State Park News October 2023 - Travel Trail Sail

Here are the top state park news stories for October 2023. We are working to provide you with a summary of the most interesting state park news stories each month. If you have a state park news story we missed, let us know by leaving a comment.

Hungry Mother Bike Trail

A new three mile bike trail has been added at Hungry Mother State Park in Virginia. The new trail is named Raiders Run. Based on the description, it sounds like a medium difficulty trail with several riding options. In the near future, an additional two miles will be added to Raiders Run. The new trail adds to the already 15 miles of trails at Hungry Mother SP. Sounds like a park we definitely need to visit. You can learn more on the Virginia DNR website.

Goede State Park Volunteer Day

Volunteers recently spent the day working to improve Geode State Park in Iowa. People worked to trim trees, improve trails, and generally clean up the park. This was part of the Fall Statewide Volunteer Day on September 23.

Other Volunteer Opportunities

State Parks rely on volunteers to help provide a great experience. If you think it would be fun or helpful to volunteer, here are two other opportunities.

Habitat Restoration at Rio de Los Angeles State Park. On Tuesday, October 17, volunteers are invited to help build habitats for local birds. Sounds like a great event.

At Red Rocks State Park in Sedona, AZ, there will be volunteer training days throughout October. You’ll learn how to assist the park and provide visitors with a great experience. Upcoming dates include October, 15, 22, and 28. Get more details on the Red Rocks website.

Those are just two opportunities to help. There are opportunities like this at parks across the US. Check your local Parks & Rec or DNR website for more information.

North Dakota Accessibility Improvements

North Dakota Parks & Recreation has announced that they will become the first park system in the US to make all parks color blind accessible. Starting on September 30, special Enchroma glasses will be available. These glasses help people with color vision issues to better see the vibrant colors of the outdoor world.

You can get more details on this accessibility program on the North Dakota Parks website.

State Parks Directors Conference

Over 400 state park leaders recently gathered at Lake Tahoe for their annual conference. Between September 12-15, park directors learned about park management, innovations in outdoor recreation, and ways to improve park accessibility. We can’t wait to see how they apply what they learned to improving the park experience.

If we were there, we would have said thanks for your work. And, please keep working to improve and expand camping options in these beautiful places.

Halloween Weekend at Turkey Run SP

Every month, we like to highlight at least one fun thing happening in a state park. This month, we are giving a shout out to Halloween Weekend at Turkey Run SP in Indiana. Campers can decorate their sites starting on Friday, October 27. After a fun weekend of camping, prizes for the best campsite decorations will be awarded on Sunday morning.

These can be fun events. Good luck to everyone attending the Halloween weekend.

State Park News on YouTube

We share state park news on our YouTube channel. Check out our October 2023 state park news video.

Erling Shares Octobers State Park News — Erling Shares October’s State Park News

Share Your Thoughts

If you have a state park news story to share, we’d love to hear it. Leave a comment to let us know.

We love state parks. We shared six reasons why we love state parks in our recent post and video. If you love state parks, too, let us know your favorite.