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<div class="vw-place">
<div class="vw-place-intro">Virginia’s national park destinations range from mountain trails and scenic drives to battlefields, historic settlements, and memorials. Virginia Tourism Corporation highlights outdoor destinations such as Shenandoah National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian Trail alongside places that tell the Commonwealth’s history. The National Park Service’s Virginia listing includes sites with many different designations, so “national parks” here means the broader collection of NPS-managed places, not only sites officially named national parks.<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.virginia.org/things-to-do/outdoors/national-parks/
|title=Virginia National Parks
|website=Virginia Is for Lovers
|publisher=Virginia Tourism Corporation
|access-date=2026-10-26
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.nps.gov/state/va/list.htm
|title=Virginia - List View
|website=National Park Service
|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior
|access-date=2026-10-26
}}</ref></div>

== Start with the landscape ==
For a classic mountain visit, [[Shenandoah National Park]] combines scenic overlooks, trails, visitor stops, and designated wilderness. The park’s official visitor guide highlights places such as Old Rag Mountain, Big Meadows, and Skyland; check current park conditions and planning information before setting out.<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm
|title=Places To Go
|website=Shenandoah National Park
|publisher=National Park Service
|access-date=2026-10-26
}}</ref>

For a road trip, the [[Blue Ridge Parkway]] follows the Blue Ridge through Virginia and North Carolina, with a slower-paced route through mountain scenery. The [[Appalachian Trail in Virginia|Appalachian Trail]] offers a different kind of outing: a long-distance footpath crossing the Appalachian region, with opportunities to plan shorter hikes in Virginia. Both are larger routes, so check official maps, conditions, and access details when choosing a section.<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.nps.gov/state/va/list.htm
|title=Virginia - List View
|website=National Park Service
|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior
|access-date=2026-10-26
}}</ref>

<div class="vw-place-card-grid">
{{Nearby card
|title=Shenandoah National Park
|link=Shenandoah National Park
|text=Mountain scenery, trails, visitor stops, and wilderness in the Blue Ridge.
}}
{{Nearby card
|title=Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia
|link=Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia
|text=A scenic route through Virginia’s Blue Ridge, suited to a slower drive with stops along the way.
}}
{{Nearby card
|title=Appalachian Trail in Virginia
|link=Appalachian Trail in Virginia
|text=Explore a Virginia section of the long-distance trail; check maps and conditions before hiking.
}}
</div>

== Explore Virginia’s history ==
NPS destinations also trace pivotal and complicated chapters of American history. At [[Colonial National Historical Park]], visitors can explore places associated with early English colonization and the Revolutionary War, including Historic Jamestowne and Yorktown Battlefield. Other history-focused destinations include [[Appomattox Court House National Historical Park]], where the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia took place in April 1865, and [[Petersburg National Battlefield]], among the sites that interpret the Civil War.<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.nps.gov/state/va/list.htm
|title=Virginia - List View
|website=National Park Service
|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior
|access-date=2026-10-26
}}</ref>

<div class="vw-place-card-grid">
{{Nearby card
|title=Colonial National Historical Park
|link=Colonial National Historical Park
|text=Historic places connected with early English colonization and the Revolutionary War.
}}
{{Nearby card
|title=Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
|link=Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
|text=Explore the village and historic site associated with the 1865 surrender.
}}
{{Nearby card
|title=Petersburg National Battlefield
|link=Petersburg National Battlefield
|text=A Civil War destination in and around Petersburg.
}}
</div>

== Parks near Northern Virginia and Washington ==
Northern Virginia offers NPS destinations close to the capital region. [[Great Falls Park]] centers on the Potomac River’s falls and Mather Gorge, while [[Manassas National Battlefield Park]] preserves a major Civil War landscape. [[Prince William Forest Park]] offers a wooded retreat, and [[Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts]] brings live performance into the national park system. These places differ in character and activities, so use each park’s official visitor information to plan a visit.<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.nps.gov/locations/dc/parks.htm
|title=Parks - DC Area National Parks
|website=National Park Service
|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior
|access-date=2026-10-26
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.nps.gov/state/va/list.htm
|title=Virginia - List View
|website=National Park Service
|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior
|access-date=2026-10-26
}}</ref>

<div class="vw-place-card-grid">
{{Nearby card
|title=Great Falls Park
|link=Great Falls Park
|text=See the Potomac’s falls and gorge, and explore a landscape with both natural and historic features.
}}
{{Nearby card
|title=Manassas National Battlefield Park
|link=Manassas National Battlefield Park
|text=Visit a preserved Civil War battlefield in Northern Virginia.
}}
{{Nearby card
|title=Prince William Forest Park
|link=Prince William Forest Park
|text=A wooded national park destination in the Washington, D.C., region.
}}
{{Nearby card
|title=Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
|link=Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
|text=A national park destination known for performing arts.
}}
</div>

== Monuments, trails, and other destinations ==
The wider NPS collection includes memorials and historic sites as well as parks and battlefields. Virginia destinations include [[Arlington National Cemetery]], [[Arlington House]], [[Fort Monroe National Monument]], and [[Booker T. Washington National Monument]]. Some NPS routes also connect places across state lines: [[Assateague Island National Seashore]] spans Virginia and Maryland, while the [[Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail]] follows waterways across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.nps.gov/state/va/list.htm
|title=Virginia - List View
|website=National Park Service
|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior
|access-date=2026-10-26
}}</ref>

For additional destinations, browse [[Virginia's National Park Service Sites]] and [[Virginia's National Parks and Historic Sites]]. The Virginia Tourism Corporation’s overview groups ideas around scenic drives and trails, historic parks, battlefields, monuments, and memorials.<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.virginia.org/things-to-do/outdoors/national-parks/
|title=Virginia National Parks
|website=Virginia Is for Lovers
|publisher=Virginia Tourism Corporation
|access-date=2026-10-26
}}</ref>

== Planning your visit ==
Start with the specific park’s official NPS page for maps, alerts, conditions, visitor services, and trip-planning details. Access, facilities, and conditions can vary by site and season; confirm current information before traveling. For a broad survey of NPS-managed destinations in the Commonwealth, use the National Park Service’s Virginia listing. Virginia Tourism Corporation’s guide is useful for discovering destinations by theme, while the NPS site is the source to consult for park-specific planning.<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.nps.gov/state/va/list.htm
|title=Virginia - List View
|website=National Park Service
|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior
|access-date=2026-10-26
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.virginia.org/things-to-do/outdoors/national-parks/
|title=Virginia National Parks
|website=Virginia Is for Lovers
|publisher=Virginia Tourism Corporation
|access-date=2026-10-26
}}</ref>

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== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [https://www.virginia.org/things-to-do/outdoors/national-parks/ Virginia Tourism Corporation: Virginia National Parks]
* [https://www.nps.gov/state/va/list.htm National Park Service: Virginia parks]
* [https://www.nps.gov/locations/dc/parks.htm National Park Service: Parks in the Washington, D.C., region]
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[[Category:Virginia attractions]]

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