Virginia's State Park System Celebrates 90th Anniversary With Tours, Hikes, Demonstrations

Virginia’s state park system turns 90 years old on June 15, and the park service celebrated its birthday the Saturday and Sunday before with a History and Culture Weekend featuring guided hikes, wagon and tram tours, demonstrations of basket weaving and flint knapping and more.

According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the legislation establishing the commission that would eventually become that department was passed on March 17, 1926. Just 3 months later, on June 15, Virginia’s park system opened with 6 parks: Douthat, First Landing, Fairy Stone, Staunton River, Hungry Mother and Westmoreland.

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Virginia was the first state to open an entire park system of multiple parks on a single day, the state says. Since then, the system has grown to 44 parks, with more than 500 miles of trails, more than 2,000 campsites and nearly 300 cabins.

Find out more about Virginia State Park events here.