Four Miles of New Trail at Sunset Park: Community-Centric Trails Close to Home

By Penny Shelton, Summer Intern

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.

Key partners that made this project possible include:

• Support from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s Get Outdoors grant
• Community Foundation of Central Blue Ridge
• International Mountain Bicycling Association’s Trails Accelerator Grant
• Waynesboro Parks and Recreation
• Volunteers who helped with trail work

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

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

Detailed in the Sunset Park Trails Master Plan are the project goals, concept plan, and implementation strategy for the future expansion of Sunset Park.