Monthly Nature Walks

The Purcellville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board hosts a series of monthly nature walks the last Sunday of each month at the Chapman DeMary Trail. Many of the walks this year are jointly hosted by the Purcellville Arts Council and the Tree and Environment Sustainability Committee. These free walks led by local experts start at 1 p.m. 

ADOPT A TREE AND CONTINUE YOUR NATURE JOUNRAL AT THE CHAPMAN DEMARY TRAIL ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26!

Come to the Chapman DeMary Trail at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 26 to start or continue your own nature journal and to adopt a tree! The Purcellville Arts Council and the Tree and Environment Sustainability Committee are jointly hosting the last nature walk of 2023 with the Purcellville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. In addition to supplying the notebooks and colored pencils, members of the Purcellville Arts Council will share tips about how to start a nature journal and how to sketch some items found in nature. Members of the Tree and Environment Sustainability Committee will lead a complimentary activity called Adopt a Tree. Register online to attend and to ensure there are enough supplies for all.

At this last nature walk of 2023, prizes will be given to those who have been attending the nature walks and getting stickers in their journals! Bringing the journal to each nature walk encourages participants to observe, write, draw, and capture the seasonal changes at the Chapman DeMary Trail. 

The Chapman DeMary Trail is a 10-acre area considered to be the last stand of old-growth forest in the Town of Purcellville. It runs along the South Fork Catoctin Creek, part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The area is open to the public for environmental recreation, exploration, and education. The Town of Purcellville holds the conservation easement for this privately-owned property. The entrance and parking for the Chapman DeMary Trail is behind the building at 205 East Hirst Road in Purcellville.