Prince William Forest Park

Prince William Forest Park
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
Quantico Creek in Prince William Forest Park
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Location	Prince William County, Virginia, United States
Nearest city	Dumfries, VA
Coordinates	38°35′07″N 77°22′47″W / 38.58528°N 77.37972°W / 38.58528; -77.37972Coordinates: 38°35′07″N 77°22′47″W / 38.58528°N 77.37972°W / 38.58528; -77.37972
Area	16,084 acres (6,509 ha)
Established	November 14, 1936
Visitors	379,535^[1] (in 2011)
Governing body	National Park Service
Website	Prince William Forest Park

The North Fork of Quantico Creek, from the North Valley trail

Map of Prince William Forest Park

Prince William Forest Park was established as Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area in 1936 and is located in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia,^[2] adjacent to the Marine Corps Base Quantico. The park is the largest protected natural area in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region at over 16,000 acres (6,500 ha). Today, the park is a window into the past and serves as an example of what much of the East Coast once looked like centuries ago.

The park serves as the largest example of Eastern Piedmont forest in the National Park System (arguably, one of the most heavily altered ecosystems in North America). The park also protects the Quantico Creek watershed. It is a sanctuary for numerous native plant and animal species.

Recreational opportunities

A variety of recreational opportunities are available, which include:

Wildlife viewing
37 miles (60 km) of hiking trails. Most of these trails either go to a historical/cultural destination such as Pyrite Mine or follow Quantico Creek with views of its small waterfalls.
21 miles (34 km) of bicycle accessible roads and trails.
Several tent camping options, including family, group and backcountry camping are available as well as rustic cabin camping, and a full-service, concessionaire-operated RV campground, are available.

Cultural resources

The park’s cultural resources are also varied. They include:

The remnants of Joplin, Hickory Ridge, and Batestown, three small communities existing prior to the park’s establishment
The reclaimed remnants of the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine along Quantico Creek
The reclaimed remnants of the Greenwood gold mine^[3]
Products of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which built the facilities, roads and lakes from 1936 to 1942.^[2]
The U.S. Army’s Office of Strategic Services (OSS) which used the land exclusively for training spies and radio operators between 1942 and 1945

Known wildlife

Tortoises such as the Eastern box turtle can be found in Prince William Forest Park, especially after a light rain. There are a number of Amphibians that inhabit the park. Toads and frogs, such as the American toad, American bullfrogs, and Cope's gray tree frog can be spotted in the park, as can salamanders such as the marbled salamander and the eastern red-backed salamander. A variety of bird species, such as the hooded warbler, the wood thrush, and the red-shouldered hawk, can also be found. The park is also home to Mammals, such as red foxes and white-tailed deer; spotted along the upper North Valley Trail. A few black rat snakes have been seen in and around logs and brush areas. Various skinks can be seen around sunny areas of the trails.

History

The park was developed by Works Progress Administration workers after the Great Depression. Landscaping and structures were designed by National Park Service architects. Four camp areas are listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places:^[4]

The park also includes the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.^[4] The park itself was designed as the Prince William Forest Park Historic District in 2012.^[5]

References

↑ "NPS Stats". National Park Service. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
1 2 National Park Service - Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area
↑ Jeff Wynn, "A Ground Electromagnetic Survey Used to Map Sulfides and Acid Sulfate Ground Waters at the Abandoned Cabin Branch Mine, Prince William Forest Park, Northern Virginia Gold-Pyrite Belt," U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA 20192, retrieved April 7, 2006
1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
↑ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 4/02/12 through 4/06/12. National Park Service. 2012-04-13.

External links

National Park Service: Official Prince William Forest Park website
Friends of Prince William Forest Park
Prince William Forest Park, National Park Service at Google Cultural Institute
Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area - Cabin Camp 1, Prince William Forest Park, Triangle, Prince William County, VA — from the HABS—Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress.
Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area - Cabin Camp 1, Dining Hall, Prince William Forest Park, Triangle, Prince William County, VA — from HABS—Historic American Buildings Survey, LOC.

