Sweet Run State Park, Hillsboro VA
October 2023
It’s not often you get to visit a new state park.
Sweet Run State Park officially opened less than a month before my visit, though it had a “soft open” earlier in the year. Come to think of it, I don’t know what exactly a soft opening entails; presumably some of its services were still under construction. In any event, everything was ready for use when I went.
To my delight, I found what might be my new favorite park.
But that’s a very personal judgment. People are diverse. What do you look for in a park?
I grew up in a heavily wooded subdivision. I spent every day surrounded by trees and leaves; in the summer I jumped over creeks and played on fallen logs; in the autumn I shuffled through great drifts of leaves by the side of the road.
Forested hills cover most of Sweet Run State Park, with the occasional break allowing you to take in a beautiful view. Eleven miles of trails wind through those hills. Every minute brings a change in elevation, flora, or view, past streams and clearings and boulders.
If you like to walk through the woods like I do, this is heaven.
Fees: Free, though parking is relatively limited
Conditions: Sunny, 75° Fahrenheit; unseasonably warm
