SWEET RUN STATE PARK
The future Sweet Run State Park property is located in Loudoun County along the Blue Ridge Mountains about four miles south of Harpers Ferry, WV, and encompasses approximately 884 acres.
The Robert and Dee Leggett Foundation opened the land to the public in 2000 and it has been managed by the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship BRCES, a non-profit formed out of the Leggett Foundation, since 2003. The BRCES is continuing to manage the park through an operation and management agreement with the Commonwealth of Virginia. The BRCES website contains information about educational opportunities and events, and provides access to a map of the trails.
The park features expansive views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and an access trail to the National Park Service Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Both Sweet Run and Piney Run streams bisect the property. The property includes nine miles of hiking trails along streams, and through mature forest, meadows, and mountain-side terrain, and has a nature play area for children. There is limited parking. There is also a leased organic farm.
The property is steeped in history, featuring ruins of a farming community from the 19th century. It also has a farmhouse built in the 1840s that has been restored and is available for rent.