The Virginia State Park’s “Trail Quest Program” offers adventure for all. Participants earn levels of recognition by accumulating unique state park visits, leading to the title “Master Hiker,” by completing visits to all 39 Virginia state parks. Nancy Heltman, Director of Visitor Services for Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation, found “…the program gets people to new places,” exploring beyond the nearest park that they might visit often.
Virginia’s newest Master Hiker, Jessica Bowser, of Kingstowne, reflects on her journey through 39 state parks
According to The Connection Newspapers, "Under the “Quest” program, registered participants earn badges after visiting their first, fifth, tenth, and twentieth state park. Completing a visit to all the parks earns the final badge and the designation “Master Hiker.” There is no time limit on the amount of time taken to complete visits. A few people have done all visits in the same year, like Eileen Loftus, who visited all 38 parks in 2019. Some, like Jessica Bowser, Kingstowne, have spread visits over a longer period. Jessica completed her final visit, to Holiday Lake State Park, in the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest, on Nov. 17, about five years after beginning her challenge."
As per The Connection Newspapers, "Since the program’s inception in 2010, 132 people have attained the “Master Hiker” level. The 43 hikers who completed the program in 2020 was double the 2019 number. Heltman attributes the increase to the “surge of individuals we found enjoying visits to the outdoors.” Those interested in joining the 7,145 registered participants can sign on at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/trail-quest. And perhaps start by planning to OptOutside as an alternative to shopping over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, when the state parks offer a photo contest sweetener (see https://vasp.fun/2020OptOutside for Nov. 26-29 contest information)."
Maryam N. is a Senior Writer at Nesbitt Realty. She is an expert on Fairfax County. Maryam has also worked previously as a geologist. She is a foodie and enjoys cooking and exploring new restaurants.
