Destinations
Virginia outdoors
Blue Ridge ridgelines, an Atlantic shore of wild ponies and barrier beaches, and a high mountain plateau where ponies roam the Appalachian Trail.
Top parks in Virginia
See all 43 parks
Shenandoah
105 miles of Skyline Drive, waterfall hikes, and the famous Old Rag scramble, all about 75 minutes from D.C.
Breaks Interstate Park
The Grand Canyon of the South on the Virginia and Kentucky line: a five-mile, up-to-2,200-foot canyon carved by the Russell Fork, with overlooks, a lodge, cabins, a yurt, and a campground.
Douthat State Park
One of Virginia's original Civilian Conservation Corps parks, set in the Allegheny Mountains near Clifton Forge, with a 50-acre lake, more than 40 miles of trails, historic stone-and-timber cabins, and four campgrounds.
First Landing State Park
Virginia's most-visited state park, on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Beach, where the 1607 colonists first came ashore. Cypress swamps, a bay-side beach, the long Cape Henry Trail, camping, and cabins sit minutes from the city.
Grayson Highlands State Park
High-country balds near Virginia's rooftop: wild ponies, Appalachian Trail access toward Mount Rogers, rocky alpine-feeling views, and reservable camping with a year-round parking fee.
Natural Tunnel State Park
Far southwest Virginia's geologic showpiece near Duffield: an 850-foot natural limestone railroad tunnel, the only chairlift in the Virginia state park system, plus cabins, camping, and overlook trails.
Bear Creek Lake State Park
The park offers camping, cabins, a meeting facility, an archery range, lakeside picnicking, playgrounds, a boat launch, a swimming beach and hiking trails.
Belle Isle Lake State Park
The park is home to plenty of wildlife and offers camping, picnic shelters, lodging, boat launches and numerous types of trails.
Caledon State Park
Caledon lets visitors see bald eagles in their natural habitat, with guests enjoying the park's picnic shelter and hiking its mature, ancient forest.
Planning a Virginia trip
Virginia packs a lot of terrain into one state. The Blue Ridge Mountains run down its spine, the Atlantic shapes its eastern edge, and the rolling Piedmont fills the middle, so you can stand on a 4,000-foot summit one weekend and walk an undeveloped barrier beach the next.
The headline is the Blue Ridge. The state's marquee national park stretches along the crest with Skyline Drive threading 105 miles of overlooks and the Appalachian Trail running its full length. This is where you find the classic Virginia day hikes: the boulder scramble up Old Rag, the short climb to the highest point at Hawksbill (4,051 feet), and easy payoff views from Stony Man. Farther southwest, Grayson Highlands State Park trades forest for open, windswept balds where wild ponies graze right alongside the trail, and bouldering and Mount Rogers backcountry pull in people who want something more rugged.
The coast is a different Virginia entirely. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge covers more than 14,000 acres of beach, dune, marsh, and forest, famous for its wild ponies and big migratory bird numbers. Just south, False Cape State Park is one of the last undeveloped stretches on the Atlantic, reachable only on foot, by bike, by boat, or by tram, which keeps it quiet. For everyday access there are valley parks like Shenandoah River and Sky Meadows with mileage for hikers, bikers, and riders.
When to go: fall is the standout statewide, with cool, dry air, strong foliage in the mountains through October, and thinner crowds and few mosquitos along the Eastern Shore. Spring brings wildflowers and green balds, summer is humid and warm but fine in the high country, and winter opens up clear long-range views once the leaves drop. As for packing, plan for layers and changeable mountain weather even in summer, real traction for rocky scrambles like Old Rag, sun and bug protection for the coast, and always more water than you think you need.
Getting around Virginia
Most trips start from one of three air hubs. Washington Dulles (IAD) in northern Virginia is the easiest gateway to the northern Blue Ridge, roughly 57 miles (about an hour) to the Front Royal entrance and Skyline Drive. Richmond International (RIC) sits central, about 90 minutes to the southern Rockfish Gap entrance via I-64. For the far southwest highlands, Roanoke-Blacksburg (ROA) is closest, though Grayson Highlands is still around 90 miles beyond it. Shenandoah Valley Regional (SHD) near Staunton is a small regional option right in the mountains.
