Virginia State Parks continued the year-long trend of record attendance with an Independence Day weekend attendance of 266,739, a 22 percent increase over last year’s previous record-high of 218,889.

For the eighth consecutive year, the 35 Virginia State Parks operated by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation have been recognized by ReserveAmerica as among the nation’s best.

Are you wondering what to do for the 4th of July Weekend?  Well wonder no more! Pocahontas State Park is offering outdoor activities for the entire family.

A new program has been developed to encourage membership on Virginia Outdoors.com and with the Virginia Association for Parks.

First Landing State Park is a truly unique camping destination.  It is a 2,888 acre natural area set within the coastal urban area of Virginia Beach.

If you are an outdoor enthusiast, you’ll love Holliday Lake State Park.  The park is nestled in the heart of Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest.

Surrounded by two lakes in the heart of Central Virginia, Twin Lakes State Park is an ideal setting for a variety of lakefront activities.

Our cousins arrived in Virginia from cold blustery Ireland (Yes summertime in Ireland!) just in time to enjoy Smith Mountain Lake State Park.

Maybe because I'm a girl but I always had trouble figuring out what to get my father for a gift. After all, you can only have so many ties.

For the past 2 years, along with your help, Odwalla has made a commitment to America's  state parks by donating money to help plant trees.

There are so many things we do better in Virginia State Parks because of our loyal and large cadre of volunteers.

Last month, I challenged readers to make a "Virginia State Parks To-Do List" by visiting our events website at  www.virginiastateparks.gov/ and selecting five things to do at Virginia State Parks.

There's no better way to end a work week than to drive to the Eastern Shore for a camping trip at Kiptopeke State Park.

There are a lot of fun things to do at Occoneechee State Park throughout the upcoming weekend. Hike through the woods, ride a bike, visit the museum, have a picnic, and enjoy these great programs along with many others.

Virginia State Parks had a record-setting Memorial Day weekend with new highs in attendance and revenue, and even website traffic.

First let me introduce myself, Moose here, a basset hound born & bred in Cumberland County who moved to the big city of Richmond to reign over the West family.

June is National Get Outdoors Month and after the record setting Memorial Day weekend we had, it is clear folks are ready for a great summer playing outdoors!

Start voting for Virginia to receive trees donated by Odwalla's Plant a Tree program!

A few years back I took my girlfriend's son on his first camping trip to Westmoreland State Park.

On Saturday, June 5, 2010, High Bridge Trail State Park will host the 2nd Annual National Trails Day Celebration in celebration of American Hiking Society’s 18th Annual National Trails Day.

With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, the unofficial kickoff of summer is here and with it comes camping.

I just took a trip to Staunton River State Park in Scottsburg, Virginia.  While at the park I got a tour of their facilities.

Planning a trip to your local State Park?  If so, be sure to pick up the newest copy of the Park Visitor Welcome Kit. 

Recent research published in England indicates that getting outdoor exercise can significantly improve your mental health and well-being within FIVE MINUTES of being outdoors!! 

Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the summer season for those of us in Virginia State Parks.

Discover Shenandoah at Parkfest!

The 2010 Gathering in the Gap music festival, which will be held at the Southwest Virginia Museum in Big Stone Gap on May 29, offers an opportunity for area musicians to test their skills in a variety of musical competitions.

Maybe you've been reading about Women's Weekends at Virginia State Parks, but can't seem to find the time to get away from your family obligations to enjoy the outdoors.

Today's society is more connected than ever between Twitter, Facebook, and that Blackberry you never let out of your sight.  Even helping the environment has gone hi-tech.

Join us for a celebration of Armed Forces Day with a late afternoon performance by the 380th United States Army Reserve Band on Saturday, May 15th at 6 p.m. at the Heritage Amphitheater.

Kick off the summer at the York River State Park Outdoor Expo.

One of the benefits of being the Information Manager for State Parks is to be aware of the many events that take place at all of our parks.

Want to do something fun and unique for your mom for Mother's Day? Bring her to Holliday Lake State Park on Saturday, May 8, for our 11:00 am Wildflower Hike.

For the first time, the “Gathering in the Gap” Music Festival, which takes place at the Southwest Virginia Museum on May 29, 2010, will include a new Songwriting Contest.

Last night I read an article from CNN's SciTech Blog (Children and Nature Network tweeted it) about the new Boy Scout Video Game Badge.

As the weather warms up, there are lots of things to do here at Mason Neck State Park.

Take a scenic tram ride through Back Bay national Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park to teh site of the historic Wash Woods community in what is now False Cape State Park.

