The land for this park was donated in 1975 by Paul Mellon of Upperville to the Commonwealth of Virginia. It consisted of 1,132 acres. The name Sky Meadows came from former owner Sir Robert Hadow, who named the property "Skye Farm" after an island in Scotland. In 1988 Mellon donated another 486 acres. This area has been developed into an equestrian staging and bridle trail area.

Just an hour?s drive from Washington, D.C., Sky Meadows State Park in Clarke and Fauquier counties, offers a peaceful getaway on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Rich in history, the park has rolling pastures and woodlands, scenic vistas and provides a look into a bygone era. The park also has access to the Appalachian Trail and a primitive hike-in campground, as well as picnicking, hiking and riding trails, interpretive programs and a visitor center in the historic Mount Bleak House.

Settlement of the area can be attributed to nearby Ashby's Gap, which gave settlers access to the Shenandoah Valley. Just south of Ashby's Gap, a 5,000-acre tract of land became the property of James Ball. Upon his death in 1754, the land was divided into five parts and given to his children. The land of the present day manor house later became the property of Isaac and Mary Settle, prominent citizens in nearby Paris, Va. Isaac Settle built the Mount Bleak house and gave it to his son Abner as a wedding gift in 1835.

About 1870 Mount Bleak became the property of George M. Slater, a former Confederate soldier. Slater had been one of the first nine men detailed by General J.E.B. Stuart to accompany John Singleton Mosby, a noted Confederate officer and partisan leader. Mosby's Rangers, as they were known, spent some time in this area, and this is when Slater first saw Mount Bleak. He returned after the war and lived there for 55 years.

The property changed owners several more times in the 1900s. In 1975, Paul Mellon of Upperville, Va., donated the 1,132-acre tract to the Commonwealth for the development of a state park. In 1987, 245 acres were acquired to provide an Appalachian Trail corridor, and in 1988, Mellon donated another 486 acres, inceasing the park's acreage to 1,862.