Our family’s annual First Day Hike was delayed by a day due to weather conditions on New Year’s Day, but was well worth the wait until the next sunny day for our first visit to Westmoreland State Park. After paying at the guard station, we parked at the visitor’s center and used the facilities after the hour-long long drive. Since it is 2021, masks are required inside the building. The restrooms were clean, well stocked and modern, not rustic like many park facilities.
We walked the easy half-mile, slightly soggy, wooded path on Big Meadow Trail to Fossil Beach, with a slight decline to get to the Potomac River. Even on a January morning, the beach was busy with families hunting for fossils, with the enthusiasm of miners panning for gold. We did not prepare to get wet to find fossils so we left empty-handed but enjoyed the scenery and view of the wide Potomac River.
If you intend to fossil hunt in the off season, bring rain or muck boots. Most people used sand strainers to sift scoops of sand to find sharks’ teeth treasures. While most parks prohibit taking rocks and other souvenirs that would degrade the natural resource, fossil hunting appears to be acceptable based on the park website.
This hike was a popular one for families with smaller kids as it was a short walk to the beach and back. We sought a little more challenge and time in the fresh air so returned on the Turkey Neck Trail, a 2.3 mile loop that ran beside a creek and had us questioning our decisions. The previous week’s wet weather made the path very mucky so we spent a lot of time trying to find alternative routes around large muddy stretches. We made a few friends laughing at each other slipping and sliding up several embankments seeking alternatives, but on a dry day the path would be very moderate as indicated on the trail map.
A visit to hike the easy to moderate trails at Westmoreland State Park was a nice way to ring in 2021, although slightly underwhelming for our group. To make up for it, we detoured through Tappahannock on the way home for a bite to eat at NN Burger, where the burgers are good, the live music is so nice and the shakes are notorious.
