Virginia has many beautiful places called state parks where families can go to enjoy nature and have fun together. The state's park system began on June 15, 1936, with six parks: First Landing State Park , Westmoreland State Park , Staunton River State Park , Douthat State Park , Fairy Stone State Park , and Hungry Mother State Park . Today, there are 44 official state parks, plus two special areas, the Southwest Virginia Museum and the Green Pastures Recreation Area, all managed by the state park system.
Breaks Canyon, located in Breaks Interstate Park These parks offer many activities like hiking, camping, and learning about wildlife. They help protect Virginia's natural beauty and give people chances to explore and enjoy the outdoors. Whether you like walking through forests or sitting by a lake, Virginia's state parks have something for everyone to enjoy.
State parks
Virginia opened its state park system on June 15, 1936, starting with six parks: Seashore State Park (now First Landing State Park), Westmoreland State Park, Staunton River State Park, Douthat State Park, Fairy Stone State Park, and Hungry Mother State Park.
Name Location Size Established Status Remarks Bear Creek Lake State Park Cumberland 329 acres (1.33 km2 ) 1939 Open Belle Isle State Park Lancaster County 892 acres (3.61 km2 ) 1993 Open Breaks Interstate Park Breaks 4,500 acres (18 km2 ) 1954 Open Caledon State Park King George 2,587 acres (10.47 km2 ) 1974 Open Chippokes State Park Surry 1,947 acres (7.88 km2 ) 1967 Open Claytor Lake State Park Dublin 472 acres (1.91 km2 ) 1951 Open Clinch River State Park St. Paul 1,092 acres (4.42 km2 ) 2019 Open As of January 2024, two main properties are open to the public. Culpeper Battlefields State Park Culpeper 263 acres (1.06 km2 ) 2024 Open Douthat State Park Millboro 4,545 acres (18.39 km2 ) 1936 Open Fairy Stone State Park Stuart 4,741 acres (19.19 km2 ) 1936 Open Falling Spring Falls State Park Covington 19 acres (0.077 km2 ) 2004 Open Administered by Douthat State Park False Cape State Park Virginia Beach 3,844 acres (15.56 km2 ) 1968 Open First Landing State Park Virginia Beach 2,888 acres (11.69 km2 ) 1936 Open Originally Seashore State Park Grayson Highlands State Park Mouth of Wilson 4,502 acres (18.22 km2 ) 1965 Open Green Pastures Recreation Area Clifton Forge 133 acres (0.54 km2 ) 2021 Open Administered by Douthat State Park Hayfields State Park Highland County 1,034 acres (4.18 km2 ) 2025 Open Limited hours High Bridge Trail State Park Farmville 1,236 acres (5.00 km2 ) 2006 Open Holliday Lake State Park Appomattox 560 acres (2.3 km2 ) 1939 Open Hungry Mother State Park Marion 3,334 acres (13.49 km2 ) 1939 Open James River State Park Gladstone 1,561 acres (6.32 km2 ) 1993 Open Kiptopeke State Park Cape Charles 562 acres (2.27 km2 ) 1992 Open Lake Anna State Park Spotsylvania County 3,127 acres (12.65 km2 ) 1972 Open Leesylvania State Park Woodbridge 556 acres (2.25 km2 ) 1975 Open Machicomoco State Park Gloucester 645 acres (2.61 km2 ) 2020 Open Mason Neck State Park Lorton 1,856 acres (7.51 km2 ) 1967 Open Natural Bridge State Park Natural Bridge 1,540 acres (6.2 km2 ) 2016 Open Natural Tunnel State Park Duffield 909 acres (3.68 km2 ) 1967 Open New River Trail State Park Fosters Falls 1,217 acres (4.93 km2 ) 1987 Open Occoneechee State Park Clarksville 2,698 acres (10.92 km2 ) 1968 Open Pocahontas State Park Chesterfield 7,919 acres (32.05 km2 ) 1946 Open Powhatan State Park Powhatan 1,565 acres (6.33 km2 ) 2003 Open Sailor's Creek Battlefield State Park Rice 379 acres (1.53 km2 ) 1937 Open Seven Bends State Park Woodstock 1,066 acres (4.31 km2 ) 2019 Open Shenandoah River Raymond R. "Andy" Guest Jr. State Park Bentonville 1,619 acres (6.55 km2 ) 1994 Open Shot Tower Historical State Park Austinville 10 acres (0.040 km2 ) 1964 Open Sky Meadows State Park Delaplane 1,860 acres (7.5 km2 ) 1975 Open Smith Mountain Lake State Park Huddleston 1,248 acres (5.05 km2 ) 1967 Open Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park Big Stone Gap 1.5 acres (0.0061 km2 ) 1943 Open Staunton River State Park Scottsburg 2,336 acres (9.45 km2 ) 1939 Open Staunton River Battlefield State Park Randolph 300 acres (1.2 km2 ) 1955 Open Sweet Run State Park Hillsboro 884 acres (3.58 km2 ) 2023 Open Facilities under development Twin Lakes State Park Green Bay 548 acres (2.22 km2 ) 1936 Open Westmoreland State Park Montross 1,321 acres (5.35 km2 ) 1936 Open Widewater State Park Stafford 1,089 acres (4.41 km2 ) 2019 Open Wilderness Road State Park Ewing 327 acres (1.32 km2 ) 1993 Open York River State Park Williamsburg 2,954 acres (11.95 km2 ) 1969 Open
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on List of Virginia state parks , available under CC BY-SA 4.0 .
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