Protected areas of Virginia

Federal

National Parks	Shenandoah

National Historical Parks, Historic Sites & Monuments	Appomattox Court House NHP Arlington House Booker T. Washington NM Cedar Creek and Belle Grove NHP Claude Moore Colonial Farm Colonial NHP Cumberland Gap NHP Fort Monroe NM George Washington Birthplace NM Harpers Ferry NHP Maggie L. Walker NHS

National Military Parks, Battlefields & Battlefield Parks	Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP Manassas NBP Petersburg NB Richmond NBP

National Cemeteries	Alexandria Arlington Balls Bluff City Point Cold Harbor Culpeper Danville Fort Harrison Fredericksburg Glendale Hampton Hampton VA Poplar Grove Quantico Richmond Seven Pines Staunton Winchester Yorktown

National Parkways	Blue Ridge Parkway George Washington Memorial Parkway

National Trails	Appalachian Trail Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT Overmountain Victory NHT Potomac Heritage Trail Star-Spangled Banner NHT

National Wildlife Refuges	Back Bay Chincoteague Eastern Shore of Virginia Mason Neck Featherstone Fisherman Island Great Dismal Swamp James River Nansemond Occoquan Bay Plum Tree Island Presquile Rappahannock River Valley Wallops Island

National Forests	George Washington and Jefferson

USFS National Recreation Areas	Mount Rogers National Recreation Area

Other NPS Areas	Assateague Island National Seashore Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Prince William Forest Park Wolf Trap NP for the Performing Arts

Wilderness Areas	Barbours Creek Mountain Lake Priest Ramsey's Draft Rich Hole Rough Mountain Saint Mary's Three Ridges

National Estuarine Research Reserves	Chesapeake Bay

State

State parks	Bear Creek Lake Belle Isle Biscuit Run Breaks Interstate Caledon Chippokes Plantation Claytor Lake Douthat Fairy Stone False Cape First Landing Grayson Highlands High Bridge Trail Holliday Lake Hungry Mother James River Kiptopeke Lake Anna Leesylvania Mason Neck Natural Tunnel New River Trail Occoneechee Pocahontas Powhatan Sailor's Creek Battlefield Shot Tower Shenandoah River Sky Meadows Smith Mountain Lake Southwest Virginia Museum Staunton River Staunton River Battlefield Tabb Monument Twin Lakes Westmoreland Wilderness Road York River

State forests	Appomattox-Buckingham Big Woods Bourassa Browne Channels Chilton Woods Conway-Robinson Crawfords Cumberland Devil's Backbone Dragon Run Hawks Lesesne Matthews Moore's Creek Niday Place Paul Prince Edward-Gallion Sandy Point Whitney Zoar

Natural Area Preserves	Antioch Pines Bethel Beach Big Spring Bog Blackwater Buffalo Mountain Bull Run Mountains Bush Mill Stream Camp Branch Wetlands Cape Charles Coastal Habitat The Cedars The Channels Cherry Orchard Bog Chestnut Creek Wetlands Chestnut Ridge Chotank Creek Chub Sandhill Cleveland Barrens Clover Hollow Cowbane Prairie Crow's Nest Cumberland Marsh Dameron Marsh Deep Run Ponds Dendron Swamp Difficult Creek Elklick Woodlands False Cape Folly Mills Creek Fen Goshen Pass Grafton Ponds Grassy Hill Grayson Glades Hickory Hollow Hughlett Point Johnsons Creek Magothy Bay Mark's and Jack's Island Mount Joy Pond Mutton Hunk Fen Naked Mountain New Point Comfort North Landing River Northwest River Ogdens Cave Parkers Marsh Parramore Island Pedlars Hill Pinnacle Poor Mountain Red Rock Mountain Savage Neck Dunes Unthanks Cave William B. Trower Bayshore Wreck Island

Wildlife Management Areas	Amelia Big Survey Briery Creek Chester F. Phelps Cavalier Chickahominy Clinch Mountain Crooked Creek Dick Cross Fairystone Farms Featherfin G. Richard Thompson Game Farm Marsh Goshen and Little North Mountain Hardware River Havens Hidden Valley Highland Hog Island Horsepen Lake James River Land's End Mockhorn Island Pettigrew Powhatan Princess Anne Ragged Island Rapidan Saxis Stewarts Creek T. M. Gathright Turkeycock Weston White Oak Mountain

Other

Registered Historic Places in Virginia	Virginia Landmarks Register National Register of Historic Places listings in Virginia Bridges National Historic Landmarks

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