Saturday, May 8 from 10am-2pm False Cape State Park is offering a "Shell & Tell" seashell program.  False Cape boasts an incredible treasure trove of huge whelk, oyster, and moon snail shells.

For Earth Day, America's State Parks offer the following birthday card.

Local schools were invited to participate in Douthat State Park’s Twelfth Annual Earth Day Celebration which was held on Friday, April 16, 2010.

Virginia State Parks Director Joe Elton attended the White House Conference on America's Great Outdoors on April 16, 2010.

The Friends of Holliday Lake State Park will hold its second of two organizational meetings in starting a Friends group on April 22nd at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Lake 4-H Center.

Once again the Eagle Festival is coming to Mason Neck. This event, the largest Earth Day related environmental event in Northern Virginia includes exhibits from nearly 30 non-profit, environmental, historic ...

Discover ways to find directions using nature as a guide, learn how to use a compass, and how to use a GPS as a wayfinding tool.

Take a scenic tram ride through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park to the site of the historic Wash Woods community in what is now False Cape State Park.

Although I myself am new to geocaching, I would like to get the word out about a new and fun geocaching game that all Virginia State Parks will be launching on March 29, 2010 that will run until December 15, 2010.

The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park in Big Stone Gap, VA honors the coming of Spring and Virginia Garden Week with a day-long event, “A Celebration of Spring,” Saturday, April 24, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Have you ever thought of running a triathlon with your kids but the opportunity was not there?  Well that opportunity is now available.

My trip to Occoneechee State Park was well worth the two hour drive to Clarksville, Virginia.

Think about it, you deserve a little more “me” time.

Jo and Johnny Finch, stalwart friends and volunteers for Virginia State Parks, are also Friends of Lake Anna State Park (Jo is President the Friends Group and Johnny is President of the Virginia Association for Parks).

As I kid I was never a very successful kite flyer but boy did I have some fun trying!

Join wild foods enthusiast and park interpreter, Vicky Shufer, for a journey through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge to False Cape State Park's interior on Saturday, April 3 from 1pm-5pm.

After writing this morning's post about rain showers bringing spring wild flowers to Mason Neck State Park, I couldn't resist going to look for early flowers myself.

What is 57 miles long and parallels an American Heritage River for 39 miles? New River Trail State Park.

In honor of the start of Spring, here are a few pictures to wet your appetite for a visit to a Virginia State Park.

Last week I started a weekly series on recommending other great websites for readers of this blog similar to the Twitter tradition called #FollowFriday. Today's recommendation is The Blue Ridge Parkway.

Kiptopeke State Park, Natural Heritage and Chesapeake Bay Foundation teamed together today planting trees and shrubs creating wildlife habitat while conserving natural resources.

Every college student dreams of sandy beaches and warm sunshine for spring break, but there are some that put service to their communities above this thought.

One of our most popular destination parks is Smith Mountain Lake State Park.

Natural Tunnel State Park along with the Daniel Boone Wilderness Road Association and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park will be hosting a 2-day workshop "Skills Along the Wilderness Road."

Come and walk in the park. Take a look out on the water and you might see a bald eagle.

There's nothing like the chaos and traffic of the Washington D.C. and northern Virginia area to leave residents screaming for a good dose of nature ...

After a couple active snow storms this winter, the weather appears to be taking a turn for the better.

Goodbye Old Man Winter, boy you were tough this year.

My thoughts are turning more and more towards spring and summer. Maybe it's a touch of  spring fever. Growing up in San Diego, I never really experienced the fever until recent years spent in Virginia.

Women are looking for affordable vacations where they can leave their hectic lifestyles behind.

Conservation Officers with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation this week received accreditation from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission.

Virginia's State Parks have always been fantastic family vacation spots. The parents can relax and unwind from their normally busy vacations while the kids enjoy swimming, boating, fishing, hiking or a variety of programs offered at the park.

I started working for Virginia State Parks in 1986 and in a long career have had the chance to get up close with wildlife and working on enhancing it.

I just read a story that in the toughest of times, Americans are volunteering at a record rate.

I just went to check out the "Eagle Cam" that is set up at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens on an active nest.  This is really cool and several school groups were checking it out for education.

With shrinking budgets across our nation, one of the first things that is thought of to be cut is our parks.

Eleven volunteers from the American Hiking Society are working at Douthat State Park this week and have started their first day of trail work.

March brings many things like longer days and more sunshine.  It also means it is spring break time.  One group of college students is spending their spring break at Hungry Mother State Park volunteering.

