York River State Park — Attraction in West Point

I have a new favorite state park, and it's York River State Park. We only saw one small part of the park's hundreds and hundreds of acres, but what we got to see was stunning.

I took my kids down to Fossil Beach and what a gem that is! They had the time of their lives digging for history in the sandy cliffs overlooking the beach (and finding a few fossils, too). We also had a picnic lunch on the beach with the wind gusting about us after an easy but not boring hike down to the shore.

One note that isn't documented anywhere that I could find -- the path to the otherwise kid-friendly Fossil Beach is NOT stroller-friendly. I didn't know if it would be or not, so I took our stroller and regretted it quickly. It's fine for walking, not bad at all, but a stroller's wheels are guaranteed to get stuck on the roots on the path, to say nothing about the wooden stairs. It's quite scenic, though, and we managed alright once I picked up the stroller rather than push it.

There are two playgrounds near the parking lot by the visitor center. One is meant for older kids and one for younger kids, but both have swings and all but the youngest kids should be able to play on either one. They are not near each other, though, which is a curious choice, but they're within sight of each other, so it's not terrible if you have to split up.

The visitor center is nice, if a bit dated. They have a small exhibit mixing live and artificial animals to educate about the various flora and fauna to be found in the park. The bathrooms were clean, and the men's room even had a baby changing station! As a father with young kids, that made me very happy.

It almost seems like stealing to be able to go and see and do everything for just the price of parking. There are extra fees for boating and renting equipment, of course, but our entire day of hiking and fossil hunting and a picnic lunch only cost $5.

If you're anywhere near the peninsula or the Williamsburg area specifically, you should absolutely check out what has to be one of Virginia's most...

I was really looking forwards to this park. Me and my family are major fossil enthusiasts. When we go on trips we do a ton of research to find cools spots and ebsure they are still running. Unfortunately, the fossil part of the park (the beach) was closed for renovations. This wasnt listed anywhere on any sort of official website or social media. The one place that did mention it said it would be completed by June. It turns out that after driving 10 hours that it is still closed. This is my major gripe with the park and the primary reason for my poor review. Update your da*n website, it's not hard. It is the main attraction for the park, many people will come here for that and that alone. When you leave the fossil part on the website and draw in tourists and innocent folks then have the fossils. They should have had offical updates on website and Facebook/ other media. I give this a two star rating instead of a one stsr because there was one really pretty view and the attendant here wasn't a complete jerk. That was it, nothing else unique or of note. Other than that this is a typical run of the mill american nature trail park. It is pretty but nothing special and it isnt worth coming to if you don't live in the area. Without the beach it is merely a local park. To make it even worse, psrking costs 5 dollars too. A price that should be waved when the park is a snake infested trail that is brutally hot in the summer. Also as a side note, maybe don't renovate during the spring and summer when people want to come to...

York River State Park is close to Williamsburg, VA but just outside the tourist area with a feeling of being totally far out and alone. This park is a day use park only; so there is no camping or rv facilities. However that does not mean this park is lackluster by any means! The equestrian trails are wonderful as well as the hiking and biking trails. There are fishing opportunities that are both fresh and saltwater. And please do not forget to bring your picnic baskets. The picnic shelters have some of the most amazing views. My favorite is shelter number 1. It is on a cliff overlooking the York River and the Taskinas Creek that flows into the River. Shelter 1 and shelter 2 are both a short jaunt from the parking lot. There is a playground beside these shelters but of course they are closed due the pandemic. Binoculars are a must as well. You will see eagles, ospreys, cardinals, egrets, and a host of other birds. The trails are well kept and from the small portion we walked, they also seem mostly shaded. Oh, I almost forgot .... you can rent canoes here! Or of course bring your own. There is a welcome center, gift shop, amphitheater, overlooks, fresh water lake. I was there for four hours and soo did not want to leave. Which is the reason I will be reserving shelter number 1 to stay and play all day! There is an RV park near this park and places to stay and eat are a short drive away. I saw signs for a couple of wineries as well. This is another one of those spots that the locals know about and...