching screens,” comments Joe Elton, State Parks Director. “For the first time American children are predicted to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. National events like GO Day help bring awareness to this crisis. Virginia State Parks are part of the prescription to make better choices toward healthier lifestyles.”

Last year, over 138 official GO Day sites across the nation welcomed over 70,000 new faces to the joy and benefits of the great outdoors. GO Day is an outgrowth of the Get Outdoors USA! campaign, which encourages Americans, especially our youth, to seek out healthy, active outdoor lives and embrace our parks, forests, refuges and other public lands and waters. For more information on National Get Outdoors Day, visit the official website.

Virginia State Parks offer fun for the whole family

For more information about Virginia State Parks activities and amenities or to make reservations in one of the more than 1,800 campsites or 300 climate-controlled cabins, call the Virginia State Parks Reservation Center at 800-933-PARK or visit our website.