Normally I like to use a background image on my computer that matches the season.  Here at Mason Neck State Park, I work indoors most of the time but still try to keep my desktop image in tune with the natural world.

I've done a lot of tent camping in my days and still do, but every now and then I want the camping experience without the tent camping part.

Technology has been great in many ways, for instance I'm using it this very moment to communicate to an entire audience of people I don't really know.

I've been camping at a lot of Virginia State Parks, some by myself, some with a dozen or so Boy Scouts and leaders.

Join us at Pocahontas State Park during National Wildlife Week, March 15th –21st, for outdoor nature programs that will introduce you and your family to the wildlife found in the park.

Almost all Virginia State Parks have some sort of body of water associated with them.

Spring has to be close now and as soon as we start having a few days in the 60's and 70's there will be a rush to get out to our great Virginia State Parks.

Del. Athey says he does not support Gov. Robert McDonnell’s plan to close state parks and says it would not save money because they are profitable.

A trip to the beach or manual labor doing work around a Virginia State Park?  That is the choice 19 college students are making for their spring break this year.

Enjoy the outdoors and want to do something new? Now you can enjoy looking for treasures hidden within Kiptopeke State Park as part of the Star Spangled Banner Geotrail.

Girls weekends are one of my favorite adventures because you never know where you’ll end up or who’ll you’ll meet, which is the fun of the weekend anyway.

My most recent state park visit was to Smith Mountain Lake State Park at the beginning of December.  My husband and I got married on December 5, 2009 and spent our honeymoon at Smith Mountain Lake.

This year's theme is: "I Love Virginia State Parks." I thought you would all enjoy seeing the two television spots.

Claytor Lake State Park added to the increase in visitation with 268,472 visitors in 2009, up 19,450 visitors from 2008.

New River Trail State Park added to the increase in visitation with 960,096 visitors in 2009, up 8,104 visitors from 2008.

Douthat State Park added to the increase in visitation with 205,654 visitors in 2009, up 10,090 visitors from 2008.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary spring fever is a listless, lazy, or restless feeling commonly associated with the beginning of spring.

Spotsylvania couple active in projects, new technology for state parks here and elsewhere

For those of you that grew up camping, do you remember how good food tasted cooked outside over a campfire?  Wasn’t it the best?

Traditionally spring break - the week before and after Easter - are busy times in Virginia State Parks.

Virginia State Parks kicked off the promotional show season with the Washington Camping and RV Show (Jan. 15-17) at the Dulles Expo Center.

False Cape State Park is hosting Wild Women Weekend on March 5-7, 2010 at their Environmental Education Center.

False Cape State Park is considered Virginia's Outer Banks.  It's barrier spit island stretches south from Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Sandbridge, Virginia to the North Carolina border.

False Cape State Park is offering an Winter Woods Walk on Saturday, Feb. 7th from 1pm-4pm.

Sure, it's cold outside here in Virginia.  It's cold at Holliday Lake State Park, but things are happening here!

Arizona sold a dozen state buildings on a lease back arrangement just this week to try and make up their $2 billion deficit. On Friday the decision was made to close 21 of the 30 state parks to help close the gap.

One aspect of the recession is that tight pocketbooks send families looking for lower cost vacation alternatives.

The Virginia State Parks Office of Volunteer Services is part of the Operations Section that I manage.

This is the second of a four-part series about what we do in parks during the off-season, Part II

Okay so this will probably give away how ancient I am, but when I was a girl Alan Sherman did a song called A Letter From Camp: "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh. Here I am at Camp Granada."

A survey done by the NASPD (National Association of State Park Directors) have shown some great results.

Unfortunately, with all the traveling, shopping, cooking, and general hustle and bustle of the season, families are often too busy to really connect with each other during the holiday season.

Each year all state park employees participate in the Virginia State Park's FOCUS for Excellence customer service training program.

I have mentioned before that we are deeply indebted to our volunteers in Virginia State Parks.

Take a Winter Tram Ride to Wash Woods at False Cape State Park.

This is the first of a four-part series about what we do in parks during the off-season.

Our Agency held two employee recognition events in the last month to honor employees who have made special contributions to Virginia State Parks.

Our family LOVES a relaxing week at Claytor Lake.

As part of a new initiative, Virginia State Parks is using GPS technology to redesign our trail maps to more accurately reflect current conditions.

How to make a Snow Day Special by having fun outdoors.

Several members of the Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes (BRFAL) Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist Program recently installed new interpretive signs along the Oak Hickory Trail at Fairy Stone State Park.

