Holliday Lake State Park in Virginia
Camp Virginia: I’m talking with Sarah today. She’s the Office Manager at Holliday Lake State Park in Virginia. How’s it going today, Sarah?
Sarah: Going great. It’s a beautiful day.
Camp Virginia: Why don’t we get started with how long Holliday Lake State Park has been there and how it got started?
Sarah: Well, we became a State Park in 1972, but the facilities – the lake – was here before that. It was built in the 1930s by the WPA, which is similar to the Civilian Conservation Core (CCC). And it was a day-use recreation area managed by the US Force Service until 1972, when it became property of Virginia State Parks. And at that point, they built a campground and became a overnight facility as well as day-use.
Camp Virginia: Okay. What types of camping do you offer there?
Sarah: We have camping for anywhere from tents to pop-ups to RVs and travel trailers up to 38-foot in length. All of our sites have electric and water hook-up.
Camp Virginia: Okay. And what are the most popular activities for guests there?
Sarah: Well, definitely things centered around the lake. There’s a lot of fishing in the summer. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, we have swimming at our beach, and people like to go out and canoe and kayak. And we have a hiking trail that’s 6.3 miles. It circles the lake, and a lot of people enjoy walking that.
Camp Virginia: All right. And what are some of your favorite attraction in and around that area?
Sarah: In the area. Well, there’s a lot of Civil War history in this area. Of course, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park is about ten miles away. So, a lot of people are kind of doing a Civil War tour, and they’ll camp here on their way, involved in that Civil War tour.
Camp Virginia: Cool.
Sarah: And there are other State Parks in Central Virginia that are not too far away that people enjoy visiting, like High Bridge Trail State Park. That’s a rails to trails park, and then there’s the James River State Park that is on the James River. So they have lots of river-frontage and there’s a lot of river activities there.
Camp Virginia: Okay. Two more questions for you, Sarah. If you could spend just one hour at Holliday Lake State Park, how would you spend your time there?
Sarah: Just one hour, definitely hiking some of our shorter trails. We have trails that are less than a mile. Combining a couple of those. Combining the North Ridge Trail, which is less than a mile, with the Lakeshore Trail, which is the 6.3-mile hike. You could do just a portion of the Lakeshore Trail and you can get in a couple of miles there, combining a couple of trails. But definitely hiking.
Camp Virginia: All right, great. And if you could spend just one night at Holliday Lake State Park in Virginia, which specific campsite would you stay at and why?
Sarah: That’s a tough question. I would say, for ten camping, probably one of our campsites in our Red Bud Campground. Maybe site number 12 or 13.
Camp Virginia: And what do you like about those?
Sarah: They’re shaded. There’s some grassy area in between that would be good for throwing a football or a frisbee in between.
Camp Virginia: Fun.
Sarah: And then, you know, with a larger camper or something, maybe 25 or 30C. One of the sites at our Laurel Ridge Campground. Let’s see. Probably site number 5, I think, is optimal because there’s a reasonable amount of shade there. It’s not too far from the bathhouse, but it’s a pretty good site.
Camp Virginia: Okay, we’ll pass those tips on. Thank you so much, Sarah, for taking some time out of your day to chat with us about Holliday Lake State Park in Virginia.
Sarah: Okay, thank you.
