During June 2022, come cast a line for a prize in Bear Creek Lake State Park’s "Fish 'n Photos" contest. Every participant that submits a valid photo according to the rules will have a chance to win in the follow categories:​​​​​​​      Trifecta: Send photos of 3 different fish species you caught during the month.

Be sure to stop by the Visitor Center, which houses both the Nature Center and the Discovery Center, where you can grab a map and fill up on water, snacks, and souvenirs  before you hit the trails.

Bows and arrows have been a part of human society for thousands of years and used for survival and sport.

Follow our blazes through any of our six trails or blaze your own trail on many of our lakeside scenic open areas this National Trails Day at Claytor Lake State Park.

Calling all hikers to celebrate National Trails Day with us as we host a Leave No Trace trail litter clean-up event.

Meet Chesapeake Bay Foundation representative Matt Kowalski, to hear about the health of the Bay before heading out to do your part to help take care of it.

Help us protect the world's largest estuary with a clean up project along our shoreline.  The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is encouraging groups to maintain tributary creeks and rivers such as the York.  Meet in front of the Visitor Center and let's keep our shoreline clean.   Gloves and trash bags will be provided.  Please wear sturdy shoes and bring a water bottle.    .

Come out to Powhatan State Park and help us by removing trash from the river bank, in an effort to keep our waterways as clean as possible.

Join us for National Trails Day as we work to improve the trail quality at Powhatan State Park.

Grab your nature journals and get hiking!  You don’t have to be a professional artist to benefit from the calming effects of creating art inspired by nature.

Working our way around the shores of beautiful Douthat Lake, we will pick up litter and clear out dead branches and debris.

Come to Staunton River State Park and help us by removing trash from the river bank, in an effort to keep our waterways clean.

Join us for National Trails Day as we improve the trail quality at Staunton River State Park.

Celebrate National Trails Day 2022 with a scenic guided nature hike along Cottonwood Trail.

Join Pocahontas State Park staff and volunteers in helping keep Swift Creek Lake and the area watershed clean.

Join the Pocahontas State Park team for National Trails Day as we work to keep our park trails clear of litter.

Honor and aid your environment by participating in a park clean up!

Have you ever wondered what a "vernal pool" is?

Join the ranger on land and walk the shorelines to help clean litter (perfect for families with young children that want to lend a hand) or dock your boat at our Visitor Center (VC docks are south of the swimming beach) and we'll provide trash bags to each boat, canoe, kayak or SUP to help us clean from the water.

Did you know Twin Lakes State Park is in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed?

Take a walk in a ranger's shoes while performing trail work this National Trails Day.

Join us to learn some cool tricks and tips about stand up paddle boarding.

There are two events combined into one starting at 9AM.

Park staff and volunteers will cleanup trash and debris along the Adopt-A-Highway portion of the Battlefield where rain runoff and debris deposits into Sailor’s Creek and its tributaries, which affects the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Clean the Bay Day is sponsored by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and is an ongoing effort towards creating a clean and healthy Chesapeake Bay.

Enjoy a morning of family fun, fish, learn about the Potomac River, and maybe win a trophy!  Sponsored by the Friends of Leesylvania State Park, these fishing tournaments throughout the summer are suitable for all ability levels, ages 3-15.  No rod and reel?  No problem!  The Friends have suitable tackle on hand to loan.  We hope to see you there!

Come out to the beautiful and picturesque historic Staunton River Battlefield for "National Trails Day" and assist park rangers as they perform routine maintenance and upkeep on our park walking trails and footpaths. Garbage receptacles, gloves, and necessary tools and equipment will be provided.

In partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Leesylvania State Park is in need of volunteers for the 33rd Annual Clean the Bay Day!  Your efforts, along with those of thousands of others throughout the Chesapeake Bay's watershed are essential to maintaining the health of this unique biome.  A clean Potomac is a key component to a clean Chesapeake.  For more information on Clean the Bay Day, please see https://www.cbf.org/events/clean-the-bay-day/; for general questions regarding the wider event, please send an email to ctbd@cbf.org; to register to volunteer as either an individual or group, please go to https://www.cbf.org/events/clean-the-bay-day/leesylvania-state-park.html.  For specific questions on Leesylvania State Park's participation please call the Visitor Center at (703)583-6904 or send an e-mail to leesylvaniavc@dcr.virginia.gov.  The park does have limited cleaning supplies for loan.  Please wear clothing you don't mind getting dirty.

What is an eastern kingsnake?

Join Park Staff & Volunteers for a morning walking the shoreline picking up trash & debris.

In celebration of National Trails Day, New River Trail will be hosting a trail maintenance morning at Hoover Mountain Bike Complex.

Did you know that 18 million people live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed?

Ready to try backcountry camping?

As we enjoy the trails that weave throughout the park, remember to leave the trails as nice as possible for the next hikers.

If there is one thing you'll certainly find on any trail you visit, its trees.

From woodlands to wetlands, fields and pastures, let's investigate the plants, animals and history of farming at Sky Meadows State Park.

Learn how fences and tree plantings improve water quality at Sky Meadows State Park.

We will have a self-guided "Hike-a-Thon" where we challenge you to hike all four of our park trails in one day!

Join our staff and volunteers in celebration of National Trails Day!  We will work to improve and beautify a favorite access point so that guests can better enjoy our scenic wonders.  Contact our office to see how you can help. .

Get your hands dirty as we work to improve the hiking experience on Hadow Trail.

First Landing will be celebrating National Trails Day by offering guided hikes in each of our distinct park ecosystems.

Celebrate National Trails Day by taking a "hike" on one of Northern Virginia's blueways.

Test your adventurous side with a guided into the Tunnel or get low as you follow the path underground for one of our wild cave tours.

