Trails

WELCOME TO STAUNTON RIVER STATE PARK. To make your visit safe and more pleasant, we ask that you observe the following: Take only pictures, leave only footprints. Park in designated areas only. Please note there is a parking fee charged year-round at all Virginia State Parks. Self-pay parking information is available at the contact station. EMERGENCY - For fire or medical emergencies, dial 911. For a law enforcement or critical maintenance issue, call 800933-7275 and select the appropriate option. For more information, visit www.virginiastateparks.gov or contact the park office. TRAIL INFORMATION DIFFICULTY SCALE EASY - From .5 to 1 mile; grades are short, typically fewer than 100 feet and less than 10 percent of the trail length; easily accomplished by all users, including the elderly and those with physical or mental disabilities, with little risk of injury or fatigue. MODERATE - From 1 to 5 miles; steepness and grade lengths vary; at least 60 percent of the length is fairly flat; healthy people can accomplish the trail with little risk of injury or fatigue. TRAIL DESCRIPTIONS Crow’s Nest Trail: 0.4-mile (multi-use trail): Access via District office parking and Dan River Boat Ramp. This short section of trail bridges the River Bank and Robins Roost Trails. This is one of our more open trails due to a tornado that devastated this part of the park back in 2011. You will have the ability to see just how resilient nature is as you take a journey through this once desolated area. While hiking, you will be able to see succession at work. This trail provides great opportunities to see how different species contribute to the health and regrowth of the forest. Edmunds Loop Trail: 3.7-mile (multi-use trail): Access via Day-use Equestrian parking, and the Equestrian Campground. You will notice the path on this trail is very clear and wide, this trail runs along many of the old logging roads used for timber harvest of this property before it was acquired by SRSP in 2005. Biking and Equestrian use is well suited for this trail due to its wide nature, and mostly shaded landscape. Fitness Trail: Access via Visitor Center trail access. Travelling parallel to the Captain Staunton trail, this short section of trail helps you stay in shape as you test your physical ability on many obstacles of various difficulties. This trail is part of the original Captain Staunton Loop, which was previously closed, then repurposed and reopened in 2018 in the form that you see it today. River Bank Trail: 8.5-mile (multi-use trail): Access via Beaver Swamp Trail: 1.2-mile (multi-use trail): Access via Day-use Equestrian parking, and the Equestrian Campground. This trail connects the Equestrian Campground with the trails in the rest of the park. This trail acts as a bridge between the Twin Loops and Edmunds Loop trails. Note the transition from native hardwood forests to the pine lands once used for timber harvest throughout this property. This land was acquired in 2005 from the Edmunds family and provides a great area for biking and equestrian use. Visitor Center trail access, District Office parking, Day-use Equestrian parking, pool parking, parking at Staunton River shelter, parking at shelters 1&2, and Dan River Boat Ramp. Our longest and most accessible trail at 8.5 miles, this trail meanders along the Staunton and Dan Rivers boasting many beautiful overlooks. The most notable of these is the Point, which is the intersection where the Dan and Staunton Rivers converge and form Buggs Island Lake (John H. Kerr Reservoir), the largest lake in Virginia. Captain Staunton Trail: 0.4-mile (hiking trail): Access Robin’s Roost Trail: 1.3-mile (multi-use trail): Access via District office parking. This engaging trail intersects the River Bank Trail on each side of the park. Travel through our native Oak Hickory Forest as you make your way from the Staunton River to the Dan River. This trail is a perfect picture of what the original ecosystem was like before human influence on this land. Swing by the Nature Center to get more information about the history of land use in this park. via Visitor Center trail access. This Trail is our ADA accessible trail and a central access for many of the other trails in the park. It is a connecter ending at the intersection of the River Bank Trail at a beautiful overlook of the Staunton River. Benches are located at the end of the trail. Staunton River Loop Trail: 0.7-mile (multi-use trail): Access via Day-use Equestrian parking, and the Equestrian Campground. An off-shoot from the Edmunds Loop, this trail will take you on a hilly journey as you travel up and down along the Staunton River Bank. This trail has multiple beautiful vantage points, and has two overlooks where you can rest and enjoy the landscape. Tutelo Trail: 0.1-mile (hiking trail): Access via Pool parking. This trail provides access to the pool facilities as well as to Shelter 1. Access to the first of nine holes in our wooded disk golf course is also available from this trail. The disc golf course opened in 2017, and is the only disk golf course in Virginia State Parks. Twin Loops Trail: 2.5-mile (multi-use trail): Access via Dayuse Equestrian parking, and the Equestrian Campground. As the name suggests, this trail is divided into two loops that intersect half way, forming a shape that closely resembles a figure eight. This single track trail has multiple stream crossings and beautiful landscapes to view while hiking. This is a great trail for spotting wildlife such as deer, owls, foxes, bears, raccoons, song birds and much more. Loop 1 is the smaller of the loops, while loop 2 is the larger. Staunton River State Park TRAIL GUIDE VIRGINIA STATE PARKS ARE A TONIC FOR THE MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT. Museums, visitor centers and nearby historic sites make state parks cultural treasures. The recreational opportunities in state parks are endless and easy to see – from swimming and boating to horseshoes and hiking, there’s always something to do in a Virginia State Park. 1170 Staunton Trail Scottsburg, VA 24589 434-572-4623 stauntonriver@dcr.virginia.gov WWW.VIRGINIASTATEPARKS.GOV 800-933-PARK Visitor Center/ Park Office Staunton River State Park View of Staunton River 1170 Staunton Trail, Scottsburg, VA 24589 434-572-4623, StauntonRiver@dcr.virginia.gov Staunton River Loop Trail 0.7 mi. District Office Parking Buggs Island Lake Camping Area Boat Launch Staunton River Point Of Interest 1 View of Staunton River Cabin / Lodge Cabin Area Captain Staunton Trail 0.4 mi. Picnic Shelter Ed Sh mu or nd tc s ut Lo 0.3 op m i. da un Bo mi. rk u o op Tra il 3.7 Cro w’s 344 to un Purple Usage 1.2 H,B,E Captain Staunton Red 0.4 H Crow's Nest Orange 0.4 Edmunds Loop White 3.7 Edmunds Short. Dbl White Fitness Trail River Bank Difficulty es t 970 a il a St .4 mi Blue Way Entrance Dan River Trails Blaze Robin's Roost Yellow Milage Usage 1.3 H,B,E Staunton R. Loop Gold 0.7 H,B,E H,B,E Tutelo White 0.1 H H,B,E Twin Loops Pink 2.5 H,B,E 0.3 H,B,E Lime Green 0.2 H H = Hiking = Easy Dark Blue 8.5 H,B,E B = Biking E = Equestrian = Moderate = Difficult Difficulty 5 l 8. 5 mi. Bank T rai Beaver Swamp Milage N Riv er Blaze 2 District Office Equestrian Campground Trails 1 Tobacco Barn Observation Field Nature Center Gift Shop Pa m sL t os o R Tr Ed nd View of Dan River 782 1.3 m i. l2 ai T ry s r nT 1 Tr a il il 2 r Lo op Bea ver Sw am p Tr a il 1 Twi nL oo ps .2 m Tr a i. Canoe Launch Trail Tutelo i. 0.12 m il 8 .5 m i. Pollinator Garden 1 .5 5 m i. Scenic View Rob in ’ Contact Station Loop Trail 1 River Ba nk Tr a Equestrian s es 2 tn 0. Fi rail T Restrooms View of Lake 0 1 Miles