Virginia
60
www.stateparks.com
Douthat State Park '' © Rosallyne A Loreti
Quiet and beautiful - We stayed in Cabin 2 along the lake front. Although cold outside, we had a wonderful fireplace that we kept going. There is central heat/air that works great. The cabin and grounds of Fairystone were in fantastic shape and we look forward to camping there again. Would recommend to anyone! What a wonderful getaway with NO TV (unless you wanted it), Internet, computers and ringing phones.
Beauty at its best - Ice covered trees.
White mountain tops.
Ducks on the lake,
Beaver,Grouse Still my favorite place in VA - My favorite park all around. - Grayson Highlands State Park is my favorite park. They keep it well maintained, the trails are gorgeous. The ponies are gorgeous and you can even bring your own horse and ride there! Wonderful Family Reunion at Bear Creek! - Our extended family of four generations had a fabulous time at Bear Creek Lake State Park. Stayed in the beautiful, large Family Lodge, made good use of the well-equipped kitchen, only minor complaint was shower heads and too-long shower curtains... Lots of activities for kids & adults in the park and surrounding areas. WE LOVE THE PARK - WE HAVE BEEN THERE THREE YEARS IN A ROLL. THE WEEK OF THE ARTS AND CRAFT SHOW, VERY INJOYABLE. THE WORKERS ARE VERY FRIENDLY AND NICE AND HELPFUL. WE WELL BE BACK IN 2012. Very Memorable - We just returned from a week at First Landing State Park. The amenities were many and very well maintained (spotless rest rooms and showers, laundry facilities, great camp store with convenient hours of operation, etc.). Our site was shaded, but not too shaded. It was a great location to stay to visit the Virginia Beach area. We ate at some unique restaurants, and visited the the lighthouses at Fort Story and the waterfront area in Norfolk, just to mention a few. This is a great vacation destination. One of the best things was the easy access to the beach with its view of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Totally Awesume Staff! - The entire staff from Rangers to Site Hostess were fablous! They were extremely helpful and friendly. The grounds and facility were beautifully groomed and clean. Excellent park site! Had a great time at the hatchery. - Very remote, beautiful place in VA. Employees where very helpful. Made for a nice day trip from Auguasta County. Home away from home! - I am looking forward to get back home!!We will be there as soon as possible this year!!We love the fishin,pool trails,and the feeling of coming home for vacation.We have been to the park every year for the last 10-12 years and love it!!The tornado damage really broke my heart:(. But I know it will be as good as new though!!Cant wait til we can come!! best horse trails and people - if you all need help in cleaning up please letus know.
Had a good time. - Ranger was very rude. Just looking for something to get us on. Other then that had a good time Ranger - Glad to see. Ranger was doing his/her job by enforcing no alcohol rule. Those who want to booze shoulld go elsewhere. We had a great stay at lodges 3 times over the years. A relaxing contact with nature - This park is great in every sense for hiking, horseback riding, biking, fishing and canoeing. I hike its many trails and there is a natural surprise around every corner. The admission fees are a real bargain. Rev. J. Beryl Boswell Best Park Around!! - We come from Snow Hill, Maryland to ride our bikes. We love everything about this park. It is wonderful!! Vacation on Shenandoah National Park - I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Luray Caverns and Shenandoah National Park with my family some 2 years ago. We live in Columbus, Ohio and just drove 7 hours to see these amazing scenic destinations. We extremely impressed to see the attractive splendor of the underground caverns, the majestic formation of stalactites and the shimmering water pool. You can also hear a sort of music thru the rocky formations.
After the cavern tour, there is also a maze in an ornamental garden that you shouldn’t miss at all. We sat at the benches outside as we listened to the Luray Singing Tower (known as the Belle Brown Northcott Memorial). It is just across the cavern. We were lucky to hear the country’s major carillons that day. It was very relaxing experience.
