Located in Prince William County, Virginia, Prince William Forest Park is the largest protected natural area in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region at over 15,000 acres. It was created in August 1933 as Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area, one of 46 recreational demonstration projects in 24 states.
Today, the park has one of the few remaining Piedmont forest ecosystems and protects the Quantico Creek watershed. It is a sanctuary for native plants and animals. The park offers a variety of recreational opportunities, including wildlife viewing, 37 miles of hiking trails and 21 miles of bicycle accessible roads and trails. Several tent camping options, including family, group and backcountry camping are available as well as rustic cabin camping, and a full-service, concessionaire-operated RV campground, are available.
The park?s cultural resources are also varied. They include the remnants of Joplin and Hickory Ridge, two small communities existing prior to the park?s establishment. Many residents of Hickory Ridge worked in the nearby Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine (1889-1920). The once-polluted site of the mine, now the destination of a popular park trail, was reclaimed in 1995. Most visible today are the facilities, roads and lakes built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the late 1930s. Cabin camps built by the CCC were used by the U.S. Army?s Office of Strategic Services for training spies and radio operators between 1942 and 1945.
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