Cabins VA

Fairy Stone State Park - Magically Delightful

Friday, March 12, 2010 by Nancy Heltman

Sometimes I marvel at how I get my ideas for blog posts. I get an email with the "Lens of the Day" from Squidoo (neat stuff by the way). Today's title was "Purple Star Awards." I confess I haven't read the post yet but it made me think of Lucky Charms Cereal. Then I thought, "Hey it's almost St. Patrick's Day" and then I decided it was time to do a blog about Fairy Stone. Not sure what this says about my creative process.

The connection between St. Patrick's Day and Fairy Stone is a little more obvious. Fairy Stone State Park is located in Patrick County. Okay, so Patrick County has nothing to do with St. Patrick. Once in Virginia there was a giant county called Patrick Henry County named after that famous Virginia forefather. In 1791 they split the county into Patrick and Henry counties.

In addition to the tenuous "Patrick" connection, the story behind the park's name sake involves fairies and wee people right out of Irish folklore. Fairy Stones are naturally formed staurolite crystals that form cross-like shapes. The Captain John Smith/Pocahontas legend talks about Pocahontas giving Captain John Smith a necklace of lucky fairy stones. Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson as well as Charles Linberg and Thomas Edison reportedly carried the crosses for luck. If you have jewelry made out of the crosses (and we sell some at the park), a lot of work went into making the rough stones into crosses appropriate for jewelry.

While nothing beats a good fairy stone hunt, the real magic of Fairy Stone State Park is the more than 4,600 acres which makes this park an outdoor paradise. The park is situated on Fairy Stone Lake which was created by damming Goblintown Creek. The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the park infrastructure and Fairy Stone opened June 15, 1936 as one of the six original Virginia State Parks.

A CCC Log Cabin at Fairystone State Park

Today the park features a campground with great views, twenty-five cabins with some lakefront, a family lodge that sleeps 16 people, Fayerdale Hall Conference Center, and a seasonal swimming beach. There are nine miles of multi-use trail for hiking, biking and horseback riding as well as about six miles of hiking only trail. The 168 acre lake offers great fishing (no gasoline powered boats allowed). The park rents rowboats, paddleboats, kayaks and canoes on a seasonal basis.

The swimming beach is loaded with fun for the kids

For camping and cabin reservations, call our reservation center at 800-933-7275 or book on line.

Your Next Family Reunion

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 by Nancy Heltman

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.

Many parks have water features for swimming and boating fun for the family

What's good for the immediate family is even better for larger family groups. We have families who come to a particular state park year after year or every other year to celebrate their annual family reunions. Twenty-four of our Virginia State Parks have campgrounds for families that enjoy the camping experience. Nineteen parks have comfortable cabins for those family members who prefer a bed, kitchen and bathroom all under the same roof. Thirteen parks now have our family lodges that have five to six bedrooms and sleep 15-18 people (most sleep 16). The family lodges offer large gathering areas where many family members can gather and prepare meals together.

The family sitting down for dinner at the Bear Creek Lake State Park family lodge

Photo by Bill Crabtree Jr., Virginia Tourism Corporation

In the summer, all of our parks offer special programming and events. We are all about catering to our customers, so for a large group you can arrange a special program just for your family group. Hungry Mother and Douthat state parks offer catering for your event and many other parks like Claytor Lake, Twin Lakes, Bear Creek Lake and Westmoreland have meeting facilities you can rent for an event.

Our cabins and lodges do require a week stay during the Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day period. We accept reservations up to eleven months in advance so if you have a big group coming, plan in advance. Normally we require payment in full fourteen days after making a reservation but for a large group with one coordinator, we will make special arrangements if you ask to speak to the Reservation Center or Assistant Manager. Reservations and information are available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 800-933-7275.

Photo by Bill Crabtree Jr., Virginia Tourism Corporation

If you are not sure which park you want to visit, try our new park amenity search.

