Exploring Virginia: Holliday Lake State Park

Sometimes I visit a park and think, wow this brings me back to camping at parks as a child. Holliday Lake State Park 100% gave me that feeling. I visited on a January morning after camping at James River State Park. We arrived and drove to the park’s beach area to park for our hike. While the park was calm and quiet early on this brisk winter morning, I immediately imagined kids laughing at the “Critter Hole” play area and the beach full of families playing in the water, enjoying the snack bar, and even renting a boat for the day. 

The park is located in the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest. Once clear cut for farmland, the area has been converted back to forest. Like Bear Creek Lake State Park, the location within the forest enhances the environment tremendously. Holliday Lake State Park is beaming with flora and fauna making it a popular place to fish and hike. While the park definitely seems like an incredible place to visit in the summer, we loved visiting in the off season as we were able to enjoy a peaceful, morning hike along the water. 

The park is about 2 hours from Richmond and Roanoke and 3-4 hrs from Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia. For history buffs, the park is 12 miles from the Appomattox Courthouse where Lee surrendered to Grant to end the Civil War.

Our favorite things to do at Holliday Lake State Park

Enjoy lake life

The park is centered around Holliday Lake. The beach provides a great place to swim and play. There is a boat launch as well as a wide array of boats and paddleboards for rent. Fishing is popular in the lake where largemouth bass, crappie and bluegill are common catches. 

One super cool thing about the park is it has an aquatic trail. The Sunfish Aquatic Trail is a self-guided water adventure tour. A boat and a brochure with a map is needed to complete the adventure. Participants boat around the lake to find numbered markers as indicated on the map. Each stop features information about the lake and the environment. The aquatic trail is a fun unique way to learn more about the importance of conservation as well as have fun on the water. 

Hiking

The park features several trails including ones that connect to the state forest. We hiked the 6.7 mile Lakeshore Trail and loved it. The trail circles the lake and features several outlooks to take in the views of the lake and/or rest. We were lucky enough to see several hawks hunting for fish while taking in the views at an outlook. The trail stays close to the shore but offers a great mix of lakefront and forest hiking. It connects to the state forest and the popular multi-use Carter Taylor Trail. This trail allows bicycling and horseback riding (permit from the state forest is needed). 

Camping

We did not camp at the park but it is offered seasonally and is one of my top picks for a family friendly trip in the woods and on a lake. There are a couple campgrounds with a total of 35 sites as well as a bunkhouse and group campsite. I was happy to see that there were limited sites so as to ensure the park’s special nature forward feeling shines through even when busy. With that said, it is probably wise to book in advance! 

Funding Virginia’s great outdoors

Protecting Virginia’s special places means more nature for Virginians to enjoy and more nature for plants and animals to thrive. Our state parks and other protected lands are critically important to Virginians and the environment. We need to better protect and better fund our great outdoors.

We are visiting every state park in Virginia so check back as our adventure continues!