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Camping and Hiking in Virginia
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Bear Creek Lake State Park
Nestled in the heart of Cumberland State Forest in central
Virginia's Cumberland County, Bear Creek Lake State Park offers
the amenities of the larger parks without the crowds. Activities
revolve around the 40-acre lake with a boat launch, swimming
beach, lakeside picnicking, camping and hiking trails. The park
is surrounded by the 16,000-acre Cumberland State Forest, which
provides opportunities for a wide range of outdoor activities.
Four small lakes in the state forest are managed by the
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for recreational
fishing. A network of gated and ungated forest roads provides
hiking, mountain biking and nature observation. For information
call: (804)492-4410
Chippokes Plantation State Park
Chippokes Plantation State Park is one of the oldest working
farms in the United States. Chippokes is a living historical
exhibit located in a rural agricultural area along the James
River in Surry County. In addition, the park has a wide variety
of traditional park offerings, including a swimming complex,
visitor center, picnic facilities, and hiking and biking trails.
The plantation has kept its original boundaries since the 1600s
and has a variety of cultivated gardens and native woodland. The
formal gardens surrounding the Chippokes Mansion are accented by
azaleas, crepe myrtle, boxwood and seasonal flowers. The
plantation grounds are also home to the Chippokes Farm and
Forestry Museum. Chippokes Plantation State Park is operated by
the Department of Conservation and Recreation in cooperation
from the Chippokes Plantation Farm Foundation. The Virginia
General Assembly created the foundation in 1977 to establish,
administer and maintain the model farm. Funding for foundation
efforts are from the General Assembly with matching private
donations. For information call: (757)294-3625
False Cape State Park
No vehicular access. Located in southern Virginia Beach, False
Cape State Park is a mile-wide barrier spit between Back Bay and
the Atlantic Ocean. Access is through the Back Bay National
Wildlife Refuge and is limited to hiking, bicycling or boating.
The park features primitive camping and an extensive
environmental education program in one of the last undisturbed
coastal environments on the East Coast. In the 1800s, False Cape
gained a reputation as a ship's graveyard. The area got its name
because its land mass resembled Cape Henry, luring boats into
shallow waters. One of the area's first communities, Wash Woods,
was developed by survivors of such a shipwreck. The village's
church and other structures were built using cypress wood that
washed ashore from a wreck. Vehicular access to False Cape State
Park is prohibited because the park is land-locked on the
southern end of the Back Bay Wildlife Refuge. Those wishing to
visit the park for the day must either bike or hike through the
refuge (via beach or interior trails, and the interior trail is
closed from November 1 through March 31), or boat or canoe in
down Back Bay. To get a taste of the park, the Back Bay
Restoration Foundation operates a tram that leaves from Little
Island City Park, drives through the wildlife refuge and lets
visitors explore the park for an hour in the Barbour Hill
contact station area. The tram provides a round trip ride and is
not available for overnight guests. Overnight guests must either
hike or bike through the refuge, or canoe or boat in. Both day
use and overnight visitors are advised to read all warnings
regarding visiting the park to learn what is expected and about
preparation. All visitors must follow refuge regulations while
on refuge property. For information call: (757)426-7128
Grayson Highlands State Park
The park is adjacent to the Mount Rogers National Recreation
Area, a part of Jefferson National Forest. Grayson Highlands
State Park was originally named Mount Rogers State Park and was
established in 1965. No pets are allowed in the park's public
facilities. Camping only. For information call: (540)579-7092
Natural Tunnel State Park
The Commonwealth of Virginia acquired the tunnel and 100
surrounding acres in 1967 from the Natural Tunnel Chasm and
Caverns Corp. to establish Natural Tunnel State Park.
Approximately 750 additional acres were later acquired and the
park opened in 1971. Natural Tunnel, called the "Eighth Wonder
of the World" by William Jennings Bryan, has been attracting
sightseers to the mountains of southwestern Virginia for more
than 100 years. Today it is the focal point of Natural Tunnel
State Park, a park which offers visitors not only spectacular
sights but also swimming, camping, picnicking, hiking, a visitor
center, an amphitheater and interpretive programs. The creation
of Natural Tunnel began more than a million years ago in the
early glacial period when groundwater bearing carbonic acid
percolated through crevices and slowly dissolved surrounding
limestone and dolomite bedrock. Then, what is now Stock Creek
was probably diverted underground to continue carving the tunnel
slowly over many centuries. The walls of the tunnel show
evidence of prehistoric life, and many fossils can be found in
the creek bed and on tunnel walls. For information call:
(540)940-2674
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