If you have been coming to Virginia State Parks for years with your family, tell us about it! Add your own blog here. If you have more than one picture, you can email me the others at nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov. If you post your own blog between now and August 31, 2010 you will be eligible for a drawing for a week cabin stay at any of our parks.

Family camping trip at Pocahontas State Park

Full Destination Wedding at Hungry Mother State Park

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 by Amy Atwood

Your wedding will be a day to cherish forever. A celebration of love in the presence of your family and friends. Hungry Mother State Park is a perfect setting for a romantic, memory filled event. Our 108 acre lake surrounded by mountains and a white sandy beach are two of many locations to choose from. We can accommodate parties from 2 to 300.
Our park provides a full destination wedding site. We can assist you in making arrangements with local photographers, floral designers, and entertainment. Hungry Mother’s cabins and lodges ensure there is ample room available for any size wedding party.

With our full service catering staff, wedding parties can be assured that all of their expectations will be exceeded. Menus include food stations, buffets and elegant dinners. Chef Lisa Mullen’s ability to create and customize any menu just for you is our specialty.
Hemlock Haven Conference Center is a full service wedding destination site located with-in Hungry Mother State Park.

Experience the Beauty and Romance of a Mountain Wedding in Southwest Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

Get an early start and avoid
the last minute rush.
Contact John Stone at 1-276-781-7425
John.Stone@dcr.virginia.com

New Virginia State Parks Guide Available

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 by Nancy Heltman

Remember that scene in Steve Martin's movie The Jerk -- the one where he gets the new phone book (where he would be listed for the very first time) and runs around yelling "The new phone book is here - the new phone book is here?" As a kid I was always like that when the phone book came out - I just had to look up our listing. As an adult, I have gotten past the thrill of being listed in the phone book. But, I confess I still feel that excitement when our new Virginia State Parks Guide comes out each year.

A lot goes into this publication each year. We call it the #1 brochure in house. Once upon a time we had a #2 and a #3 but with the internet, the need for those publications declined over the years. We use our color brochure primarily for the Virginia Welcome Centers and various Tourism offices and libraries around the state. Our web content is far more thorough than anything we could ever print and distribute, so we use this brochure as a teaser publication to get folks inspired in learning more about Virginia State Park.

We are part of a larger agency, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and we share our graphic designed with the rest of the Agency. Esther Zabronsky is very talented and has, as usual, outdone herself with this edition. A lot of the credit also goes to Jim Meisner, our Public Relations Specialist, who serves as the project manager, works on theme ideas, edits the copy, and creates the copy for the middle four pages. He also holds our feet to the fire to meet the deadlines for content and review.

Facebook and Twitter followers - you may recall that sometime last fall I asked for you to share the reasons you love Virginia State Parks. Throughout this year's Guide you will see some of the comments we received from this request.

We are already planning for next year's guide. Since it's our 75th anniversary, the theme is pretty easy. What we need from you is some good content about how you have enjoyed Virginia's state parks over the years. The best way to share it with us is through posting your own blog by clicking here. You can even add a picture. If you have more pictures you want to add to your "post" you can email them to me at nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov. If you contribute to the blog before August 31, 2010, you will be eligible for a drawing for a week's cabin stay.

Have you Volunteered Lately?

Monday, March 8, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

I just read a story that in the toughest of times, Americans are volunteering at a record rate. Hearing this makes me very proud to be an American. There is something in us that wants to help those less fortunate or just to pitch in and make our community a better place to live in. I myself give a lot of time to the Boy Scouts and community service projects. Virginia State Parks has a great volunteer program and if you wish, you can work in some of the most beautiful places in the State.

Although most volunteers don't do it for rewards, the park system does have great benefits that range from parking passes to a weeks stay in one of their lovely cabins. So now that the weather is getting nice, why don't you think about getting out of the house and going down to your nearest State Park and become a volunteer. Go ahead make a difference, it will feel GOOD!

Don't Have a Camping Trailer?

