Sky Meadows State Park

Just a short drive from The Plains, Sky Meadows State Park nestles on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains south of Ashby Gap, on Rte. 17, near the village of Paris. It started in 1713 when Captain James Ball purchased 7.883 acres from Lord Fairfax. Over the years, parts of it changed hands several times, as inheritance, wedding present or property sales. After the Civil War, a former member of Mosby’s Rangers purchased it.

In 1966 Paul Mellon saved this scenic and historic area from subdivision. In 1975 Mellon donated the 1,132 acre farm to Virginia State Parks and the Commonwealth opened Sky Meadows to the public in 1983. In 1987 a 248-acre tract containing three miles of the Appalachian Trail was added, and in 1991 another 464-acre section, donated by Mellon, opened to visitors. The Virginia Outdoors Foundation remained active throughout the acquisitions.

Visitors on foot and on horseback are encouraged – please stop at the Visitor Center for maps as the bridle trails are not open to hikers – and vice versa. 12 primitive campsites, accessible only by hiking in, accommodate up to six persons each; reservations are available. Special programs are offered April through October: Mount Bleak House tours, nature and bird walks, evening programs, monthly astronomy, etc.