Eastern Virginia Parks

What can be better than spending the morning paddling along the beautiful waterways of Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster County incorporating in that float a trip to Morattico’s Waterfront Museum? 

Saturday September 4th, Belle Isle State Park and Morattico Waterfront Museum  team up to offer a kayak program called the “Marvels of Morattico.”  Kayakers will leave Belle Isle at 10 a.m. and paddle down Mulberry Creek and onto the Rappahannock River to the Village of Morattico.  Along the way the guide will talk about the native inhabitants, early European settlement, and the modern history of the village.  Participants will go on shore at Morattico, tour the museum, and have a light snack before paddling back to the park and arriving about 1 p.m. 

Belle Isle State Park is located in Lancaster County near the town of Kilmarnock. Morattico is a village on the northern shore of the Rappahannock River in the heart of Virginia's Northern Neck, consisting of a post office, two churches, the Morattico Waterfront Museum, an active though diminishing fleet of fishing vessels, and scores of dwellings of its residents.

Since the 17th Century Morattico has been depended upon the Rappahannock River for its sustenance and identity.  Now, in the 21st Century, during a time when oyster and crab populations in the Rappahannock River and the Chesapeake Bay have shrunk dramatically, Morattico is working to remain a vital and vibrant waterfront community.  The Morattico Waterfront Museum, housed in the old Morattico General Store, is committed to preserving and honoring Morattico's history and, in the process, contributing to the development of its future.
 
Cost for the program is $15 per single kayak and $22 per double kayak and includes all equipment.  Call 462-5030 for reservations. For more information on Belle Isle State Park visit our website.

Whether in the bright morning sun, the soft colors of sunset or the quiet of a full moon, kayaking at Caledon is at its best.  Guided kayak trips along the Potomac River are now part of the many wonderful things that Caledon Natural Area has to offer. 

The park's brand new kayaks (8 solo and 4 tandem) are launched from and return to Boyd's Hole. The trips go to Caledon Marsh (high tide) or Jones Pond (low tide) depending on the tides. Kayak trips last about 2.5 hours with about an hour and 40 minutes on the water. Please check our website for complete dates and times.  As of September 12th the Sunday morning kayak trip will be at 9:00 a.m. The Thursday evening trip will be at 6:00 p.m. until the end of September with the exception of September 23rd as this trip is replaced by the Full Moon Kayak Trip at 7:00 p.m.

Visitors get to observe wildlife along the rivers, creeks and marshes while quietly slicing through the water.   Paddlers will be treated to the site of Eagles, Egrets, Great Blue Heron Otter, and Osprey foraging for food.  Wild Turkey, Raccoons and White Tail Deer have been spotted making their way through the old growth forest abundant with wildlife and a wide variety of bird species.

So if you are a beginner or an avid paddler, the guided kayak trip is great fun and education for everyone. 

The new kayaks at Caledon were bought with an anonymous donation made to the Friends of Caledon specifically for that purpose.  For more information visit Caledon’s website. Reservations are required so be sure to call (540)663-3861.

The Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps at Westmoreland State Park can tell you all about those three things.  Humid, sticky days and bright sunshine make trail work and building fences very hot, hard work. The female team at Westmoreland knows all about hard work!  In the short time they have been working at the park they have spread stone dust on the CCC trail and built split rail fences in two different locations in the park.

Split rail fencing was place around a bioretention area at the new Visitor Center and Murphy Hall Meeting Facility.  Bioretention areas have been developed to catch rain water run off from parking lots and road ways. This helps to keep nutrients and siltation from getting into the waterways.  The areas are planted with native scrubs, trees and herbaceous species that will absorb and retain moisture.   The split rail fence helps to keep the deer out and is aesthetically pleasing. 

The stone dust the crew is spreading on the CCC trail will make a nice compact surface for cyclists.   The CCC trail is the newest trail at Westmoreland State Park.  The fairly flat trail is about 1.6 miles and meanders through fields, hardwood forests and over a small stream. 

The team is working very hard but also plans to take some time out for a little fun this weekend with a trip to George Washington Birthplace National Monument.
 

Thursday night the air in Visitor Center at Caledon Natural Area was filled with wonderful smells of black beans, seasoned hamburger and salsa! The YCC Crew enjoyed a feast of enchiladas, fresh fruit, angel food cake and an assortment of cookies.  There was also a warm Blackberry Crunch made fresh by the crew themselves.  They even picked the Blackberries! The Youth Conservation Corps crew has been working these last three weeks at the park on a variety of projects.
 