Monday, March 8, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

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. Kiptopeke State Park on the Eastern Shore of Virginia has the solution for you. This beautiful park on the Chesapeake Bay offers 28 foot Prowler Camping Trailers for rent. They are already set up for you on site and have a shower, bathroom, kitchen, and even has the hookup for satelite television if you bring your own t.v.. Outside the unit is a picnic table and fire ring to grill our or have an evening campfire with the kids. If you are looking for an upgrade from this, about 20 parks, including Kiptopeke, offer delux cabins. The variety of cabins the Virginia State Parks offer is amazing, accommodating from 2-18 people. If you are looking to go on the road for a vacation, check out places like Roadtrip Rentals. Places like this will rent you a camper that you can then pull to your favorite Virginia State Park. Either way you go, you can't go wrong when you spend some time in our award winning park system.

New Cabins Go On Sale March 12

Monday, March 8, 2010 by Nancy Heltman

We are excited to announce that our brand new cabins at Shenandoah River State Park will be available for reservations starting March 12 at 9 a.m.

Since the cabins are still under construction, we will take reservations for July 15, 2010 forward. We hope they will be finished and ready for occupancy sooner and when we know a definite date we will back date the opening.

Shenandoah River State Park is located on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River approximately twenty minutes south of Front Royal, Virginia. The park will have a six-bedroom family lodge (sleeps 16), one three-bedroom cabin (sleep 8) and nine two-bedroom cabins (sleep 6). Cabins will offer a fantastic mountain view. Shenandoah River State Park is located near the start of the Skyline Drive, part of Shenandoah National Park.

See my previous posts, My Visit to Shenandoah River State Park (Parts One, Two and Three), or Cyndi's post Discover Shenandoah River State Park.

We are building new cabins at Natural Tunnel and Douthat state parks as well but the winter weather have set those projects back such that we do not have a comfortable date to use for future reservations.

These new cabins are part of the 2002 State Park and Natural Area Bond. While these cabins are not yet complete, they are our new cabin design. Bear Creek Lake, Claytor Lake, James River, Kiptopeke and Occoneechee state parks have similar cabins. The cabins also feature our Legacy Line of furniture designed in conjunction with Virginia Correctional Enterprises. Our goal was attractive, comfortable and long lasting furniture and comments from our guests indicate we were successful.

All Virginia State Park cabins have a two night minimum. From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, we have a week stay requirement. If cabins are not booked for a week stay a month prior to the date of arrival, we allow the two night minimum. At this time you can only book for less than a week in the summer season through the reservation center.

Reservations will be accepted for these new facilities starting a 9 a.m. on March 12, 2010 through our Reservation and Information line at 800-933-7275 or on line.

Reservations Accepted for New Campgrounds Beginning March 12

Sunday, March 7, 2010 by Nancy Heltman

Thanks to the 2002 State Park and Natural Area Bond Referendum, we will be opening two new campgrounds this year. We will begin accepting reservations for these new campgrounds for future dates starting this Friday, March 12, at 9 a.m.

Natural Tunnel State Park is located in Duffield, Virginia in far southwest Virginia. The park is named for its naturally formed tunnel dubbed the Eighth Natural Wonder by William Jennings Bryant. A chair lift carries visitors down into the mouth of the tunnel in season. Natural Tunnel already has a campground but is getting ready to open it's second one. Lover's Leap Campground will open May 1, 2010. The park's existing campground will now be called Cove View. Lover's Leap Campground will have eighteen electric and water sites for equipment from tents to 50 foot RVs.

Shenandoah River State Park is located on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River approximately twenty minutes south of Front Royal, Virginia. Shenandoah River State Park is located near the start of the Skyline Drive, part of Shenandoah National Park. The park currently has hike-in and canoe-in campsites but their new campground will have thirty-two spacious water and electric sites for a variety of equipment from tents to 60 foot RVs. We will be opening this campground to reservations from July 15th and beyond. We hope to be able to open earlier dates as soon as we have a definite opening date in sight.

Reservations can be made starting 9 a.m. on Friday, March 12 by calling the Virginia State Parks reservation center at 800-933-7275 or by booking on line.

