Here’s some news from just up the road in Alleghany County that might be of interest to folks in Botetourt:

Douthat State Park’s power has been restored by Dominion Virginia Power, and the park will reopen on Saturday, July 7.

Camp Carson Picnic Shelter and Douthat Lakeview Restaurant will remain closed until Wednesday, July 11. The park trails will remain closed due to storm damage.

Douthat State Park staff, and crews from across Virginia, have been working tirelessly to clean up the park as quickly as possible. Seven state parks across Virginia sent crews to help with the clean up at Douthat: New River Trail, Staunton River, Westmoreland, First Landing, Kiptopeke, York River, and Lake Anna. Some of the parks provided saw crews, dump trucks and chippers. Pocahontas State Park was able to provide a chipper.

The park had no structural damage or injuries during the storm. There were a lot of trees down and uprooted and the park remains to clean up as much as possible. Safety has been the number one priority for the park to provide a safe and enjoyable experience to park guests once they return to the park.

“Douthat crew really pulled together,” said Douthat Park Manager Charlie Conner. “It’s impressive to see lifeguards, restaurant staff, concessions and office staff come out and help clean up.”

The staff worked to clean up heavy usage areas first and then started to disperse their efforts further out into the park.

“The trails will take a lot longer to clean up and clear,” said Conner. “This may cause an unenjoyable trail experience for a while, and we are working to correct that.”

Douthat State Park has over 40 miles of hiking and biking trails and six miles of equestrian trails.

For general park information go to www.virginiastateparks.gov, contact the park office at 540-862-8100 or e-mail Douthat State Park at Douthat@dcr.virginia.gov. Douthat is located at 14239 Douthat State Park Road, Millboro, Va. 24460.

Overnight reservations can also be made by calling 1-800-933-PARK (7275) or by booking on line.

Submitted by Douthat State Park