The YCC dinner is just one of the many wonderful things the Friends of Caledon Natural Area do to help support the park.  They also sponsor the annual Art & Wine Festival, a Halloween Event, movie nights, Caledon Teas, special programs and more.  They  provide funding for educational programming and  interpretive supplies.  They address the special needs of park visitors by helping to fund features on the Smoot accessible trail.  There is so much the park would not be able to do with the volunteers and “Friends”!  If you would like to become a “Friend” please visit their website. For more information on volunteering call the park at (540) 663-3861 or sign up on line.

 Surprises come in all different packages, this particular day the surprise came wrapped in bright blue eyes and a sweet smile! 

Mrs. Frances Hinson Brune of Montross, her son Bob, her granddaughter and two of her great grandsons stopped by my office to see me this morning while they were visiting Westmoreland State Park.  Mrs. Frances Hinson Brune is the widow of Julian Hinson a former “Superintendent” of Westmoreland State Park.  She lived, loved and raised her family for 32 years on the beautiful park grounds of Westmoreland beginning in 1947 when Mr. Hinson came to Westmoreland as a Chief Ranger.  She and her son had many great stories to share and moments they relived.  And incredibly, and with much generosity, left some of their treasures they found on the beach for all visitors to enjoy. 

Westmoreland State Park, one of the original parks built by the CCC in the 1930’s, is located on the shores of the Potomac River.  The park is favorite location for fossil hunters.  Sharks teeth and artifacts from the Miocene Epoch, can be found along the sandy beaches. The park offers guided kayak and hiking programs to learn how to hunt for fossils and the places to find them.  For more information on all the programs and amenities the park offers, please visit our website  or call (804)493-8821. For reservations 1-800-933-PARK.

Look for more stories from the Hinson’s in future blogs!

It was a warm, near to summer day at the shoreline of beautiful Lake Anna State Park.  The red, yellow and blue colored new Toddler Train Playground gleamed brightly in the morning sun.  Children of all ages gathered round to hear stories as told by local author Linda Salisbury.  We heard tales of trains, cats and bears while munching on snacks provided by the Friends of Lake Anna State Park. After an adventurous story time, it was time to try out the new playground!  There were train cars with a dining table and seats, a box car with benches, a tube to crawl through, steps to climb and a fun slide to enjoy! 
 

The Toddler Train Play ground began as a special project by the Friends of Lake Anna State Park.  It was a sweet story inspired by the granddaughter of Jo Finch, the President of The Friends of Lake Anna State Park.  One day while Megan was visiting her Grandmother Jo from out of town, they decided to go to the park and play on the existing playground.  When they got there, Jo Finch quickly realized that the equipment was designed more for older children and was too big for her small, young grandchild.  Megan told her about a place she liked to play near her home that resembled a train. The wheels started turning and soon the Friends group would be on the move to build a playground just for toddlers.  That was just a year ago!  Now the playground is installed and enjoyed by children that visit the park. 

The “train type playground” is  in keeping with the historic aspect of the abandoned railroad track that ran through the park property. The Park developed a trail, Railroad Ford Trail, utilizing the old railroad grade built in 1916. It actually carried Lead and Zinc Ore used in ammunition for war efforts in World War I.  The trail is used as a very important part of historic interpretation for the county’s connection to WWI.  The train was also used for transportation in connection to the Goodwin Gold Mine that is still in evidence today at the park.

The “playground train” will provide a safe play area for 2-5 year olds as well as opportunities for educational interpretive programming.

The Friends raised the funds for the playground through donations from the community, a loan from the Virginia Association of Parks and a grant from Dominion Resources. 

Donations came from:
Friends of Lake Anna State Park.  Personal contributions were made by Edna Musser, Lake Anna Boat Lifts, Anna L. Johnson, Shannon & Clay Athey, Johnny & Jo Finch, Kathleen Elim, Lake Anna State Park Visitors, Lake Anna Winery, Brooks Boat Docks & Decks, Kathy Brodie – Lake Anna Realty, Lynda Moore, William & Marilyn Holcomb, Tom Shaw, John & Pamela Cobb, James Hughes, Linda Chaney, J.T. & Kay Oliver, Alex & Marge Leitner, Dave & Linda Fosdick and Marilyn & Gerald Root.