Future campground at Shenandoah River State Park

First Rate Customer Service

Friday, March 5, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

I just came from a meeting with a representative from Virginia Tourism that teaches customer service to all kinds of businesses and government agencies. During her travels she stays in a vast variety of lodging and visits so many different places. So when she said, "...in all my travels I have never found any business that cares more about their customers than Virginia State Parks...", that meant a lot. Having worked for Virginia State Parks for nearly 24 years, I can tell you the level of dedication of our employees is second to none. Our staff is on a mission to make special memories for each and every person that visits a State Park. I may be a little bias in my opinion, so it was nice to hear it from one of the experts. I hope you will give us a chance to show you why we were voted, The Best Managed State Park System in the Nation. Call 1-800-933-PARK to make a reservation in a deluxe cabin or campsite.

Occoneechee State Park

Thursday, March 4, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

I recently visited Occonneechee State Park in Clarksville, VA and was "wowed" at the changes that have taken place since I last visited. The park has a beautiful new equestrian campground that includes some nice stables. From the campground riders can go on an enjoyable ride that takes them out to the point of a peninsula on the lake.

If you haven't seen the new cabins at the park, you are in for a treat. They are spectacular with plenty of water views as you rock on the front porch. The park also made several improvements to their amphitheater and is a great place to watch the Jazz Festival, interpretive programs, or even get married with the lake as a backdrop. The staff out there is great, led by WVU alumni Scott Shanklin. Go give Occoneechee a try, whether for an extended vacation or for their annual Native American Festival in May. When you see Scott tell him Tom sent you and you want a Welcome Kit from him. Enjoy your visit!

Camping at Virginia State Parks

Thursday, March 4, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

I've been camping at a lot of Virginia State Parks, some by myself, some with a dozen or so Boy Scouts and leaders. There may not be a better experience for connecting with nature, although with a group of Boy Scouts cutting up, you may not see much wildlife. There is something about sleeping in a tent and cooking our meals on an open fire like some of our ancestors did. The stories told around the campfire are often ones we never forget and later share with others at another campfire. And nowadays what would a campfire be without marshmallows or the all out treat of s'mores.

Last year Virginia State Parks sold out Memorial Day and July 4th weekends the earliest they ever had in their 74 year history. And there were many other sold out weekends for various parks throughout the year. So if you aren't thinking camping yet, because there is still a little snow in your backyard, you may want to spend one of these cold evenings with a calendar and pick out some weekends for that trip. Shenandoah River State Park will be a new hot spot for camping when they will be opening a brand new campground later this spring. For reservations for any of the campgrounds with Virginia State Parks, call 1-800-933-PARK. Happy Camping!

Great Shows!

Thursday, March 4, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

As Marketing Manager for Virginia State Parks, I get to go to a lot of shows during the winter months. My team and I worked Camping and RV Shows, Healthy Lifestyle Shows and Bridal Shows. We met so many great people on the road. Some were old friends that came up to us and said, "...we love the Virginia State Parks and use them all the time." Others were new to the area or never took the time to look us up so we shared some or the reasons why we were voted, "America's Best Managed State Park System." And then there were a few that tried us about 20 years ago and thought we never improved anything in all these years, and thus, we had to let them know over $200 million in improvements have gone into our parks in the past 2 decades. No matter what the circumstance, my job is easy because I have one of the easiest things to sell in life, memories at a Virginia State Park. Why don't you make plans today for your next memories by calling 1-800-933-PARK and plan a vacation in our cabins, campsites or just plan a series of day trips to get out and breath some good fresh air.

Why We Do the Things We Do - Campsite Assignments

Saturday, February 27, 2010 by Nancy Heltman

It has not been lost on us that many park systems have moved to reserving specific campsites with their reservation systems. We have that capacity in our software and actually choose to not have the sites reserved by specific site.

Spacious campsite at Chippokes Plantation State Park (campground B)

Why? In a nutshell the reason is that our current method provides us with a flexibility to control site usage to best meet the needs of campers.

