• dogwood across creek

    Prince William Forest

    Park Virginia

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  • Firewood

    Outside firewood is prohibited in Prince William Forest Park, unless it is certified USDA 'bug free' firewood. Dead and downed wood may be collected from designated areas for use while in the park. Help us protect the forest from invasive species!

  • Warm Wet Spring = More Ticks

    Please check yourself and your pets for ticks continually during and after your visit. Ticks are less prevelent if you stay on trail or in mowed areas. Wearing light colored clothing helps you spot them before the attach.

  • Temp. Closure C-Loop Bathroom

    Due to sequestration cuts, the C-Loop bathroom at Oak Ridge Campground will remain closed. Please use the B-Loop restroom, a short walking distance away. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Multimedia Presentations

entrance sign

Welcome to Prince William Forest Park!

Informational Videos
Welcome to the Park! Video
Ranger Jenn gives you a sneak peak at all the things to do in Prince William Forest Park! (3MB MPEG4)

 
CCC boys
Virtual Museum Exhibit
Can't make it down to Prince William Forest Park? Take a walk through park history through our Virtual Museum Exhibit. Stop and look at the artifacts and photographs that tell stories of the people who lived on and shaped this remarkable landscape.
 
children at play with a turtle
The Human Crop
The Human Crop is a 8 minute film that was never completely finished by the Department of Interior. The film aimed to elevate Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area (RDA) as the model for all RDA projects across the country. The goal of the project - the turn unproductive farmland into recreation areas that would grow a 'human crop of healthy, hearty citizens of a thoughtful republic.'
 
OSS film
OSS Training Films
These 5 training films showcase the training techniques used at Area A in what is now Prince William Forest Park. Here, the OSS used the cabin camps to train non-military personnel in basic military tactics, demolition techniques, and close quarters instinctive firing.
 

Introduction to Basic Training
Welcome new recruits! Don't tell anyone your real name. Its time for a 4-6 week basic military training course to provide OSS civilian personnel with a solid background in the skills that they will need to survive in Europe or Asia. There, they will be dropped behind enemy lines in small teams, to gather intelligence or destroy important targets.

 

Obstacle Course
Physical fitness is always a key to sucess. This obstacle course challenged even the most fit recruits.

 
House of Horrors
Both Area A (Prince William Forest Park) and Area B (Catoctin Mountain Park) had a House of Horrors or 'pistol house.' In the dead of night recruits would be awakened to complete real life instinctive firing exercises.
 

Demolitions Training
Many of the recruits learned how to detonate explosives on large structures such as houses and bridges in Prince William Forest Park.

 
Frontal Assault
Here, recruits attempt to fire upon two foreign tanks.
 

Leave No Trace Video
Learn the ins and outs of an impact-free experience in the great outdoors in this Leave No Trace Video!

Did You Know?

Did You Know?

Prince William Forest Park preserves the largest inventory of Civilian Conservation Corps structures (153) in the National Park System. Four of the five cabin camps are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as historic districts.