The park has a picnic shelter, playground, two tennis courts, walking trail, baseball field, horseshoe pitching area, natural wetland wildlife area, Trail H.A.N.D.S sculpture, and mountain bike trails.
Park History
I.C. DeHart Memorial Park was named after local resident Isaac “Ike” Dehart. Before becoming a destination for hikers and mountain bike enthusiasts, the land was home to a grist mill and legal distillery. Over the course of his life, Isaac and his brother Joseph built a thriving business that took advantage of Virginia’s rich soil and ran a farm, raised cattle, operated a roller and grist mill, and ran a legal distillery that shipped corn and rye whiskey to markets throughout the state and beyond.
Like all good things, distilleries came to a close in the early part of the twentieth century when prohibition took over the state. The alcohol business gave way to other endeavors, and ultimately, Ike DeHart’s heirs donated the land that is now the park, to Patrick County.
Wetland Area
I.C. DeHart Memorial Park supports a beautiful reclaimed wetland site with a boardwalk and extensive interpretive information. Numerous signs in the area provide information about the insects, reptiles, birds and plants found in the wetland as well as documenting the history of its creation and ongoing community involvement in studying its ecology. The wetland serves as an obvious focus for the wildlife watcher to search the reeds for red-winged blackbirds in summer, swamp sparrows in winter and perhaps a common snipe during migration. The surrounding sports fields support open country species such as eastern bluebird and killdeer, while the bordering woodlands support chickadees, titmice and the occasional red-bellied and downy woodpeckers. Search the wetland in spring and summer for a variety of amphibians including red-spotted newt and perhaps a turtle or water snake. Dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies abound in the varied vegetation.
Mountain Bike Trails
The mountain bike trails at I.C. DeHart Park are a true piedmont style trail system. Almost entirely singletrack, this flowy trail system does have some great rock gardens, moderate climbs, and fun technical trail features scattered throughout the system. There are several signed loops rather than trail names, white loop, blue loop, etc. so be sure to check the map and know your bailout points if you are looking for a shorter ride! Otherwise, enjoy the scenery, remoteness, and fun of Woolwine!
Woolwine East Loop: 8 miles
Woolwine West Loop: 5 miles
The USA Cycling Mountain Bike Virginia State Championships, Bootlegger’s Blitz are held here annually.