We actually have a couple of primitive campgrounds that allow site specific reservations so customers know where they need to go. One thing that happens is that at a certain point customers can no longer make multiple night reservations on the same site. What this means is that there may be a site or sites available for each night a customer wants but no one site is available both nights. With non site specific reservations, customers are shuffled to sites to keep this from happening.

Not hard to understand why the Lakeside campground at Douthat State Park is so popular

In a perfect world all of our sites would be able to accommodate all of the different camping equipment customers bring. That is actually our current design standard. But many of our campgrounds were built many years ago when folks did not drive 40 foot RVs. We have expanded sites as much as possible but we would stand to lose a lot of really nice smaller sites that are still great for tents and pop-ups if we tried to make all the sites uniform. With site specific reservations there is nothing to prevent a customer with a tent reserving the largest site we have available in a campground which could needlessly prevent a camper with large equipment from enjoying the campground.

James River State Park's Red Oak Campground

We do understand that there are a variety of reasons customers want to reserve specific sites. The main reason is often so that multiple families or larger families that need multiple sites can be sure they can camp together. Actually it is in our best interest you can camp together because it reduces traffic in the campground if folks camping together are really together. The best way to be together is to have one person make all of the reservations for the group in the same name. Individuals can still call in an pay for their individual reservations but you tell the reservation counselor and the park that you want to be together. If you book on line, you can just call at your convenience to let us know at least a week before your arrival. The only restriction is that you will have to all arrive together and coming in on a Saturday will add complications. Holiday weekends can be a challenge too but the park will do its best to get you together.

Other campers may have equipment or a special access need. Again, if you make us aware of the problem, we will make every effort to accommodate you. The park can pre-assign sites to accommodate both groups and campers with special needs.

A smaller group of campers really like a special site. I'm afraid that is still the camper we can't promise to accommodate. However arriving earlier in the week or earlier on Friday will give you optimum choices. Since many of our customers do not have a preference or have never been to a particular campground, their selection of a specific site could easily result in them selecting one that they don't like. We do not have the staff, and often not a great internet speed, to be able to make complex site changes. When all the sites are sold out on a weekend, there is really no way we can help these folks. Again, the non site specific reservations give us more flexibility.

With the exception of our most popular campgrounds, the weekend is the sell out time. Park staff pull arrival reports and pre-assign sites for the campers with special needs. Many parks then allow customers to select their own sites. The exception is some of our smaller campgrounds who carefully assign sites upon arrival based on the size of the equipment.

Lakefront campsite at Bear Creek Lake State Park

We are working hard with our new campgrounds to design sites so that all camping equipment can be easily accommodated. We have opened such campgrounds at Lake Anna, James River, Chippokes Plantation and Belle Isle in the last few years. We have purchased former private campgrounds at Hungry Mother and Douthat to provide more campsites (Douthat's new campground should open next year). This summer we will be opening new campgrounds at Shenandoah River, Natural Tunnel and Holliday Lake state parks.

New campground under construction at Shenandoah River State Park

I would be remiss if I failed to brag about our wonderful new bathhouse design. If you have visited of our new campgrounds or a park that has gotten a new or substantially remodeled bathhouse, you will have seen our design. In addition to the rest room portion of the bathhouse, we have four family friendly shower rooms. Single parents camping with children of the opposite sex no longer have to worry about sending their children alone into a bathhouse.

Shower rooms in the new bathhouse at Belle Isle State Park

Chippokes State Park

Friday, February 26, 2010 by Kristen Uerz

Chippokes Plantation State Park located in Surry County is truly like stepping back in time. I hear there have been some renovations to the cabins, but when I was there it was a little different. We stayed in Cabin 1 and it looked like someone had just built little houses in a long stretch of fields. The cabin was really nice and it was the first cabin I had been to that had two floors and a television. You kind of figure that you wouldn't need a t.v. when you are staying in a cabin, but it is quite the opposite once you get there. Maybe it's just because we are so used to always having a t.v. around and when you don't you get a little nutty. Plus, you need some entertainment once the sun goes down.