A car is essential. Virginia's outdoor areas are spread across hundreds of miles, and the scenic mountain roads (Skyline Drive, and the fee-free Blue Ridge Parkway that picks up where it ends at Rockfish Gap) are part of the experience rather than just transit.
Rough distances help set expectations. The Blue Ridge corridor from the northern Shenandoah entrance south is an easy half-day of relaxed driving. Coast to mountains is a real haul: Virginia Beach to the Shenandoah park is about 206 miles (close to 4 hours), and Virginia Beach all the way to Grayson Highlands in the southwest corner is roughly 360 road miles, a full travel day. Treat the state as three trips (mountains, coast, far southwest) rather than one loop, and pick the hub nearest the region you actually want.
All 6 Virginia park guides
State park directory
Every Virginia state park
A source-backed inventory layer for planning breadth. Full Kit Authority guides are marked when a park has camping detail, rules, and packing notes; the rest link straight to the official page. Looking for rail trails and state trails? They have their own Trail Guide.
43 parks
4 full guides · 38 with photos
Douthat State Park
State Park
A traditional family park since 1936, Douthat offers a stocked lake, a sandy swimming beach, cabins, camping and more than 43 miles of hiking, mountain biking and bridle trails.
- Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
- Biking
Virginia State Parks
Full guideFirst Landing State Park
State Park
Virginia's most-visited state park has 20 miles of trails and 1.5 miles of Chesapeake Bay beach, plus cabins, camping, boating, swimming and nature programs.
- Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
- Biking
Virginia State Parks
Full guideGrayson Highlands State Park
State Park
Near Virginia's two highest mountains, Grayson Highlands offers scenic alpine-like peaks, waterfalls, camping, hiking trails, horse trails and Appalachian Trail access.
- Camping
- Hiking
- Biking
- Fishing
Virginia State Parks
Full guideNatural Tunnel State Park
State Park
More than 850 feet long and 10 stories high, Natural Tunnel was carved through a limestone ridge, with two campgrounds, cabins, a chairlift, cave tours and canoe trips.
- Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
- Biking
Virginia State Parks
Full guideBear Creek Lake State Park
State Park
The park offers camping, cabins, a meeting facility, an archery range, lakeside picnicking, playgrounds, a boat launch, a swimming beach and hiking trails.
- Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
- Fishing
Virginia State Parks
Official pageBelle Isle Lake State Park
State Park
The park is home to plenty of wildlife and offers camping, picnic shelters, lodging, boat launches and numerous types of trails.
- Camping
- Hiking
- Boating
- Picnicking
Virginia State Parks
Official pageCaledon State Park
State Park
Caledon lets visitors see bald eagles in their natural habitat, with guests enjoying the park's picnic shelter and hiking its mature, ancient forest.
- Hiking
- Picnicking
- Wildlife Viewing
Virginia State Parks
Official pageChippokes State Park
State Park
One of America's oldest continually operated farms, Chippokes offers a restored mansion, farm museum, picnic shelters and various trails.
- Hiking
- Picnicking
- Historic Site
- Swimming
Virginia State Parks
Official pageClaytor Lake State Park
State Park
Claytor Lake State Park offers lake swimming, camping, cabins, lodges, a meeting facility, the 21-mile long Claytor Lake, nature programs and miles of various trails.
- Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
- Fishing
Virginia State Parks
Official pageClinch River State Park
State Park
The park's Sugar Hill Unit in St. Paul is open for hiking, biking and fishing, with day-use boat launches providing access to the Clinch River.
- Hiking
- Biking
- Fishing
- Boating
Virginia State Parks
Official pageFairy Stone State Park
State Park
Known for its legendary fairy stones and 168-acre lake, the park offers cabins, a campground, hiking trails, lake swimming, boat rentals, picnicking and playgrounds.
- Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
- Biking
Virginia State Parks
Official pageFalse Cape State Park
State Park
One of the last undeveloped areas along the Atlantic coast, False Cape features primitive camping, hiking and biking trails, paddling and 6 miles of Atlantic Ocean beach.
- Camping
- Hiking
- Biking
- Fishing
Virginia State Parks
Official pageHigh Bridge Trail State Park
State Park
High Bridge Trail is a 32-mile former rail bed ideally suited for hiking, bicycling and horseback riding, centered on the majestic High Bridge over the Appomattox River.