We visited Shenandoah National Park through the Skyline Drive, a national scenic byway wherein we stopped over to view surrounding areas and enjoyed the amazing colors of autumn. We took pictures and enjoyed the cool wind as we drove the 105 mile stretch along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
We stayed at Woodruff Inns bed and breakfast which provided decent services. My wife was especially impressed by this inn’s food which was economical as well. The location of this inn is perfect for all travelers because it’s near Luray Caverns and National Park. I would highly recommend this to tourists planning trips towards Luray. Great - I love to spend time in this park with my dad. It is the perfect place to be in the wild but only a few miles away. I have gone to this park for years and plan to continue for years to come. We plan to return - We stayed at a camp cabin for two nights and had a great time. My two year old daughter loved the lake. Other families had brought small children, too. 
Locals Favorite - I am a Virginia Beach resident, but First Landing is our favorite campground! We love it because it is peaceful, has the best beach and the best sunsets in Virginia Beach! We never tire of this Park. A family favorite - Beautiful and clean. Great fishing spots plus boat rental if you want to go in deeper water. Trails are nice and clear. Clean bathrooms. Great geocaching site. Great for animal sightings. Been going 9 years and still find new areas to explore. A Gem in the Mountains - Friendly people, beautiful scenery, great hiking trails and comfy little cabins all at a terrific price. This is one of our favorite in-state vacation spots. awesome place - loved it! Excellent and fun park - A little piece of Heaven... - Our family goes bike riding several times a week at this park and we love it! The scenery is superb, seeing all the different wildlife is great and the smell of the forest and wildflowers is refreshing. You have to try it! A great boat landing - The park is always clean and manned for security. A beautiful area and great fishing that brings me from S.C. every year. EXCELLENT - Been fishing for many years and Leesylvania is the nicest ramp we have found! Nice store and restrooms as well with on-site fuel. Very secure and secluded! GREAT PLACE
Worst Camping Experience of My Life - My family wanted to go camping to celebrate my sisters graduation from college, too bad we choose Claytor Lake. Six people were arrested from my group for being drunk in public. There was no noise complaint, only 4 people were outside of their tents. I was asleep inside my tent and was arrested for being intoxicated in public. The lake was beautiful and the campsites were nice but sadly i did not get to go hiking, swimming, or make smores over the fire like i wanted. So, if you plan on having a beer with your burger on your campsite do not stay here. In my opinion Claytor Lake needs to remove that Ranger. Great Hometown - I am from Cumberland, VA and have always enjoyed this beautiful park. I live in Roanoke now, but come home often and meet family and friends at Bear Creek. I am thankful for the park rangers and workers who keep the park so clean and nice. Best park ever - this park is the most beautiful park we have ever seen we come back year after year
just love it great in june - stayed for a week ,even though it rained,it was great,employees were always friendly.gift shop well stocked.our camp site shady.will be back in june again Wonderful History & Wow The Food - We visited this park because it was relatively close to Wallops Island, a NASA launch site for atmospheric rockets. We found a clean little motel only a few miles away and very good restaurants down by the ocean. The style was relaxed and family friendly. We also stayed at a Bed and Breakfast where the main event was feeding the twenty plus cats that the owners had rescued. The cats were friendly and the owners were too. It was a relaxing vacation and we discovered the wild horses were probably from the time of Spanish exploration. Several hundred years and they had still survived. Many happy memories. amazing get-away - ive been going to Douthat for years now and there in always an adventure!! its so much fun there, the sites are great and the lake is absoulutly beautiful ! i went on the longest hike EVER this summer but it was totally worth it to see the views. my whole family went, cousins grandparents , aunts parents.. we were all there and we all had an amazing time !! <3 beautiful beach and dunes - We are visiting Va during the fall. We spent three days walking the beach. We saw pods of dolphins, pelicans and other sea birds. We had a great time on the beach and walking the paths. wild ponies - wonderful, beautiful, inspiring, Excellent deer hunting - absolutely breathtaking diversity of open AND forested state park. well managed aged cuts and re growths. the best I have ever seen Great place for a weekend trip - Spent a weekend at Staunton River. Absolutely loved it. It was beautiful,peaceful, and fun. The pool is great, as are the hiking trails. The cabins and grounds were really clean and well-maintained. Will try to go back next summer - I camped here, and was very impressed with how clean things were. The bathrooms were checked multiple times per day by park personnel and the lake was beautiful.