The only thing that was a little bit of nuisance were the swarms of ladybugs. They seemed to be everywhere we went, but it was okay since they are said to be good luck.

One thing I have found quite entertaining is the Cabin Log Books that are in every Virginia State Park cabin. I enjoy passing the time by reading the entries from previous visitors as well as writing my own entry. The cabin we stayed in at Chippokes spoke of the ghost of a woman who most visitors had recorded. We were a little concerned, but after doing some research I found out that the "ghosts" were people there to tell the sotries of Chippokes history. We were still a little on edge not really sure if they were the "ghosts" referred to in the log book. So remember to log your cabin visits in the log books so everyone else can enjoy you trip as well.

We spent most of our time outdoors enjoying the nice weather. We walked down to the water to check out the scenery and to do a little fishing. Another wonderful sight you may want to catch is the park during cotton season. I can almost imagine looking out across a vast field of white in the warm summer months reminding yourself that it is not snow you are seeing. During some special events at Chippokes Plantation, visitors are allowed to help harvest the cotton.

If you are planning a trip to Chippokes Plantation during their off-season you can click here for more area attractions in Surry, VA to help prepare for your trip.

First Landing State Park

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 by Kristen Uerz

Editor's note: Our post from yesterday detailed the current flooding conditions at First Landing State Park. We will have camping there (and the cabins are unimpacted). However, we will likely have fewer sites than normal so if you want to visit First Landing, be sure to make your reservations as soon as possible!

One of my favorite parks is First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. I have been camping and stayed in their cabins numerous times. If you plan on camping at First Landing be sure to ask for a spot closest to the beach because you cannot beat the ocean views, especially in the morning. However, I would suggest not setting up your tent in the sand. It may sound like a good idea at first, but trust me you will regret it later when the little bugs hiding in the sand are biting at your feet and the sand seems to be being dumped in your tent by the bucket. However, you really can't beat the views of the beach.

During our walk around the park we also discovered a campsite that may want to rethink leaving their food on the picnic table unattended. Well, at least the squirrel's got to eat too.

First Landing was also where I first learned that those little black sacks that wash up on the shore are actually shark eggs. It worried me a little in the beginning, but it got hot fast so I decided to take my chances.

The cabins at First Landing are also wonderful. They have the real feel and look of an old cabin hidden away in the woods and yet they are only a short distance from Virginia Beach's infamous boardwalk. I think that is why I like First Landing so much. They have everything you want when you plan a cabin or camping trip and yet if you don't like to be too far from civilization you can make your way to the beach for swimming or to the boardwalk for some shopping. You get the best of both worlds at First Landing State Park.

Winter Weather Wreacks Havoc on Spring Camping

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 by Nancy Heltman

At a time when we could sure use the revenue and our visitors sure could use an escape from cabin fever, the winter weather has conspired to put a damper on early spring camping.

Douthat State Park, one of our most popular campgrounds, is not going to be able to open for our traditional March 1 start of camping. While the park staff have done what they can to plow the roads in White Oak Campground, the turning radius will not accommodate large RVs. Top that off with the fact that the sites are snow covered, and there is just no way to accommodate campers. The site surface is such that traditional snow removal methods pretty much destroy the surface. Melting snow in the area will also likely cause flooding of the creek that the campground road crosses. Even in normal snowfall years, we have had campers stranded in the campground due to flooding. As soon as the snow melts and conditions improve, we hope to open the campground. For now, we have it closed until April 1.

The picnic tables give you an idea of where the actual sites are at Douthat State Park

Douthat's White Oak Campground on 02/23/2010

"Snowmageddon" in Washington DC received a lot of press. Westmoreland State Park due south of DC received record snow as well. Thanks to a nice weekend much of the snow has melted. However, some still remains. The campground is open but campers should be prepared for the conditions. The good news is that the gravel sites drain really well so as soon as the snow melts the sites should be fine.

