New Quarter Park Near Williamsburg
Outdoor Activities while in Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown
Aug 8, 2008
The mature forest, ridges, bottoms, and wetlands of New Quarter Park, a 545-acre York County park 3 miles from Colonial Williamsburg, are alive with a wide variety of woody and herbaceous plants that provide habitat for deer, raccoons, birds, turtles, snakes, millipedes, and more. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ Birding and Wildlife Trail program has recognized New Quarter Park as one of coastal Virginia’s best sites for wildlife-watching and hiking.
Bird Watch, Walk, Bike, Kayak
On the second Saturday of every month at 8 a.m. and on the fourth Saturday at 7 a.m., bird walks are conducted by the Williamsburg Bird Club. Join them or go to the park any time when open to hike the 4 miles of trails, mountain bike on the 6 mile trail, or bring your own kayak to the park. On the third Saturday of each month, a kayak trip is led by the Park Interpreter from 9 a.m. until noon. You have to call ahead to rent a kayak.
Park hours are 8 a.m. to dusk from April to October. From November to March the park is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Walk and Play in an Historic Setting
New Quarter is as steeped in history as the nearby museum. Historical markers along the trail explain that Woodland Indian lived there. It was named by Robert “King” Carter in 1723 and was given by him to his grandson, Carter Burwell, who built Carter’s Grove. Slaves lived and toiled on this land for the 150 years that Carter and the Burwells owned it.
Archaeologists have located four Civil War earthworks on the New Quarter Park property. In 1861 and 1862, Union Troops moved through the area on their way from Fort Monroe in Hampton to attack the Confederate Capital at Richmond. Earthworks were built across the Peninsula by the Confederate troops to slow the advance of the Union Army. In May of 1862, Union troops arrived here and found earthworks around New Quarter Park unoccupied. Union troops advanced and on May 5, 1862 a fierce battle took place just outside New Quarter Park. Nearly 4,000 soldiers died during the Battle of Williamsburg.
After the Civil War, a few sharecroppers farmed the land. Slowly, the forest grew and natural forces took over once again. The land became Federal Government Property in the early twentieth-century. York County purchased 545-acres of surplus government land for recreational purposes in 1976.
How to Find the Park
To find this idyllic rest stop for outdoor fun, exit the Colonial Parkway at Queens Lake. Turn right, then take the first turn on Lakeshead Drive. The Park is at the end of Lakeshead, which is about 2 miles long.
Take a picnic or if you want to do something more active, play a round of disc golf. The disc golf course at New Quarter Park is regionally acclaimed for its technical level and for the interesting setting which tucks in and out of the forest with its tree-hugging fairways.
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