Enjoyed but not impressed - We were wedged between campers with VERY small children. The Park Police were a bit on the aggressive side for such a small camp ground. The lake was kind of orangeish green. Labor Day @ Claytor Lake - It was nice, lots of shady picnic areas. The park bathrooms were nice and clean, nice place. Only one fishing dock, though, need one or two more! excellent hiking trails! - well maintained, well-marked hiking trails; absolutely beautiful scenery....thank you Virginia for taking care of this park. We love the park! - The canoeing is great as are the trails. The naturalist is wonderful. The evening concerts are one of the best buys in the Richmond area. - happy camping trip - my family and I have been coming to this park since 2000 for our summer vaction my girls have the best time here. we enjoy the events they offer on the weekends. I have talked serval of my friends into taking a camping trip there and now they love it to. Scenic and Tranquil - Our ministry recently visited this park and loved it! We cater to adults with disabilities, and such a setting as the beauty of this park is just the right type of therepy our clients live for! The only negative i can say is that the ammenities were not very handicapp friendly. Best park around - I take my grandchildren to Staunton River a few times every summer. Everyone of them love coming here and spending the day. We have just as much fun at the picnic areas as we do the pool. Great family place. Look forward to visiting every year. Funny sand crabs - We really enjoyed Chincoteague this year. You can walk miles in the soft sand and have fun watching the ghost crabs peeping from their hiding places. If you prefer a place where you can have privacy and great seafood, go visit Chincoteague! Friendly people, beautiful park - Fun for the whole family! Goodwin Lake - Morning broke and the southern heat
came back to greet us
like a oven door opening
after a full day of cooking.
Chores were all done,
string beans were picked, tomatoes stewed
and the strawberries were preserved.
Grandma said, “ Boy’s, grab your swimming trunks,
we’re headed to the lake.”
My brothers and me didn’t need to hear that twice.
We had our bathing suits on, were lined up outside
ready to go faster than grease thru a goose.
Don’t know when or how Grandma got her license,
but if she drove any slower we’d be there tomorrow.
Now that’s slow being the lake is only
down the road a piece.
We finally pull up, piled out of Grandma’s car
pushing and shoving, typical tomfoolery
from boys our age.
Grandma gave us a look, which stopped us in our tracks;
she’s a superhero you know,
powers beyond our comprehension.
Anyways, the man behind the counter
looks us over and says:
“ Three nice children you have,
are they yours?”
My brother elbows me, tells me to listen up.
“Sir, did the good Lord fill your head
with beans instead of brains?
A woman of my age having three youngin’s.
Never in my life have I heard such foolishness”
Slowly she took her glare from his now nervous
sweating red face and directed it to her pocketbook.
Out came a plaid purse with chrome metal clasps
which she opened and handed the man the required
admission fee, 75 cents.
“Thanks mame, ya all, I mean, you and your grandchildren
have a right fine day.” Quickly he lowered his head
and went back to his Archie and Jughead comic book
hoping my Grandma would soon be gone,
which she was with all of us following like
chics behind a hen.
Goodwins Lake, crystal clear water with chains
segregating how far and how deep the water is.
Flour white sand on its beach front,
one lone lifeguard stand
overlooking the tree lined lake
which swung left ,then back aways .
In we all went, hoopin and a hollerin,
splashin and jumpin.
As the water meet my face it was
cool and refreshing,
eyes open I could see clear to the bottom.
We got good and tired diving off the platform
out past the chains, Grandma would
check in on us from time to time,
make sure weez was havin fun.
