On June 4, 2024, Waynesboro celebrated the grand opening of Sunset Park, a 107-acre property offering two overlooks, a picnic shelter, restroom facilities, and extensive trails. Within its inaugural week, the park attracted over 4,000 vehicles.
“It’s my favorite place…,” said Jeff, a life-long resident of Waynesboro. “I’ve come here almost every day.”
A notable feature of the park is its transformation from a former landfill, with 17 acres capped in 2003. Nearly a decade after its closure, discussions began on converting the site into a park. The Community Design Assistance Center at Virginia Tech helped create a concept plan in 2017.
In 2022, City Council appropriated about $2.5 million toward Sunset Park. The majority of these funds came from State and Local Recovery Funds under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), supplemented by a Recreation Access Grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Construction commenced in 2023.
Ongoing enhancements to the park include expansions to its trail network. The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) recently released a final trail plan featuring 4 miles of natural surface singletrack trails at Sunset Park. This plan was made possible through a Trails Accelerator Grant (TAG) in collaboration with the International Mountain Bicycling Association.