Campground at Westmoreland State Park 2/23/10

Finally we have First Landing State Park. I know what you're thinking - "give me a break Virginia Beach didn't get that much snow." Snow is not the issue here. The problem at First Landing is the overwhelming rainfall since the fall. This isn't traditional flooding. The problem is the water table. After a while, the ground is saturated and there is just no place for the water to go. A lot of campsites are under water. To further complicate the situation the road to get to the campsites that aren't flooded is flooded so you can't get there.

First Landing Campground Road - our Park Ranger volunteered to give you some perspective

Another section of the campground loop road

Loop H, which is to the left of the contact station when facing the Bay, is the only loop we can open beginning March 1. Fortunately we have enough sites there to accommodate existing reservations through early May. Many customers may be getting free upgrades to larger sites or sites with electric and water in order to accommodate their reservations. We are cautiously optimistic about being able to accommodate other existing reservations including Memorial Day weekend. We will be following the situation closely. Once the roads are passable, we still expect to have a problem with a number of sites. We have had those sites blocked off. The end result will be fewer sites available for the immediate future.

Flooded campsite at First Landing - we're not talking a little bit of water

Another flooded campsite at First Landing State Park

Oh, and the picnic area and some trails are a problem as well. In this picture you can see our new water slide (joke). Another idea - we can deem some of the campsites as "waterfront" now and raise the fee (another joke). Sorry, sometimes you just have to laugh. Anyone building an Ark?

First Trip Ever to VA State Park

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by Kristen Uerz

If I recall correctly, my first trip to a Virginia State Park was Douthat State Park. If you are wondering how it came to be...my boyfriend (now husband) and his best friend were planning a trip to Douthat to go to a car show. Honestly I am not that in to cars, but it was a reason to go shopping for camping gear so I agreed. The park itself was really nice. I was amazed to see that it did have shower houses and flushing toilets since my first camping experience with the boys was a little less desirable.

Both my husband and his best friend grew up in Boy Scouts so they took the reins when it came to setting up the tent, the fire, and anything else that required more knowledge of camping than I had been equipped with (at that time). We explored the park a little bit and then it was time to be domestic and make dinner. The second the fire was lit the sky turned pitch black and it started to pour. This happened every time we began dinner prep. so we found ourselves at Pizza Hut more than once. When we were finally able to make a meal on the fire that is when I first learned the term "Hobo Pack." You put all of your ingredients into a lot of aluminum foil and fold the sides to keep your meal inside. Then you simply throw it on the hot coals and let it cook. I was a little unsure of this method at first, but I gave them credit when it came time to eat it. So it is now one of our favorite meals/traditions when we go camping and even "cabining." Yes I said "cabining" and I think I should trademark it because everyone usually laughs when I say we are going "cabining." And I'm sure you are expecting a photo of this "Hobo Pack" task, but everyone looked a little crabby in the pictures so I decided not to add it in. I guess the rain and heat was taking its toll on everyone.

We explored the park a little more and I did actually enjoy the car show that they had. All in all, that first trip sparked an interest and now a love of Virginia State Parks.

For more information about Virginia State Parks click here. And who knows, you may be planning your own first visit to one of the many great parks across the state.

Smith Mountain Lake State Park

Monday, February 22, 2010 by Kristen Uerz

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. With that time being the park's off season we were quite possibly the only visitors, which was really nice. Although this was not our first visit to this park, we were excited to get to our waterfront cabin. The first night there we had sleet that must have followed us from Mechanicsville, VA since it did snow and rain on our wedding day.

We spent most of our time in front of the wood stove watching Christmas movies. The other part of the time was spent wondering why our good old GPS kept taking us to a church in the middle of nowhere, insisting that it was Kroger. What lesson did we learn from that.....always take the directions to area attractions located at the front desk of the visitor's center. We did find time to walk around the park and see all of the great sights.

