All 36 Virginia State Parks will mark National Trails Day, June 7, with programs or volunteer opportunities to promote and celebrate the more than 200,000 miles of trails in the United States. The 21 Virginia State Parks in the Chesapeake Bay watershed — including Powhatan and Pocahontas, the Richmond-area parks — will also host volunteer efforts for Clean the Bay Day on the same date.

Swift Creek Lake at Pocahontas SP would be a picturesque place to spend National Trails Day /Clean the Bay Day (June 7).

There are more than 450 miles of trails in Virginia’s state parks, including hiking, biking, equestrian and multi-use trails. National Trails Day, created by the American Hiking Society, also helps draw attention to the work of thousands of volunteers who construct and maintain trails. Clean the Bay Day is the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s annual stream and shoreline cleanup.

Among the National Trails Day or Clean the Bay Day events offered not too far from Richmond:

At Powhatan State Park for Clean the Bay Day, participants will join park staff and the Friends of Powhatan State Park in a guided clean-up by kayak on the James River. The program is free of charge, and there are no parking fees for this program. Children age 6 and up only. For National Trails Day, it’ll be a trail clean up in the park. Click here for more info.

Pocahontas State Park invites all visitors to participate in a self-guided park-wide clean up for both National Trails Day and Clean the Bay Day. This is a good opportunity to enjoy the time outdoors with family and friends while beautifying the state’s second-most trafficked state park. Click here for more info.

The National Trails Day Run for Your Life 5K Race is an annual event at High Bridge Trail State Park in Farmville. The park also hosts a river cleanup along the Appomattox River below the trail.