If you would like more information on the Friends of Lake Anna State Park, please visit their website on Virginia Outdoors
Or contact Lake Anna State Park (540) 854-5503. 

Odwalla donates funds to purchase trees in area State Parks through a national internet competition in which Virginia State Parks came in second.

Shade, food, shelter, oxygen and they are just so pretty too!  Think of just some of the wonderful things trees do for us!  They provide shade from the summer’s sun, the buds and berries provide food for wildlife (and humans too but please don’t eat the trees!), shelter for wildlife, trees absorb carbon dioxide and through a process, release oxygen. And, of course, trees are so lovely to look upon! So during, and around, Earth Day Celebrations area Virginia State Parks will be planting trees with funding provided by Odwalla, Inc. 

Trees that were chosen to plant are native to Virginia; they include Holly, Red Maples, Willow Oak and Redbuds. 

Westmoreland State Park's new trees are planted in the beach parking lot along the waterfront.  In years to come they will provide much needed shade for our customers while making the parking lot more aesthetically pleasing.

“The Odwalla Plant a Tree program is part of our commitment to respecting the earth and nourishing the body, mind and spirit,” said Chris Brandt, Odwalla vice president of marketing. “We know that outdoor activities are very important to Odwalla consumers. The Plant a Tree program allows us to support something we all believe in -- a healthy environment for generations to come.”

About Odwalla

Odwalla, Inc., the nation‘s leading natural health beverage company, delivers nourishment coast to coast with the Odwalla family of juices, juice drinks, soy beverages and nourishing food bars. Odwalla has been making juices and innovating in the natural health beverage category for more than 25 years. Its nourishing beverages and food bars are available in natural food stores, select supermarkets and specialty outlets throughout the country.
To learn more about Odwalla products and Odwalla‘s commitment to the environment, please visit their website or call 1.800.ODWALLA.

For more information on Westmoreland State Park call (804)493-8821, or visit our website.  If you would like to spend the night in a Virginia State Park, for reservations call 1-800-933-PARK or reserve on line.

Story and photos by Jim Wyman, District II Business Manager

Nor’easters no more! If you haven’t been to Westmoreland State Park along the Potomac River in a while or have never visited, you are in for a few surprises this year! We have two major projects underway that will improve and change the landscape at Westmoreland. 

The first project is a waterfront restoration project due to be completed in March depending on the weather. As you may know, Westmoreland is known for suffering at the hands of hurricanes and nor’easters. I have been here for three years and have seen time consuming and costly damage to the Park every year from these storms. The project is designed to protect the beautiful and scenic cliffs as well as the multi-purpose day use areas of the Park. It involves installing several rock breakwaters at intervals along the shoreline as well as rock rip rap along the bulkhead areas near the Potomac River Retreat and Osprey Boathouse and Camp Store. The project should not have a major impact on our current operations. The rock will create an interesting change to the landscape and hopefully protect us from future storms. Ironically, the project got under way in early November just about the time we had a nor’easter come through damaging the waterfront walkways and bulkhead yet again.

The second project is the construction of a new visitor center located on a bluff 200 feet above the Potomac with awesome panoramic views of the area. Construction should be completed in April. The building will be very modern, while maintaining historical and environmentally friendly architectural designs. The visitor center will house the current park office staff as well as the district office staff consolidating them under one roof to better serve the public. It will also eventually feature an education center, exhibits, gift shop and public accessible restrooms year round. There will be plenty of parking for cabin guests, RV’s, and other campers while they check-in and become oriented to the Park.

Whether you come to Westmoreland every year or have never been, put the Park on your list of places to visit or stay this year! Westmoreland- “The place to be again and again in 2010." Make your camping and cabin reservations now by calling our Reservation and Information line at 800-933-7275 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Or, reserve on line any time by clicking here.

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?  My family spent many seasons camping at Virginia State Parks.   I can still taste the peanut butter toast my father made.  He would toast the bread over an open flame on a long fork turning it over until it was crisp and brown.  It was so good!  Just time spent with family was so much fun. Waking up to the birds singing and the sun rise over the water was incredible. Memories like that last forever.  I will never forget those wonder filled days spent swimming, hiking, canoeing and wildlife watching.  No television (and in those days no cell phones) just magical times created by the magnificent surroundings and our imagination. 