We also visited the mysterious Smith Mountain Lake Dam that eluded us last time we visited because a member of our party (who shall remain nameless) would not stop to ask for directions. Before our trip to the Dam we did pick up the directions from the visitor's center, not so willing to trust our GPS again. The views from the top were even more amazing.

As before, the rain followed us and we ended our trip to the Dam and headed back to the park. I had to stop and take one last picture while there.

I don't think I could have asked for a better honeymoon location. It was nice being away from the usual day to day for a while, but like all good things it did have to end.

Newest Addition to DCR State Parks

Monday, February 22, 2010 by Kristen Uerz

Hello everyone! My name is Kristen Uerz and I am the new receptionist for the central office for Virginia State Parks. Even though I am new to this department I am not new to the state parks. I have camped and stayed in cabins at several of the state parks over the years, from my personal favorite Smith Mountain Lake tucked away in Huddleston, VA to the always exciting First Landing in Virginia Beach.

My main goal is to stay at every state park in Virginia and my next cabin trip to Occoneechee, at the end of February, will put me closer to that goal. While at Occoneechee I plan on geocaching and checking out a few of their trails. I was also introduced to the Virginia State Parks Trail Quest Program in which you can sign up for free and log your visits to the state parks. You are rewarded with prizes for visiting the state parks simply by finding the Secret Park Code and logging it on your account. I am excited to be a part of such a great department and I can't wait to share all of my stories with fellow state park lovers.

Tommy Describes Shenandoah River State Park’s New Cabins and Campground Coming in 2010!

Monday, February 22, 2010 by Verna McNamara

Helwo! Mai name’s Tommy and I’z Simeon Zorro’s brofur (a kittycat of course!) and only one year’s old. That’s my pixture to the left….a most hansome tuxedo kitty (if I does says so meself!) Simeon writ about the Virginia State Parks Reservation Call Center. I’s goings to wite about the new cabins and campground coming wery soon to Shenandoah River State Park in 2010. I’z sooo ‘cited! ‘Dere is two state parks dat’s goings to has cabins in 2010. Griffin the Cornsnake writ about Natural Tunnel’s cabins and campground wecently. Now’s my turn! Puleez pardon my English as Simeon’s still teachings me.

Griffin (the Cornsnake) showed me how to catch a ride to Shenandoah River State Park in Warren County, VA, near Bentonville. It’z a bootifull place! None of the cabins nor the lodge iz waterview, howsomever the views is awesome! Checks out the picture below sent by the Assistant Park Manager Andy Davis and Office Manager Donna Smith…..i tolds you it’z more awesome than you could imagine! WOW!!! (pictures are hard to do with so much snow during the winter)

There iz 10 cabins, including one 6 bedroom we in State Parks refer to as a Lodge. Also there are two 3-bedroom cabins (one handicapped accessible) and seven 2-bedroom cabins. The cabins and campground are located in the Culler's tract of the park. Da cabins are gorgeous inside! I wub the smell of new homes…..and these will be temporary homes for people on vacation in this park. Dese cabins and lodge are numbered 1 thru 10. I ‘pects dey will be quite popular too!!!

De campground has electric and water hookups….curwently there iz only tent only sites with no hookups, so we’s very excited about these new campsites: 33 electric/water back-in and pull-through campsites with 20, 30, and 50 amp plug ins, plus one camphost site! The entire electrical pedestal is 100 amps.

Oo! Oo!...almost forgots about the FOUR camping cabins (bunkhouses for 4 peoples each) being built in the campground. … The camping cabins are clustered two by two, so Camp Cabins 01 & 02 use the same driveway in the campground and Camp Cabins 03 & 04 are beside each other in the campground. Da camp cabins use the campground bathhouse too (no kitchens, bring your linens for the bunkbeds). Da new bathhouse in the campground will have laundry facilities,too!!! I’z not a shower/water wover myself, but peoples wuvs hot showers!

Well, dat’s alls i knows fur now…..i hopes my furriends will checks out dese new cabins and campground in 2010. More later…..Tommy.