Four Parks in One Day!

Visiting three Virginia State Parks while camping at another Virginia State Park is pretty cool. Visiting them all in one day is an epic adventure! While camping at Breaks Interstate Park in July 2023 we decided to take one day of our week-long stay and drive to three other parks in that western part of the state. Three parks that do not offer camping, but are included in the Trail Quest program. Tip: Learn about Trail Quest here. And since we are all about completing that challenge, and since we live quite far from this area, we took this opportunity to explore these amazing parks.

In a 10-hour period, we were able to visit/hike at Clinch River State Park, Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park, and Wilderness Road State Park (with a stop for lunch!). Starting and ending in Breaks Interstate Park, of course! We were actually near these parks on a past camping trip at Natural Tunnel State Park a couple of years ago, but we didn’t even think about visiting them at that time. We actually drove right by Southwest Virginia Museum while in Big Stone Gap to see the outdoor drama, Trail of the Lonesome Pine. 

So whether you are camping at Breaks Interstate or at Natural Tunnel, you can follow this itinerary and enjoy a 5-star 2-thumbs-up 4-park day!

Clinch River State Park -  Saint Paul, VA

• 1 hour 8 minutes from Breaks Interstate Park

• Note that this park is under development, but currently consists of 8 miles of hiking trails and a boat launch - there is no park office

• Street parking

• Bathroom facility nearby at the city park 

• Hiked a total of 2 miles:

  • 1 mile around Oxbow Lake, which is the city park - we didn’t realize we were not in the state park but this is a beautiful area

  • 1 mile on Sugar Hill Loop Trail to Riverside Trail - just a short ways and then turned around

• Biking is allowed on Sugar Hill Loop only

• Clinch River is beautiful - we want to go back and spend time on this river!

Southwest Virginia Museum Historial State Park - Big Stone Gap, VA

• 1.5 hours from Clinch River State Park

• I adore Big Stone Gap -  was very excited to go back!

• Check the hours for the museum before you go to make sure they will be open

• Beautiful Victorian stone mansion is a National Historical Landmark

• Original oak interior is breathtaking - had a hard time deciding what to look at as we walked through, the fascinating exhibits showcasing the region's history or the details of the incredible woodwork

• Great gift store with items made by local artisans

• Colorful grounds with flowers, gardens, sitting areas, lawn

• Dogs are not allowed inside the museum so we took turns enjoying the beautiful grounds 

• Ate lunch on the outdoor patio at Curklin's (excellent food and great lunch prices!) -  highly recommend, especially if you have dogs with you

Wilderness Road State Park - Ewing, VA

• 1 hour from Southwest Virginia Museum

• Very nice Visitor’s Center

• Small park and we had it to ourselves

• Picnic areas, playground, sand volleyball court, horseshoe pits

• Hiked 1 mile total in park:

  • Explored Martin’s Station Fort - would be so neat to visit during a living history program when they have reenactors present - incredibly picturesque 

  • Walked down a short ways on the Wilderness Trail (there’s a total of 6.5 miles of the trail within the park) to the Buffalo Viewing Area and counted 5 buffalo

• Would love to return with our bikes and ride a good portion of the Wilderness Road, that Daniel Boone once traveled, and into Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Breaks Interstate Park - Breaks, VA

• 2 hours and 20 minutes from Wilderness Road back to camp at Breaks Interstate Park

• Read my notes on this great park here

Alternative: Natural Tunnel State Park - Duffield, VA

• 1 hour and 45 minutes from Breaks Interstate

• Read my notes on this great park here

It’s a good amount of driving and a very full day, but it is definitely worth it! We left right after breakfast around 7:00 am and arrived back at our campsite in time to make dinner around 5:00 pm!

Click here to watch reel.

Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved.