This is a beautiful national park in Virgina. This past Sunday, June 14, 2026; had the opportunity…read moreto check out on Flag Day free of charge , and enjoy the Skyline Drive. Beautiful breathtaking, serene, inner peace, and viewpoints to stop and take pictures that are gorgeous, and truly connected you with nature The trails and drive itself is beyond remarkable, and overall everyone needs to experience once in there life.

Amazing gem of a national park. Skyline drive is well maintained and all of the overlooks were…read moreclean and well kept. The residence were courteous and did not invite themselves over (the bears) and I can't wait to come back here!!!

What a gorgeous national park. Skyline drive felt like every twist and turn was another postcard…read moreworthy spot. I love to hike and was excited to arrive at Big Meadows because I've read about it in books about thru hiking the Appalachian Trail. We actually saw some thru hikers while we were at the Visitor Center and that was special watching their journey in real life. I grabbed a t shirt, a baby book for our new granddaughter and of course had to get some stamps for my National Parks passport book. Then we decided to head over for an "easy hike" at Dark Hollow Falls Trail.

October, 2025. There are four entrances to Shenandoah National Park; the Swift Run Gap Entrance is…read moreat mile marker 65.5 on Skyline Drive (which runs the length of the park for 105.5 miles). Swift Run Gap is the most convenient entrance if you're coming on U.S. 33 from Harrisonburg or Massanutten from the west or Stanardsville from the east. The entrance is usually manned by a national park ranger, who collects entrance frees and gives you a map of the park. We most recently visited in mid-October (height of the leaf-peeping season), but also during a government shutdown. The ranger at the entrance station informed us that the park was "open" but with very limited staffing, and that they were not authorized to collect fees during the shutdown. We selfishly appreciated that the park was open, but were dismayed to think about the forgone revenue that the national park lost during the shutdown. As a result, we spent a lot of money in the bookstore, which is run by the nonprofit SNP Association, with proceeds used to support educational programming in the park (and some staffing during the shutdown). There were a lot of people in the park, but they were following good "carry in, carry out" principles.

We were pumped to try this easy trail but quickly found out it's more moderate than easy. My…read morehusband has a broken vertebrae in his back so he had to turn around. I decided to push forward and was so happy I did. Such a breathtaking hike. The falls are gorgeous and the path is very nice. They have steps built in to many steep places that makes it very easy to navigate. It was a very warm spring day and I did not bring enough water. Bring water or at least a filter so you can have as much drinking water as you need. I enjoyed the hike down but was quickly humbled on the way back up! When I say breathtaking I mean I was out of breath and breathing hard on the way up. So worth it though. I actually hiked down to the Rose River Loop Trail and that's where I turned around to go back up and it's like a 945 ft elevation gain in 1.5 miles. I had to take some breaks and even cooled myself down a bit in the water. What an epic hike though and I even saw a deer!

Amazing waterfall! It was well worth it. It gets steep coming back up but it's nothing anyone can't…read moredo.

This is a substantial preserve that is free to enter. Some facilities without running water are…read moreavailable at the entrance. The topography varies, and the meadow near the parking lot is markedly distinct from the valley in which the actual creek lies. One suspension bridge crosses the creek and it was in quite good condition, but it could also be crossed on foot, or on hoof as this is a horse area. There were several miles of trails and I was worn out enough that I did only a fraction of them, but they were quite pleasant. Various signage suggested this parking lot was a spot for thieves despite the rural location; I suppose it is a highbrow crowd that would be parking here. It also suggests that anytime your shoe leaves a mark the trail is too wet to walk, which if taken literally is kind of ridiculous. Fortunately, if you lock your car and make your own decisions about mud, you can have a good experiences.

This is a great park we happen to find in the area. After spending the previous day at the winery,…read morewe needed to do a small hike. Unfortunately, it was extremely cold and windy and we didn't have bug spray, so we didn't get didn't get too adventurous. For these reasons, we tried the easiest trail--the Meadow Loop Trail. It was an easy loop around a grassy area, took maybe less than 10 minutes. There was a very detailed map at the entrance of the trails. This included all the available trails, the level of difficulty for each trail, basic etiquette, friendly reminders, etc. There was also a reminder that everyone needs to watch out for each other --hikers, bikers and horse riders. We didn't see any horses, but we did try to dodge the "presents" they left behind. We did see some bikers returning from the trail. There was a large parking lot, which most likely fills up when the weather is nicer. Cameras are watching the parking lot, but it's always best to lock cars and hide valuables :). There were bathrooms available, but not the type with running water....if you get what I mean! Would I return? Can't say for sure since it's pretty far.

Perfect place to come and relax! Our dogs love it here and enjoy a good run and a jump in the…read morewater. Our go-to place for doggie play tine!

This is a review of the park located here, aka Chris Greene Lake Park; it is over 250 acres large…read morewith a beach, picnic area, playgrounds, picnic shelters, trails, dog park &, of course, the lake & dock. Nice, wooded sections, fairly close to Charlottesville proper, very close to the airport & residential areas.

Stopping overnight in Culpeper on a trip to Charlottesville, we stumbled upon this park. It was a…read morebeautiful day and lots of families were present, their children enjoying the playground equipment and water fountain cooling stations. Got to see some frisbee golf and take a wonderful hike. Beautiful vistas from the top loop, as well as fragrant jasmine. An amazing park!

Happy to find a the new park that opened last month in Culpeper. Great for a hilly walk weaving…read morethrough trees. Looks like they are going to put disc golf in. Not a fan. Would prefer they leave as is. Oh well. Pavement wide handicapped accessible trails.

Very nice fields. Am impressed by their condition. This is a bit odd pulling into. Large fences…read morewith barbed wire is unusual. Best guess is someone or a group of people, screwed it for the rest of us. Could enjoy more without that view. Parks and Recreation is, supposed to be a little more relaxing. That being said good picnic tables. Also if you have little ones, they will like the playground area. It should get them plenty tired. Luray definitely cares about its citizens, and this park is stellar for a town of its size. Well done. If you're in the area, you can play sports or watch them.

My children miss the old playground, thiers not many wood structures left, so to see it torn down…read morewas disappointing. The new playground is not bad and my kids love the zip line. However, I wish they would have made it more inclusive for children with disabilities.

This International Dark Sky Park is the smallest in Virginia. It isn't a huge park or a destination…read moreon it's own. But it is a wonderful piece of the puzzle to an engaging itinerary in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We enjoyed the playground and eating nearby in Washington VA. (To find out where we got some pretty awesome food and more about the park check out my blog post!) https://bigandlittleparks.com/rappahannock-county-park/

Small park near Washington, VA. Blink and you will miss the entrance. Park has neat children's play…read morearea. There are tennis courts too. A nature trail wraps along the Northern end through the woods and along the water. Covered picnic shelter. Big minus though is that bathrooms were locked and unavailable.