Park Details
Maps!
Summer Recreation Guide:
Burlington, VT
The park, a unit of the National Park Service, preserves a piedmont forest covering a major portion of the Quantico Creek watershed. The park's relatively large size and the fact that it contains one of the few remaining piedmont forest ecosystems in the National Park System make it a significant natural resource.
Prince William Forest Park lies along the border between two physiographic zones: the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain. Many of the faulted rocks represent the fall line, a unique geological feature where streams form falls or rapids as they leave the harder rocks of the Piedmont and enter the softer rocks of the coastal plain.
An integral part of the Prince William Forest Park ecosystem is the Quantico Creek watershed. The Quantico Creek drainage basin is about 7 square miles and is essentially undeveloped. This heavily forested stream system provides critical habitat for a number of native species. The South Fork drainage basin encompasses about 11 square miles of woodlands. Although more developed, this valley is still relatively undisturbed. The water quality of Quantico Creek is generally healthy and supports numerous fish species and other aquatic life. Quantico Creek and South Fork stream valleys appear to have been the least impacted by farming because the most mature forests are generally found along these streams. The expanding beaver populations and the reported sightings of river otter in the park are evidence of the healthy relationship between forest and stream.
Archeological remains of base camps dating to 8800 B.C. provide evidence of Native American occupation along the Quantico/Chopawamsic waterways of Prince William Forest Park. Beginning in 1650, the area was used to establish large tobacco plantations. Unfortunately, monocropping took its toll on the land. Erosion of the uplands caused the mouth of Quantico Creek to fill in with silt by the mid-1700s.
Following the plantation farming days, small grist and saw mills operated in the area, and people turned their excess corn and wheat into cash. Today over 40 cemeteries in the park record the names of previous residents.
A pyrite mine was established along Quantico Creek in 1889, and for 31 years over 250 workers extracted sulphur and other useful elements from the mineral-rich rock. While the ruins of the mine buildings were a popular destination for day hikers, today this area is closed for rehabilitation. The barren and highly acidic tailings piles were reclaimed, mine shafts capped, and erosion and acid mine run-off controlled. The water quality of the Quantico Creek, which flows through this abandoned mine site, has vastly improved by the planting of trees and grasses in the reclaimed soils. Once this fragile vegeatative cover is stabilized, the Pyrite Mine Site will again be open to the public.
In 1933, the over-farmed and exhausted land was chosen as one of 46 recreation demonstration projects in 25 states, and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began construction of five cabin camps, numerous roads and lakes, miles of trails, and utility systems.
In 1942, the park was taken over as a training site by the U.S. Army Office of Strategic Service. Two of the CCC cabin camps were transformed into training centers with housing and recreational facilities added for the trainees. Occupation by the military lasted until the latter part of 1945.
Prince William Forest Park is charged with the administration of much of the Quantico Creek watershed, the protection of native plant and animal communities, providing multifaceted interpretive programs and community outreach services, cooperating with government and private landowners to encourage compatible land use practices, preservation of historic resources, and providing for outdoor enjoyment and opportunities in a large deciduous eastern Piedmont forest.
As a unit of the National Park Service, the park is mandated to "conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." The park contains the largest example of an eastern piedmont forest ecosystem in the National Park System and is a sanctuary for native plants and animals in the midst of a rapidly developing region.
Park Details
Location Information
I95, 32 miles south of Washington, D.C. at Triangle, Virginia.
The entrance to the park is West on State Route 619
Address:
Prince William Forest Park
18100 Park Headquarters Road
Triangle, Virginia 22172
Telephone:
703/221-7181
Operating Hours/Seasons
Daily, dawn to dusk. Registered campers and cabin campers have access 24 hours.
Reservations/Permits/Fees
A 7 day Family Pass is $4.00 per vehicle or $2 per person (cyclists and walk-ins). Golden Age, Golden Access, and Golden Eagle Passes are honored and are available.
Climate, Recommended Clothing
Summers are generally hot and humid. Winters are generally cold with variable precipitation. Average temperatures, summer: 86 degrees, winter: 41 degrees.
Facilities and Opportunities
The Visitor Center is open everyday 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., providing information and maps on the park, camping opportunities, hiking, biking, fishing guides, and information on the surrounding area.
Oak Ridge Campground provides tent camping for six persons or less. Campsites provide table and fire grill (firewood provided), parking space and room for tents or small recreational vehicles. Campers select sites on a first come, first serve basis. Sites are $10.00 a night.
Turkey Run Ridge Campground is exclusively for group tent camping. Providing picnic tables, grills, firewood, parking and tent space, the sites are designed so parties of seven persons or more may camp in close proximity. Reservations are required. Sites are $30.00 a night.
Travel Trailer Village is a private, concessionaire operated full-service recreational vehicle campground located on the north side of the park. Information and reservations can be obtained by calling 703/221-2474.
Five Cabin Camps built in the 1930s can accommodate up to 200 persons and are used extensively by clubs, groups, and reunions. For more information and reservations call 703/221-4706.
Individual cabin rentals are available seasonally.
A popular use at the park is the orienteering course. Maps and compasses are available for use from the park Visitor Center.
Trails, Roadways:
35 miles of hiking trails along ridges, into valleys, and beside
the two main creeks in the park. Park Scenic Drive
provides access to all trails and features in the park. Four miles
of the Park Scenic Drive is a dedicated bike lane providing a paved, relatively flat surface
ideal for beginning bicyclists. More experienced cyclists with mountain bikes
have the option of off-road biking on any of the ten fire roads in the park.
Chopawamsic Backcountry Area offers 400 acres of undeveloped camping
experience. Permits are required and the area is usually open
mid-April through October.
Programs, Activities:
Regularly scheduled ranger-guided tours and talks are available
on weekends. Available on a limited basis, schools and other organized groups
can call to make a reservation for an educational program.
Accessibility:
The Pine Grove Forest Trail, the Visitor Center and
restrooms are wheelchair accessible.
Visitation
Highest in April, May, September and October; lowest in January.