Paddleboat was the best, pumping
the paddles, steering all over the lake.
Me and James sat side by side in one
while Rob, by himself, followed close behind,
him being the oldest and all.
Before long it was time to go
we got the holler, from the shore
“ Chilllll- dren, ya all come in now ya hear?”
Driving back home passing the ivy covered trees
of Prince Edward County Park
I knew this wasn’t the last time we’d be visiting
the lake and yeah ole beans for brains,
look forward to seeing him again too.
Copyright © 2008 Ronald J. Edwards Recently moved to Va Beach - I moved back to Va Beach after being away for about 25 years. I returned last October and have no regrets. The is much to do in this part of the country. The people are friendly. As long as the Navy is in Norfolk and surrounding areas, the economy holds up well during the recession. Great for children - A fine park for children and adults. The park hosts a series of programs for both. Especially recommend the Jr. Ranger Program for those either living in the area or staying for an extended period.
great site guys - great 4 everyone - this is a great place 2 go i will go back i love the lake it has a great view andi love the play ground and i am only 12 Kids love it - Real nice place for the family to relax, picnic, play and boat out of. Girls day in Paradise! - I use to visit this lake as a child during the hot summer months. I now come to also fish, swim, and rent a canoe with my best friend Kim. This is our girls in paradise days. We love the lake. It is such a beautiful peaceful place to spend the entire day. Wonderful place for picnics and camping. This is our favorite place in our area to have a fun, peaceful day. We love taking a canoe out. My entire family visits here for summer. Holiday Lake is amazingly beautiful! A great place to go - I really enjoyed going to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. I wish I could have seen more but some the trail were closed that day, definately something that I will return to do. Happy camping - We camped hear late April 2009. We stayed at the Grindstone campground. The staff was great and the site was beautiful and secluded. The bath house was clean, but the fixtures were a little old. I would recommend this campground to anyone in need of a quite place to stay. The campgroud has a wadding area fed by a creek, a play area for kids and plenty of trails. It was close to the the Creeper trail the reason we went up. We will be back!!! - This is the cleanest and well maintained park I have ever camped at, the staff were so friendly and helpful, and good luck finding trash on the groud anywhere, this place was spotless! even the bathrooms were so clean you could eat off the floors and the picnic areas had no cigarette butts or trash anywhere, and the children had a blast!!! Cool - Needs more First Landing State Park info A must in the Summer! - My family loves spending the day hiking and swimming. Its a good time and so beautiful, we love the wild life. Everyone is so sweet to us. We look forward to this summer! awesome place for relaxation - I have been visiting this place for 25 yrs. It continues to improve on everything. I will continue to come here for as long as i am able. I just wished they had a swimming area for the kids. That is the only down fall. love the loggers ,Bald Eagle - interested in moving out to Virginia i hope with-in 2years and would like to talk with some one there. Close to home - Whitney is not a huge park but it is great for an afternoon stroll.
At first glance it appears limited but once you start getting off the main path and take the small paths you can find some great walks and experiences in nature.
