explore your parks

Virginia State Parks opened in 1936 with six parks across the state. Now, 43 parks and still growing, there’s a state park within an hour’s drive of every resident in the state. 

Since 1916, the National Park Service (NPS), has been entrusted with the care of our national parks, which see 318 million visitors per year.  NPS oversees more than 428 properties now; 63 are national parks, including Shenandoah National Park here in Virginia.

Virginia and Kentucky come together at Breaks Interstate Park. This unique “partnership park” is often called the Grand Canyon of the South, and for good reason. The 4,600-acre setting features a 5-mile gorge more than 1,600 feet deep.