Native American Heritage Trail Spotlights Rappahannock and Patawomeck Tribes

​Follow the trail to experience the footsteps of native history and cultural heritage in King George County. The trail offers a hands-on experience to visualize King George history through the perspective of Native American tribes from the Northern Neck region of Virginia.

The driving trail is composed of two parts—seven educational signs and ten geocache puzzles. Participants who solve all ten geocache puzzles will discover a mystery message that reveals the location to collect your completion prize. Prizes are while supplies last.

This experience is both fun and educational; something the whole family can enjoy! Each stop located around the county allows you to explore some of the most excitingly beautiful places found in King George County.

The Native American Heritage Trail signs were written and outlined by students in the department of historic preservation at the University of Mary Washington in collaboration with the Rappahannock Tribe and the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia. The students approached King George County Government to implement the signs as an educational trail throughout the county. King George wanted to provide the community and its visitors access to untold stories in a unique way and added a GeoTour component to the trail, where participants could hunt for geocache puzzles throughout the county and learn more about native stories along their journey. As a result, the county’s community engagement department applied for a grant with the Virginia Tourism Corporation to bring the project to life.

The DRHT is proud to now be part of the King George Native American Heritage Trail, a new educational and cultural feature across the county. Civil War Trails, Inc., in conjunction with King George County Tourism/Economic Development and Communications and Community Engagement, installed signage to discuss the trade routes, trails, and pathways used by Native Americans in the region. Find additional information about the tribes local to this region in these locations:
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Belle Grove Plantation
Hopyard Farm Trail
Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail - Bloomsbury Location
Sealston Sports Complex
Tim's II at Fairview
Caledon State Park
Dahlgren Heritage Museum

Learn more with this story and video from NBC Washington.