- Hiking
- Biking
- Fishing
- Horseback Riding
Virginia State Parks
Official pageHolliday Lake State Park
State Park
Deep in the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest, Holliday Lake offers fishing, swimming, hiking trails, campgrounds, playgrounds, a boat ramp and boat rentals.
- Camping
- Hiking
- Fishing
- Boating
Virginia State Parks
Official pageHungry Mother State Park
State Park
One of Virginia's original six state parks, Hungry Mother offers a placid 108-acre lake, a sandy beach, boat rentals, campgrounds, cabins and hiking and biking trails.
- Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
- Biking
Virginia State Parks
Official pageJames River State Park
State Park
Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, the park features 3 miles of James River shoreline where visitors can hike, bike, canoe, kayak, fish or tent camp.
- Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
- Biking
Virginia State Parks
Official pageKiptopeke State Park
State Park
On Virginia's Eastern Shore, Kiptopeke offers recreational access to the Chesapeake Bay, migratory bird habitat, cabins, camping, a boat ramp, a lighted fishing pier and a swimming beach.
- Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
- Biking
Virginia State Parks
Official pageLake Anna State Park
State Park
The park has a beach on one of Virginia's most popular lakes, plus a fishing pond, a boat launch, camping, cabins and more than 15 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails.
- Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
- Biking
Virginia State Parks
Official pageLeesylvania State Park
State Park
Nestled along the tidal shores of the historic Potomac River, Leesylvania offers hiking, picnicking, fishing, boating, a fishing pier, a playground and a boat launch.
- Camping
- Hiking
- Fishing
- Boating
Virginia State Parks
Official pageMachicomoco State Park
State Park
Located along the York River in Gloucester County, Machicomoco features an open-air interpretive pavilion on Virginia Indian culture, plus camping, yurts, trails and a car-top boat launch.
- Camping
- Hiking
- Biking
- Fishing
Virginia State Parks
Official pageMason Neck State Park
State Park
This Northern Virginia park known for bald eagles offers hiking trails, paved multi-use trails, a picnic area, a playground, a car-top boat launch and a visitor center.
- Hiking
- Biking
- Fishing
- Boating
Virginia State Parks
Official pageNatural Bridge State Park
State Park
At the center of the park, the 200-foot tall Natural Bridge sits in a limestone gorge carved by Cedar Creek, with 10 miles of hiking trails and a disc golf course.
- Camping
- Hiking
- Fishing
- Picnicking
Virginia State Parks
Official pageNew River Trail State Park
State Park
New River Trail is a 57-mile linear park following an abandoned railroad right-of-way that parallels the New River, great for hiking, biking and horseback riding.
- Camping
- Hiking
- Biking
- Fishing
Virginia State Parks
Official pageOcconeechee State Park
State Park
On Buggs Island Lake, Occoneechee is popular with anglers and boaters and offers cabins, campsites, an equestrian campground, boat ramps, a splash park and 20 miles of trails.
- Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
- Biking
Virginia State Parks
Official page
Inventory source: USGS PAD-US 4.1. Photos are public-domain or Creative Commons via Wikimedia Commons, credited per image. Official reservations and rules remain state-specific, so use the state booking links before committing to dates.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best national park in Virginia?
Shenandoah National Park is Virginia's premier national park and the one most people mean. It runs along the Blue Ridge crest with Skyline Drive's overlooks, the full length of the Appalachian Trail, and standout hikes like the Old Rag boulder scramble and the high point at Hawksbill (4,051 feet). It sits just 75 miles west of Washington, D.C., which makes it one of the most accessible big parks on the East Coast.
When is the best time to visit Virginia's parks?
Fall is the best all-around window. The Blue Ridge mountains light up with foliage through October while temperatures stay cool and comfortable for hiking, and the Eastern Shore (Chincoteague to Cape Charles) enjoys thinner crowds and almost no mosquitos that month. Spring is excellent for wildflowers and green mountain balds, summer works best in the higher elevations, and winter trades leaves for clear long-range views.
Where can I see wild ponies in Virginia?
Virginia has two famous wild pony spots in very different settings. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the Atlantic coast is known for its ponies among 14,000-plus acres of beach and marsh, and Grayson Highlands State Park in the southwestern mountains has ponies that roam the open balds right alongside the Appalachian Trail. The two areas are on opposite ends of the state, so plan them as separate trips.