I usually bring my now 4 1/2 year old daughter and we do spot lots of different birds and have a good time. Our favorite park for over 25 years - Elk - Cant wait to try my luck this archery season in wise county. plan on heading into the woods with tent and backpack for three days in early october. would like game warden to take me in somewhere good if possible. cant wait!!! my favorite park - I LOVE THIS PARK. I HAVE BEEN THERE ONCE. THE SCENERY WAS BEAUTIFUL. THE FISHING WAS GOOD. JUST TO SIT BY THE LAKE ON THE ROCKS WATCHING THE SUNSET AND RISE IS AWESOME. Great for Reunions - Plenty of parking, clean facilities,
nice playground for small children Outstanding Mountain Biking - Pocahontas has something for mountain bikers of all skill levels with its 20+ miles of single track and at least that many miles of double track. An up to date map that includes all park trails can be found at http://www.GpsTrailSource.com/Maps.aspx?MapID=8 - This a beautiful little treasure of a park. Under-utilized or so it seems based on my visits. I really have enjoyed the tranquility everytime I have been here. Freestone Point - Fresstone Point has wonderfull views of the Potomac and the Lees Woods Trail is very interesting. Great place for a retreat - We rented the lodge for a long weekend and had a wonderful time. 5 bedrooms, 3 with bunk beds 2 with queens beds. 3 full baths. Kitchen has 2 refrigerators, microwave, stove and coffee maker. Covered patio with picnic table and rocking chairs. Perfect place for us to have a christian retreat for our church group. Lots of hiking trails. I love the trails - We hiked the lake loop trail and found it to be excellent. It is well maintained and extremely well marked. Our favorite Virginia State Park - My husband and I camp hosted at several VA state parks and Natural Tunnel became our favirute. We love the atmosphere and the people working at Natural Tunnel. We enjoyed the special events, hiking the trails and the beauty of the surrounding area. The rangers there are truly some of the best, especially Ishmael Richardson. Since my husband has been sick for several years, we have not been able to go camping and we do miss all those friends we made there. American History Spectacular - Absolutely gorgeous....been to Cumberland x2 (spring & summer) and plan to return in the fall. Seeped in history, extremely friendly/helpful/knowledgable staff,and entusiastic (talked me into the incredible cave tour) calm and quiet park, under-utilized by the public in our opinion...have taken an 87 year old and a 10 year old and everyone was impressed and entertained. We have a National Parks Passport that is almost full of stamps so we are not novice park travelers and Cumberland Gap is high on our list of the best we have visited. a nice one close by Richmond - something for everyone in the family; nice personnel; nice 3 BR cabins Love this place! - My family and I go here every fall and stay in the cabins. It is an excellent place to stay. Quiet and beautiful! excellent & beautiful - The most beautiful state park I have seen with plenty to do!Must see to believe! It is a good little forest. - it does the job whether or be riding a horse or getting a few quick laps on a bike after work. It is a great place to mountain bike - The constant logs, rocks and switch backs make this a rare technical park for cross country mountain bike riders. The single track is maintained well and this park is very easy to find. Best Boat Ramp - Boat ramp is wide and has over six feet of water at low tide at the end of the ramp. Top of the Line - Our family just spent our second vacation at Douthat.
It has become our number one camping destination. As a runner, I love all the trails and our family loves to mountain bike, so we are all happy.
I am so ready to be back there! GOOD Suprise! - The campground is great and very peaceful. A lots of interesting activities in the area (Jamestowns, Williamburgs).
We loved the nature and the history in the park.
The hours for the pool should be longuer during the week... Great experience except.... - The campground and other facities are great. Lots of interesting activities for families of all ages. The one area that, in my mind, rated very low was the mangement of the pool area. Rules wer enforced at their discretion. The pool itself is excellent but I found some of the pool lifeguards to be less that helfpfu (Daniel). - One of our favorite parks - Love the events you hold. Great Family Fun - This campgrounds was very clean the bathhouses were excellently taken care of. We plan to stay at this friendly park many more times.Everyone was friendly from the camp host and most of all the poeple who checked us in. Great job to all of you. Great Trails on horseback - This park provides great trail riding in a safe and natural environment. Amazing Park - Lots to do. Very informative rangers. Lots of places to hike. Beautiful beaches on the potomac. Collect fossilized shark teeth and sea shells. Very cool place to visit. - Best park ever! - We loved this Park and Campground. The campground is so nice. Be sure to ask for Loop B as it is the nicest and most spacious. Everything is clean, very helpful staff too. We went canoeing for the first time ($5 per person), fishing ($6 a family), and fossil hunting. It is truly a great place. favorite park - a very fun place to visit swiming fishing all the fun stuff favorite high country park in Virginia - The trail toward Mount Rogers has excellent views in all directions. A nice local getaway - The staff at this park is very nice and helpful. The blacktop path around the beach is broken up and I would like to see a better maintenance program in place on the facilities. Some of the showers are leaky and light fixtures are loose. Nice picnic areas and play area for the kids though. Wonderful - Just spent 2 nights there as a trial run trip w/ the family. We will DEFINITELY go back! What a beautiful place to escape to with a nice lake, trails, activities for kids, and fishing. Great for kids & cheap rental prices - History, living and natural - Beautiful. Live Oaks by themselves are worth the journey. Visit, and then appreciate what you have back home. loved the creek site - We stayed at a creek site two years ago over Memorial Day weekend and had an amazing time (even experienced an incident with a bobcat)! We hiked and made friends with a group staying a few sites down from us. We are actually planning to visit again within the next couple of weeks. My dogs absolutely loved it and there was plenty of room for them to roam so I would highly recommend for pet lovers! A very nice park - This is a local favorite--quiet, clean and easy to reach. The picnic areas are very nice as well. Hiking here is a pleasure, and you might just see a black bear. A BEAUTIFUL PARK - CLEAN BEACHES,SHADE EVERYWHERE,BEAUTIFUL TRAILS.