If you were in Leesylvania State Park on the morning of Saturday, November 21, you might have seen a sight that is increasingly rare these days: children having fun while being active outside.

A special “volunteer hug” goes out to a group of volunteers from Longwood University’s Greek Society.

If you are a shopping hater like me, or have folks on your gift list that love Virginia State Parks, we have cyber options for you!

With a few basic preparations, you and your family can enjoy winter hiking at Holliday Lake State Park or any state park in Virginia.

Regardless of falling temperatures or even falling snow, Mason Neck State Park is a great place to visit in December.

Fairy Stone State Park is truly at a mountain lake. For those flat landers this means trees, wildlife, rocky outcroppings,fresh air and NO SHARKS!

This year, Virginia State Parks has 13 of their State Parks offering special programs to celebrate the holiday season.

The Park Manager at Staunton River State Park tells of how different the park and cabin guests are in the winter verses the rest of the year.

An additional six miles of trail are now open at High Bridge Trail State Park, a perfect place for hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders  to enjoy the beauty of Central Virginia.

Leesylvania Elementary school children were invited to get outside and experience Northern Virginia nature on Nov. 21, 2009 at the Turkey Trot.

Claytor Lake State Park and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries are hosting a Youth Deer Hunting Workshop on Friday, December 18 and Saturday, December 19.

Fall is a gorgeous time to visit Mason Neck State Park.

Take time to read highlights from Tom's visits and to five state Parks on the far west side of the state. This is the last in the series of five articles.

Each year State Park employees, some family members, volunteers and friends of parks get together on the Eastern Shore at Kiptopeke State Park for a very important event, The State Parks Benevolence Fund Fishing Tournament and Raffle.

Tom takes time to share highlights of his visits to Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park, Wilderness Road State Park, Natural Tunnel State Park, Grayson Highlands State Park and Hungry Mother State Park.

False Cape State Park invites the entire family for a fun-filled weekend of hiking and exploring Virginia’s Outer Banks while discovering tricks and tips on how to survive in the wilderness.

Staunton River State Park is excited to announce that it will be keeping four cabins open year round starting this winter. 

Regardless of whether you are a lark or owl, False Cape State Park has a kayak program right up your alley during the month of October.

Johhny Finch, President, Virginia Association for Parks (VAFP) announces rennovation of VAFP website, its new companion virginiaoutdoors.net and dates and location for the 2010 Spring Conference.

Explore what the Virginia State Parks have to offer.

A look back at how jobs were created through the building of America's State Park System.

National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy.

Virginia Beach is a great destination year round and First Landing State Park makes an excellent base for visiting that resort city and the surrounding cities.

Autumn is a great time to explore nature in Mason Neck State Park.

Although the smallest Virginia State Park, the Southwest Virginia Museum State Park is packed with facinating historical treasures worth taking the time to explore.

Apple Day, a Celebration of Appalachian Heritage at Douthat State Park is just around the corner on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Virginia State Parks Director Joe Elton was elected president of the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD) at the NASPD annual meeting this week.

Innovative program that’s getting kids to check their sap buckets before checking their emails.

National Association of State Park Directors Honor Individuals for Enhancing Parks

Virgil S. Possum explores the Virginia State Parks and tells tales of his adventures.

Summer is the best time of year for star gazing, programs available at Belle Isle State Park.

Pocahontas Premieres featuring Page Wilson with Recklass Abandon, Marna & Macy and Li'l Ronnie and the Grand Dukes

Take a Fall Bird Walk to Celebrate the Fifth Birthday of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail

Virginia State Parks Camping Tips

Director designate Jon Jarvis testified at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources yesterday morning. The text of his opening statement follows.

Activities At Bear Creek Lake State Park

Butterfly found in Virginia State Parks

Virginia is a state literally overflowing with things to do in the outdoors, yet not everyone takes advantage of the opportunities to get outdoors.

Fairy Stones State Park is so named for interesting geological formations

Several state parks offer moonlight canoe tours throughout the summer, offering a fun evening of nature and the stars.

Studies show that children are becoming more disconnected to the outdoors.  Learn about the causes and effects, and what some are doing to reverse the trend.

Kiptopeke will feature the Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival in September, and birdwatchers the world over will be on hand.

Virginia has more national parks and monuments than almost every other state in the U.S., and there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Mathews County, Rebecca Grow

Canoist Lillie Gilbert takes an active roll in sharing knowledge about the coast backwaters of Virginia that she works to protect.