Sky Meadows State Park

As an element of Virginia’s Sky Meadows State Park CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY AREA, this TRACK Trail provides ample opportunities to relax, explore, and discover nature. The CDA also includes a certified “Outdoor Classroom” and is nestled in a 76 acre Outdoor Laboratory managed by Shenandoah Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists. An easy 3/4 mile loop trail is designed to engage novice hikers, young and old, helping them begin a lifetime of trail enjoyment. With ample benches along its length, you will cross streams, pass through woodlands and traverse meadows before returning to your starting point. The route is well marked.

Sky Meadows State Park, a working farm, preserves pastoral landscapes carved from vast oak, hickory and chestnut forests by early settlers.  Nearly three hundred years of agriculture combined with the forces of nature evolved into an even more diverse community of plants and animals waiting to be discovered.  During your visit, tour the historic Mount Bleak House, log cabin, wash house and barns that reveal the story of toil in the land.  Relax and fish in Turner Pond, originally established to water cattle.  As you gain confidence, return to experience surprises around every turn of 22 miles of trails including portions of the Appalachian Trail.

Surrounding Sky Meadows State Park, you will find the small communities of Marshall, Paris, Upperville and Middleburg with their quaint shops, antique stores and eateries.  Within a short drive of the park visit U-Pick orchards and gardens and wineries dot the landscape.  Just over the mountain are Burwell Morgan Mill and the State Arboretum at Blandy Farm.  All in all, you will want to return to Sky Meadows State Park time and time again!

Track an adventure here

Location Details

Recreational Features: Camping, Picnic Tables, Fishing, Interpretive Programs, Playground
Amenities: Restrooms, Visitor Center, Gift Shop
ADA Compliant: Partial
Seasonality: Open all year

Adventures for Sky Meadows State Park

Hiking

Nature's Hide & Seek

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
0.75
The Nature's Hide & Seek brochure is designed so that kids of all ages can walk along the trail and discover common things that are often overlooked in nature. Some of them are hard to find, others are easy. Best of all, the adventure never ends because every time you walk the trail you will discover new things hiding in nature.
Hiking

Sky Meadows: Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
0.75
The Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains brochure shows kids how to identify birds along the trail. The brochure contains illustrations of some of the more common woodland birds and information on how to identify them through various clues.
Hiking

Nature's Relationships

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
0.75
In the Nature's Relationships brochure you will discover how everything in nature is connected... even us. As you walk along the trail, the brochure will tell you a story about a few of the relationships that can be found. Many more relationships exist, so keep your eyes and heart open and you will discover many of nature's relationships - even yours.
Hiking

Sky Meadows: Need for Trees

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
0.75
By following the picture and textual clues found in "The Need for Trees" brochure, kids will discover six of the more common trees found along the trail. During their adventure, kids will learn about the need that people and other animals have for trees and about the roles trees play in the forest.
Hiking

Sky Meadows: Music of the Mountains

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
0.75
In our Music from the Mountains adventure, kids will discover how different trees found along the trail are used to make traditional Appalachian musical instruments. Kids will be introduced to the different parts of stringed instruments and why certain types of wood were used to make those parts.
Hiking

Animal Athletes

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
0.75
The Animal Athletes adventure challenges kids to exercise with the animals. This brochure gives kids eight different animal exercises they can do along the trail. From hummingbird hand-swings to frog hops, kids are sure to have fun getting in shape with the animals during their outdoor adventures.

Directions

11012 Edmonds Lane
Delaplane, VA 20144
Latitude: 38.985120400000
Longitude: -77.956879600000

About 45 miles from DC and 20 miles from Winchester; GPS Sky Meadows State Park, 11012 Edmonds Lane, Delaplane, Virginia, 20144.  From the Main Entrance (St Rt. 17 and 710) travel .5 miles through the main gate where you will pay your $5 parking fee (good for the whole day!).  Take the next right following the signs to the picnic area.  In .3 miles you will arrive at the Children’s Discovery Area and TRACK Trail trailhead.

Partners

As part of the Sky Meadows' Children's Discovery Area, the Sky Meadows State Park TRACK Trail was made possible through partnerships formed between the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation's Kids in Parks program and Sky Meadows State Park, along with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the National Park Service.

The Sky Meadows’ Children’s Discovery Area was made possible thanks to the generous contributions of: Garden Club of Virginia's Centennial Project, Northern Virginia Hiking Club, Virginia Master Naturalists: Shenandoah Chapter, Friends of Sky Meadows and Nature Explore's Outdoor Classroom project.