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Individual Students: Alternative Break at James River State Park, VA

March 10 @ 5:00 pm - March 16 @ 10:00 am

Trip Navigation

James River State Park has 22 miles of trails within its 1561 acres. We need help every year with maintaining existing trails, doing reroutes, and rehabilitating closed trails. Prior to beginning any project, we do a thorough safety briefing and explanation of the procedures and goals for our project, and volunteers are always accompanied and will work closely with Park and DCR staff. Volunteers will hike less than a mile each day.

This project is open to individual students who are currently enrolled in a college or university between the ages of 18-29. The dates are March 10-16, 2024. The cost is $250 per person which includes indoor lodging for the week, all meals including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, project supervision and leadership from experienced Virginia State Park staff and AHS Crew Leaders. This project will have a female and male AHS Crew Leader throughout the duration of the trip.

During this trip, James River State Parks’ average high temperature is 60°, and average low temperature is 35°.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Monacan and Occaneechi peoples past and present. We honor the land itself, the Indigenous communities who have stewarded this land for generations, their deep and sacred connection to these lands, and those who continue to steward these lands today. We offer this land acknowledgement as the first of many steps to stand as an ally and amplify Indigenous voices. We invite the American Hiking Society community to join us through continued efforts to support Indigenous communities and learn more about the history of the lands on which we live, work and recreate.

To learn more about Alternative Break including general information and group locations visit here.

To register for this project click the Registration button below. 

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Host

Virginia State Parks

Accommodations

Cabin/Lodge

Hiking/Access

Project Rating

Easy

Minimum Volunteer Age

18

Maximum Group Size

12

Area and Attractions

The park is located in Central Virginia, with three miles of frontage on the James River. Most is forested with mixed hardwoods and pine, with some wetlands and sunny meadows near the river. Wildlife is abundant and sightings of deer, turkey, bear, and bobcat are frequent. Nearby attractions include the ever-popular Crabtree Falls, just west of the park, university towns of Charlottesville (UVA), Lynchburg (Liberty, Randolph, University of Lynchburg), and Farmville (Longwood University, Hampden-Sydney). A number of other state parks are nearby for a change of scenery and the Appomattox National Historical Park is just down the road.

Accommodations Description

We host our ASB groups in a six-bedroom lodge with two queen bedrooms, two twin bedrooms, and two bunk-bed rooms. There are three shared bathrooms, a washer and dryer and gas fireplace in the lodge. Outside, there is a firepit and grill. There is full heat / AC. There is no wifi in the lodge, but wifi is available at the visitor center. The lodge has a fully furnished kitchen with all major appliances except a dishwasher. Cookware, dishes, glassware and kitchen items are provided. Volunteers will need to provide their own towels, bedding and linens as well as personal hiking clothing and gear.

Travel

James River State Park is an hour from Lynchburg Regional Airport and Lynchburg Kemper Street Train Station (Amtrak). The park is two hours from Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport and the Roanoke Train Station (Amtrak). Airport or train station pick up and drop off is not available for Alternative Break, however carpooling and ride share can be arranged upon confirmation of the trip. While we do encouraging driving or carpooling to the project, we request that vehicles are not utilized for individual excursions during the trip in order to promote group activities and bonding.

Location

James River State Park
104 Green Hill Dr, Gladstone, VA 24553 United States + Google Map