FULL OF WILDLIFE, AND WONDERFUL VIEWS.
THIS PARK HAS A LOT OF HISTORY/I LIVED IN THE AREA 25 YEARS AND NEVER GOT TIRED OF THIS PARK.I WORKED AT THE CAMP STORE FOR 3 SEASONS, AND LOVED IT .
AND THE STAFF THERE IS, SO NICE AND HELPFUL . I NOW LIVE IN SANANTONIO TX. AND LOVE IT.
BUT I SURE MISS THE PARK.AND MY FRIENDS AND FELLOW CAMPERS . HELLO TO THE STAFF.
ENJOY THE PARK AND HAVE A GREAT SUMMER.
HELLO TO JOHN,BOB ,CINDY, BRENT, AND JUDY AT THE CAMP STORE.HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON! Beautiful Scenery, Nice Campground - The multi-colored cliffs falling into the Potomac are one of the most beautiful sites in Virginia. Beautiful trails wind through beaches, wetlands, and formidably high hills filled with an abundance of wildlife, including bald eagles, osprey, deer, and a variety of fauna. The only place to be on Memorial Day - Many of our church families pack up and head to Westmoreland for Memorial Day weekend. Great family outing. Helpful and friendly staff. Each year we see improvements. This is one of our favorite parks!!!! - It is quiet, clean, and a wonderful place for the family to camp. beautiful forest - The size of the Chestnut trees is awesome, including many multi-trunk Chinese Chestnuts. Mountain Laurel is ready to bloom in early May. Short trails have some steep parts. Wonderful hike. A great place to spend a day - My family and I have been here several times now and we are always happy when we leave. We spend our time at the beach and picnic tables behind the beach and always have a good time. Everything is always nice and clean. We have not done any camping here yet but plan to in the near future. good trails, esp. for mountain bikes - park map is very inadequate and covers only central section; trails are erratically marked A fishermans paradise - The camping was great. The sites were clean and the baths were clean. The personel was very helpful. Swimming was great. One of my favorite state parks in Va. Fishing was great. Proud to say, that my gradson cought his first fish there. Very happy boy. He realy liked the chance of fishing from a canoe also. He loved it. The lake could use a fish cleaning station, near the lake. Sometimes its easyer to transport fish that are cleaned, than to put whole fish in the food cooler. The weman arent to keen on the idea. But they get in there any way. Myself and the family realy look forward to the next time that we go. Cant wait to viset again. Thanks for the chance to get away. Mike and family | Frederick House - Staunton, VA BBs / Inns Frederick House is located in a culturally rich historic downtown district. Walk to shops, restaurants, parks, museums, galleries, concerts and the Shenandoah Shakespeare's Blackfriars Playhouse.  Web Site: http://www.frederickhouse.com |
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