Each first Saturday in June, Virginia State Parks takes part in a nationwide movement begun over 30 years ago by the American Hiking Society. This year, National Trails Day is celebrated across the country on June 7, and each of the 43 Virginia State Parks will be hosting National Trails Day programs and service projects to encourage you to give back to the more than 700 miles of trails in Virginia State Parks.

Join us as we take part in a nationwide movement to give back to the trails on National Trails Day.

We at Sky Meadows State Park are proud to take part in the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day, by providing you with the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. We invite you to join park staff and volunteer trailblazers as they work to improve one of our trails with a National Trails Day Service Project on North Ridge Trail.

Enjoy the camaraderie and sense of accomplishment that comes with being a trailblazer for a day.

By joining us for this day of service, you will not only be helping us maintain our trails at Sky Meadows, you will be joining forces with tens of thousands of trail users and trail advocates across the country celebrating National Trails Day. We all get to share in the vision of the American Hiking Society, which encourages us to give back to our local trails and community by making our trails cleaner, more accessible and welcoming to all of us.

Be part of making our trails more sustainable, accessible and safe!

This National Trails Day is for everyone, and we at Sky Meadows welcome all ages and ability levels to pitch in. We will provide the tools and previous trail maintenance experience is not required. If you’ve ever enjoyed trail recreation, this is your chance to say “thank you” to the trails and to help us keep providing beautiful trails for years to come.

We thank all our trail advocates who participate with us on National Trails Day and beyond. Although National Trails Day is an important day for promoting and protecting trails, our trails need more than just one day. If you can provide ongoing support, consider joining our volunteer trailblazers who participate in monthly workdays or work independently on trail maintenance projects whenever their schedules allow. If this sounds like something that interests you, email skvolunteer@dcr.virginia.gov to learn more.

The American Hiking Society and Athletic Brewing Company provide free non-alcoholic beverages for volunteer participants in National Trails Day.

You can also support our trails in the form of a monetary donation to the Friends of Sky Meadows (FOSK) Read more about how FOSK supports trail maintenance and design in this blog on the Trail Legacy Campaign. Lastly, the American Hiking Society invites you to take the #NationalTrailsDay Pledge to “commit to leaving the trail and the outdoor community better than you found them.”

On a well-deserved break, Sky Meadows trailblazers enjoy some cold non-alcoholic “near beer” on 2022’s National Trails Day.