The waters of Bear Creek Lake eventually find their way to the Chesapeake Bay watershed and so it is important that we do our part to keep our watershed clean.

The waters of Bear Creek Lake eventually find their way to the Chesapeake Bay watershed and so it is important that we do our part to keep our watershed clean.

Celebrate National Trails day by taking a closer look at the forest.

Celebrate National Trails Day with a hike on the Twin Pinnacles Trail. Hike to the two best views and highest peaks in the park.  Learn about the natural history and the unique plants that live in the boreal forest that dominates the high evaluation of the park.  Also learn the mystery of the Magic Tree.  Meet a park staff member at the front of the visitor center.

Help clean up Holliday Lake by participating in Clean the Bay Day. Walk the shoreline and help pick up litter, or bring your own water vessel and help clean up the lake from the water. See a ranger at Shelter #2 for your free parking pass and clean-up supplies. To give us an approximate headcount, please call the office at (434) 248-6308 to let us know you are coming to volunteer.

Join a park ranger for a guided tour of Mulberry Hill at Staunton River Battlefield State Park for a look at Virginia Judge Paul Carrington and his family, the McPhail's, and their experiences through the Wilson-Kautz Raid in 1864.

Hike to the two best views and highest peaks in the park and explore the natural history and the unique plants that live in the boreal forest that dominates the high evaluation of the park.  Also learn the mystery of the Magic Tree.  Meet a park staff member at the front of the visitor center.      .

What is a  red-eared slider?

Tour the Shot Tower that overlooks the beautiful New River and learn about the process of making lead shot.

Let the park be your muse as you follow basic instructions to create your own masterpiece.

Get down and dirty with this two hour wild cave tour.

Just because we don’t always spot them, we know the animals are around by the tracks and traces they leave behind.

Join Master Naturalist Kim Manion for a short walk to discover the basics of tree identification.

Saturday, June 4, 2022 is National Trails Day.

In 1933, the country was in the grips of the Great Depression.

Meet with a ranger at the Main Office and set out to the Tobacco House Ridge trail, where you can enjoy nature's wonders while clearing litter and sticks off the trail.

What's blooming and buzzing in your neighborhood?

Bows and arrows have been a part of human society for thousands of years and used for survival and sport.

Celebrate Clean the Bay Day by participating in a special volunteer opportunity at Shenandoah River State Park.

Visit Wilderness Road State Park on National Trails Day to create and customize your own hiking stick.

This program is designed to introduce participants to one of our finest ambassador animals, Goose the corn snake!

Walk through history by touring historic Mount Bleak House.

Have you ever wondered what it was like to use a bow and arrow to stalk game like early Native Americans or hit your target with a well placed arrow like Robin Hood?

Learn the legend behind the naturally occurring stone cross formations, and travel to the special location in the park to search for your own Staurolite crystal or "fairy stone." After a short presentation on what you will be looking for and the telling of the legend, we will travel to the site.

Flutter on over to meet with Master Naturalist Kim Manion to discuss all things butterflies.

Follow your nose to the Log Cabin to see what tasty treats are cooking on the hearth. Watch as a Sky Meadows volunteer dons historic clothing and cooks delicious dishes using seasonal foods and 19th-century cooking methods.

Join a park ranger and environmental educators from the Chincoteague Bay Field Station for Clean the Bay Day.  Learn about the dynamic ecosystem of the bay through seine netting, dip netting and sieve boxes.   Educators will be set up on South Beach near the Fishing Pier from 12 pm - 2 pm.

Take part in a nation-wide effort to clean up the Chesapeake Bay Watershed by taking to the beach to pick up all that washes up there.

The forge is fired up and the blacksmiths are hard at work in the Historic Area.

Did you know the water you drink was once consumed by dinosaurs?

From the tiniest of shark teeth to a whopping whale skeleton, the fossils of Horsehead Cliffs show that life was once very different at Westmoreland.

Belle Isle State Park has over 9 miles of trails to be explored.

With over two thousand acres, the park has a wide variety of life in the wetlands and woods.  Meet with our naturalist/ranger who will help you discover the aquatic, insect, mammal, and plant life in the park's ecosystems.

Join more than 6,000 volunteers statewide and make a significant impact on the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

Discover the hidden gem of Burton's Ford Falls.

Celebrate Clean the Bay Day!

The Jones-Stewart Mansion is a stunning example of an antebellum plantation house built in 1854.

Begin your journey along the Wilderness Road towards Cumberland Gap as a volunteer takes you on a guided tour of the museum.

Over 200 years ago, early adventurers like Daniel Boone walked these same hills and valleys we see today.

As animals explore their surroundings they leave us lots of clues.

Meet in the field at Massie Gap and touch the pelts and learn about the critters that live in the park.  Also learn how to identify and look for signs of wildlife while out on the trail.

You can make a positive difference to our park, our locality, the health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and, by extension, the Atlantic Ocean.

You can make a positive difference to our park, our locality, the health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and, by extension, the Atlantic Ocean.

A Walk Through History Ready to end your hectic summer day on a peaceful note?

Tour a replica of the Anderson Blockhouse as members of the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association provide information about the history of the building and area.

Have you ever wondered how snakes can swallow something as big as their own heads?

What's next?

We all enjoy a yummy meal and that’s the same for our resident snake that lives here in our visitor center.

What's that roosting in the rafters?

Many people plant fruit and vegetable gardens, we "planted" oysters.

During the Great Depression members of the Civilian Conservation Corps worked to restore the land and build parks across the country.

Not all-aquatic wildlife has fins or scales!

What does fire mean to you?

This program is designed especially for our younger visitors.

While we sleep a whole new set of nocturnal animals come out to begin their "daily" activities.

Meet Natural Tunnel's wildlife ambassador, Popcorn the corn snake.

Not all bees live in hives.