In our own “back yard” there is an excellent campground at Lake Anna State Park.  The campsites and bathhouse are the best Virginia State Parks has to offer.  Water and electrical sites as well as pull through sites for large RV’s are available.  If you don’t have a tent or camper and would still like to experience “camping out”.  Lake Anna has six new camping cabins.  The cabins have four beds (two sets of bunks), tables and chairs. Each cabin has a great front porch complete with rocking chairs.  The camping cabins are a unique way to introduce your family to camping without actually pitching a tent!  The cabins are very basic, they do have electricity but no running water.  The modern fully equipped bathhouses have hot showers and a laundry room.  There is a picnic table, fire ring and a pedestal grill for cooking outside. There is even a ceiling fan to help cool down warm summer days.

To make your experience even more memorable, the park offers seasonal swimming and paddling.  There are a variety of things to do through the year.  Hiking, geocaching, orienteering, biking, fishing, birding and wildlife watching.  The park also offers exceptional educational programming year round.   So grab your family and get outside and play! 

For reservations call 1800-933-PARK or visit the website www.virginiastateparks.gov  For more information on the park call (540)-854-5503

 

Outdoor Photography Workshop

Volunteers are incredible people!   Especially Virginia State Park Volunteers!  They never cease to amaze me.  One of those special people is Matt Asai.  He has been photographing the State Parks for a while now.  As a volunteer photographer, he has photographed events and facilities at seven state parks in the northeastern and northern half of Virginia.  Matt also taught Outdoor Photography sessions for the Women’s Wellness Weekend at Westmoreland State Park. From there he offered to hold workshops for not only the public but staff.  Classes will be first offered at the State Parks in the Northern Neck and later in Northern VA.

Matthew Asai has been an avid photographer for over 35 years.  35mm photography was his main medium until he switched to digital photography about five years ago.  His passion is landscape photography.  To hone his skills he attended the Andsel Adams Gallery Advanced Landscape Photography seminar in Yosemite National Park.  He has also photographed numerous weddings throughout the years and enjoys doing portraits.

His work has been published in Virginia Wildlife, The Bay Journal, Free Lance Star and the Virginia State Park E-news.  His photos can be viewed at  www.mattasai.com

The first work shops will be held the last weekend in January:
The class will be a two-hour program for digital photography and will cover:
Your camera; composition & artistry; tools & settings. Techniques & shooting modes
In the field – advice and critique.

Bring your camera and something to take notes.  Part of the class will be outside, weather permitting, please dress appropriately. The two-hour class is free but parking fees will apply and participants will be asked to share photos taken with the park. Also, donations to help support programming can be made to the “Friends” support organization of each park.

Reservations are required. Space is limited so please choose your location and make
reservations as soon as possible.

Westmoreland State Park – January 30th – 9-11am
Brad Ramsey, Chief Ranger – (804)493-8821
Brad.Ramsey@dcr.virginia.gov

Belle Isle State Park – January 30th - 1:30-3:30pm
Charlene Talcott, Chief Ranger Interpreter – (804) 462-0162
Charlene.Talcott@dcr.virginia.gov

Caledon Natural Area – January 31st – 1:30-3:30pm
Sammy Zambon, Chief Ranger – (540) 663-3861
Sammy.Zambon@dcr.virginia.gov

For directions visit www.virginiastateparks.gov



 

Spend a relaxing winter afternoon sitting by the fire in an oversized rocking chair listening to music. Talk with your family & friends or experience a wondrous Christmas tale as told by our staff. Sip hot cider and relish fresh baked cookies!

The gift shop will be opened and feature nature oriented items for all ages. Get those great holiday gifts at a special one day discount! The highlighted gift this year will be the new Westmoreland State Park Christmas Ornament. The ornament is a lovely filigreed representation of the river, cliffs, wildlife and cabins and is made from 24k gold flashed brass. There will be holiday crafts and programs for kids. Door prizes too!

Helen & Tayloe Murphy Hall sits high up on the cliffs overlooking the Potomac River. On a clear day you can see across the span of the wide river to Maryland. Make sure to bring your camera to capture eagles and ospreys as they forge for fish, from the ancient cliffs. If you are up for a winter’s day hike, you can walk from Murphy Hall down Big Meadows Trail to Fossil Beach. Directions and guides will be available at the information booth. There you can hunt for shark’s teeth and eight million year old fossils!

Parking is free to those visiting the gift shop and Open House. For more information call (804) 493-8821. Westmoreland State Park also offers great overnight accommodations. For reservations call 1-800-933-PARK or book on line.