Community-Centric Trails Close to Home

By Penny Shelton, Summer Intern

Young rider in a helmet carving a smooth, banked turn on a Sunset Park singletrack trail
Sunset Park’s new trails are built for beginner and intermediate riders.

At the end of May, the Waynesboro community came together to celebrate the opening of four completed miles of trail at Sunset Park. This project has been in the works since before Sunset Park officially opened in June 2024.

These natural-surface singletrack trails are a great starting point for people dipping their toes into mountain biking because they emphasize beginner and intermediate experiences. The goal is to increase access for all skill levels of hiking and biking through these accessible trails.

What Will You Experience on Sunset Park Trails?

  • Spectacular views of the sunset over the valley
  • About 4 miles of wide, smooth, fun, flowy trail for biking, walking, or running
  • Accessible trail space for family outings and community events
People gathered at the Sunset Park overlook at sunset, with the valley and town of Waynesboro below
The overlook lives up to the park’s name.
Families and a dog walking a wide gravel path across the hilltop meadow at Sunset Park
Wide paths on the hilltop make for an easy family walk.

Key partners that made this project possible

  • Support from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s Get Outdoors grant
  • Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge
  • International Mountain Bicycling Association’s Trail Accelerator Grant
  • Waynesboro Parks and Recreation
  • Volunteers who helped with trail work
Parent riding a mountain bike with a young child seated up front on a wooded Sunset Park trail
Trails close to home mean more families can ride together.
Child in a green helmet riding a small bike along a dirt trail through the woods
Plenty of room for the youngest riders, too.

Visions for the future

These trails are just the beginning of a larger vision for increased opportunities for outdoor recreation and community connection in Waynesboro. Visions for the future include:

  • Mountain bike skills trail
  • Tot track and bicycle playground
  • Mountain bike-optimized singletrack trail
  • Connection from downtown Waynesboro to the Crozet Tunnel
  • Expansion into the Appalachian Trail and Shenandoah National Park
Cyclist with a bright headlamp riding through a dark stone railroad tunnel
One long-term goal: connecting downtown Waynesboro to the Crozet Tunnel.
Families walking past a Sunset Park trail map sign at the edge of the woods
Trail map signage at Sunset Park.

The Sunset Park Trails Master Plan details the project goals, concept plan, and implementation strategy for the future expansion of Sunset Park.

Stay in the Loop with Sunset Park

Projects like Sunset Park involve important community partnerships, volunteer time, cash flow, planning, reporting, permitting, staff time, and a lot of behind-the-scenes trail work that takes the community’s dreams and turns them into reality.

Be sure to give Sunset Park a visit. These trails will impress you!

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