The Friends of Machicomoco State Park announced the completion of an ambitious project to reclaim two miles of the park’s three-mile-long paved loop trail from more than a decade of overgrown sod and soil accumulation.
This paved trail is a favorite for visitors to the Hayes park coming to enjoy nature, walk their dogs, or to take their children for a stroll, a release stated.
The six-foot-wide asphalt pavement was built by a land developer around 2008 when Timberneck was slated to be a gated residential community. When the housing development failed, the land was acquired for purposes of building it out as a state park by The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit organization focused on helping nature and people thrive together.
By the time the park opened in April 2021, sod had accumulated over the trail, narrowing the exposed pavement to less than three feet wide in some sections.
Last December, Friends of Machicomoco State Park volunteers removed sod overgrowth on 0.6-mile of trail between the park office and the campground. This pilot phase helped the group refine the work process and to set their 2025 goal of going 1.4 miles beyond the campground to reach the Interpretive Area. While the weather did not cooperate in January, the group restarted their work by mid-February.
On Friday, March 21, the group completed the project of reclaiming this two-mile section of trail. The trail from the park office all the way to the Interpretive Area on the campground side of the park has now been reclaimed to its original width of six feet. About 25 members of the friends’ group contributed over 300 volunteer hours during 10 work events to achieve the goal. The team effort consisted of removing approximately 45 cubic yards of sod and soil from the trail.
“It has been hard yet rewarding work to clear the trail over the past few months,” said Bill Blair, a park volunteer and current director with Friends of Machicomoco.
This loop trail, paralleling the roadway within Machicomoco, is an important part of the park’s infrastructure.
“Hopefully, Virginia State Parks will receive the resources necessary to repair and maintain this trail so it may continue to be used by visitors for years to come,” said Dave Harlan, president of Friends of Machicomoco State Park. Prior to the trail being reclaimed by the group, many visitors would walk out on the roadway. “It was heartwarming to see people walking side-by-side down the trail we had just cleared,” said Lori Sims, a member of Friends of Machicomoco.
“We very much appreciate this effort by of our friends’ group,” Park Manager Adam Newland said. “We have received many positive comments from park visitors as their work progressed on the trail.”
Friends of Machicomoco State Park encourages other community groups to explore taking on service projects at Machicomoco State Park or with Gloucester County Parks and Recreation.
Founded in 2022, Friends of Machicomoco State Park is a volunteer-led nonprofit organization, which helps to support the park’s mission by enhancing visitor experience through a variety of programs and projects.
