Kingstowne Resident Visits All 39 State Parks In Virginia

KINGSTOWNE, VA — With the pandemic limiting the normal activities we can do, more people have take interest in visiting state parks. Kingstowne resident Jessica Bowser was ahead of the trend by taking on the challenge to visit all 39 state parks in Virginia.

Her effort to complete the Virginia State Parks Trail Quest Challenge started in 2015. Last week, she visited the last park on her list, Holliday Lake State Park in Appomattox.

Bowser had been a frequent visitor to Mason Neck State Park since it was close to home. As an advocate of Virginia parks, she decided to take on the challenge of visiting all 39. She says the 39-park challenge is doable, and lots of people complete it.

"I've had so many people contact me and say they're interested in doing it too," she told Patch.

Getting started is easy. It starts with signing up for the Virginia State Parks Trail Quest online. Each time you visit a park, you log in and record your visit. You'll receive five unique pins after your first park visit and after visiting five, 10, 20 and all state parks. Bowser received her master hiker pin and certificate from staff at Holliday Lake State Park.

Visiting all 39 parks may require a strategy. Bowser said some parks are easier to get to than others, and she could knock out ones that were close together in metropolitan areas. It took awhile to make it to parks in the far southwest area of Virginia. She set aside 10 days for that, because she prefers to capture the full experience of each rather than just check them off her list.

Bowser has been able to appreciate the diverse offerings of the park ecosystems and amenities.

"They are incredibly diverse, especially when it comes to the ecosystems," she said. "There is everything from swamps to rolling hills to canyons, and they're just incredible."

When asked about her favorite parks, Bowser couldn't just pick one. She has a soft spot for her home park Mason Neck, which she is a member of. She enjoys the sunset paddle tours and calls the park the best place to catch a sunset.

Other parks high on her list are the High Bridge Trail and New River Trail. The parks, 31 miles and 57 miles long respectively, offer diverse scenery along the trails. Another memorable experience happened at False Cape State Park in Virginia Beach, where she saw a nest of sea turtles hatch and a humpback whale washed up on the shore.

Once Clinch River becomes a state park, that will be another option to visit. But she also values time going back to parks she's already visited.

"It's a little sad honestly," she said of the conclusion of the state parks challenge. "I'm a little bummed out that there aren't more parks to visit."

Aside from completing her state parks challenge, Bowser does conservation advocacy work and runs a podcast called Virginia Outdoor Adventures, which discusses activities, trails, gear, and local flavors in all areas of Virginia.

Advocates have been working to secure more state park parking for some time and were going to get it this year from the Virginia General Assembly, Bowser said. That changed when COVID-19 hit and resulted in the state dialing back its budget.

"It has definitely put a strain on the resources," she said.

Bowser visits national parks as well, but don't expect her to complete a national parks challenge. She can simply appreciate her time at Virginia parks.

"It just goes to show you don't have to go that far for an adventure," Bowser said.

To find state parks to visit and COVID-19 policies, visit www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks.