Pocahontas State Park

Richmond Times-Dispatch Archives

Published: August 20, 2008

Check our photos
of the Aqua Center [2007]

Check our photos
for highlights of the park's facilities.

Check our photos
of Beaver Lake at Pocahontas State Park.

Check our photos
of Old Mill and Beaver Lake trails.

Check our photos
of Civilian Conservation Corps history.

Check our photos
of the Forest Exploration Trail.

Check our photos
of the Lakeview Trail for hiking and biking.

Just 20 miles from downtown Richmond, Pocahontas State Park has been one of the more popular parks in the state park system. Swift Creek forms the nucleus of the park, which is centered in a wildlife management area. The park offers: fishing & boating, swimming, hunting, horseback riding, hiking & biking trails, camping and much more.

Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), this was the first recreational park in the Richmond-Petersburg-Hopewell area. In the face of a monumental unemployment rate, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, only two days after his inauguration, called a meeting of government officials to create a CCC. Roosevelt intended to put 500,000 unemployed youths to work in forests, parks and range lands across the country.

The National Park Service donated the facility to Virginia State Parks in 1946, making it the largest Virginia state parks with more than 7,600 acres and two small lakes. The area was renamed Pocahontas State Park and Pocahontas State Forest and was operated under a cooperative management arrangement with the Department of Forestry. In 1989 a new master plan, funded jointly by the Commonwealth of Virginia and Chesterfield County, called for expansion of park facilities to accommodate the large urban population surrounding the park. Today the entire area is operated as Pocahontas State Park. The park is named after Pocahontas, the famed daughter of Chief Powhatan, who was ruler over the tribes in the Powhatan Confederacy of the Algonquin Nation.

Hiking and Biking
The park offers hikers and runners over 15 miles of trails, many of them maintained. The terrain varies from graded forest roads to flat, rugged and hilly trails.

The main trail, called Old Mill Bicycle Trail, serves as both a bike trail and a running-hiking trail. It is a 3.2-mile trail that encircles Beaver Lake. It is about four feet wide, enough for two bikers to bike side-by-side, and travels through wooded areas over rolling hills. Be warned, some of the inclines are steep. Views of the lake aren't that plentiful from the Old Mill trail, especially during the spring and summer. Off the Old Mill trail are three spur trails that lead down to Beaver Lake Trail. This is a 2.5-mile trail that also circles Beaver Lake. Some parts of the trail are directly alongside the lake, and the views are spectacular. This trail is only wide enough for one person, which is why bikes are prohibited. Again, the terrain is mainly flat, but one or two of the hills are steep. There are at least two lookouts across the lake.

Powhatan Trail is another 2.5-mile trail. It provides hikers with a rolling trek through wooded areas and views of Swift Creek.

For those interested in viewing wildlife, the best time is in the early morning hours. Deer, beaver and neo-tropical birds can all be seen in the park. Also, hikers should note that July and August are the months with the highest tick levels.

Cost: Parking fees of $2-4 are required year-round. Additional $2-8 fees for Pool and Aquatic Recreation Center, open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Memorial Day to Labor Day. Season passes available for park facilities.

Info: Pocahontas State Park, 10301 State Park Road, Chesterfield, VA 23832-6355, phone (804) 796-4255.
www.dcr.virginia.gov/parks/