York River State Park (5/29/2025)

 York River State Park

Part of my morning routine, whether camping or not, is to write in my journal. When we take trips, I have special journal that I write in. I purchase stickers for visual aids and just write what we did for the day.

For breakfast this morning, we had Protein Waffles, sausage links and strawberries.

Protein Waffles

Ingredients (per person)

• 1 egg
• 1 heaping spoonful of creamy peanut butter

Directions

1. Stir egg and peanut butter in a bowl until it forms a creamy smooth batter
2. Put half the batter on single waffle iron and cook until done
3. Repeat until finished.

After breakfast, Amy and I did our daily reading. 

After a 2 hour drive, we arrived at York River State Park.

We stopped at the Park office and talked to the staff about what trails to take. They had no large groups that day and they suggested we take the trail to Fossil Beach. Before we left, we ate our lunch which consisted of a Chicken sandwich and chips.

Our standard selfie!

We started on the Woodstock Pond Trail and here is a picture of the "Foot Bridge".

A shot of the River across the Marsh

Here is a view of Fossil Beach.

Hey, look up here!

Get down from there before you hurt yourself. 

She looks so intently at the water.

Bird watching.

Man made bird!

We left Fossil Beach and walked the Mattaponi Trail, then the Backbone Trail, then the Meh-Te-Kos Bridle Trail. From there we caught the Backbone Trail back to the parking lot. In total, we walked about 3 miles and it was a beautiful day for it.

Here are some pictures of us on the Trail.

For supper we heated up some left over pizza and cooked some sweet potato fries in the air fryer along with a tossed salad.

Our last camp fire for the week, we were expecting rain the rest of the week.

Out camp site at night.

Had to have one more s'more.

York River Information

• The park is open from 8 a.m. to dusk.
• The park visitor center, office, and gift shop are open Monday - Friday, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The office may close due to staffing issues or during scheduled trainings.
• York River is a day-use park with no overnight accommodations.
• Hiking, bicycle and bridle trails. More than 40 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails provide access to the park’s beautiful and diverse natural areas. The park has ten multi-use use trails. There are five trails for mountain-bike use only, making up about half of the total mileage of our trails. Hikers enjoy challenging elevation changes and dramatic views along the Taskinas Creek Trail and discover the prehistoric past at Fossil Beach on the Mattaponi Trail. Equestrians of all skill levels enjoy secluded stretches of the Meh-Te-Kos Trail and test their skills on the Challenge Loop.
• You'll find great fishing in three areas of the park. Freshwater anglers will find bluegill and largemouth bass in Woodstock Pond. A Virginia fishing license is required. Fishing is only allowed from the shoreline along the spillway and designated platforms. 
• Croaker Landing has a boat launch dock, a 360-foot fishing pier, parking and restrooms. The pier is licensed so those fishing on the pier need no salt-water license.
• Taskinas Creek, which has catfish and white perch, requires either a valid saltwater or freshwater Virginia fishing license. Canoes and kayaks are available for rent at the creek. Weather and water conditions beyond our control may impact rentals. Call ahead to make sure they are available.
• There are two bridle trails in the park. State law requires that visitors carry a copy of a negative Coggins report with each horse brought to the park.

Website

Trails