Overnight accommodation includes furnished cabins (some currently under renovation—until Oct. 2026), yurts, tent and RV spaces, the latter with and with- out hookups. Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance by calling 800-933-7275. The park is open year-round.
www.dcr.virginia.gov | 757-412-2300
Baxter State Park, Maine The phrase the “gift of giving” is commonly associated with a Bible verse in Corinthians but it also was the spirit behind Maine Gov. Percival P. Baxter’s magnanimous gift to his state of more than 200,000 acres of northern Maine wilderness that encompasses Baxter State Park. The conservation-minded governor began his quest to establish a new park in 1930 when he personally purchased 6,000 acres of wilderness land with the declaration that it would be kept forever wild— designed, in his words, “for those who love nature and are willing to walk and make an effort to get close to nature.” Baxter’s gift of giving continued through 1962, growing the park to 209,644 acres of woods, lakes, ponds, rivers, and mountain peaks, including Katahdin, Maine’s tallest mountain (5,269 ft.).
First Landing State Park protects 2,888 acres of swampy wilderness on Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. Photo credit: Yoel Garcia
Multi-use Trail, a six-mile course that a national magazine rated as one of the best-kept secrets for a cross-country running destination. Other recreational activities in the park include fishing, crabbing, boating, and swimming. First Landing fosters natural habitats found nowhere else in the state. It is the northernmost location where temperate and subtropical plants thrive together. This distinction led to portions of the park being designated a National Natural Landmark in 1965.
Maine’s Baxter State Park is a rugged mix of woods, lakes, ponds, rivers and mountain peaks. Photo credit: Flickr
STATE PARK STAYCATION
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE SPRING 2025 | 35
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