Do you want to start your New Year's off right? To stretch your legs with your family before the football games start, or to just visit a historical spot and quietly reflect as you launch into a busy year?

Join thousands of other Virginians who will greet the New Year at one of 35 Virginia State Parks, and take a brisk, self-guided hike at Sailor's Creek SP between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Overlook Trail Head a short distance north of the Visitor Center on Route 617. The three-quarter mile trail loops around a pivotal battleground site of one of the last major American Civil War battle fought in Virginia.

Upon arrival, simply record your last name, time, and the number in your party on the sign-up sheet posted at the trail head message board. Then begin your New Year's 2013, taking a healthy hike with family and friends.

Also, bring your camera. Last New Year's Day, the Virginia State Park's New Year's Day photography contest grand prize winner was taken at Sailor's Creek.

The purpose of Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historical State Park is to preserve the cultural landscape as it was in 1865, and to provide the historic setting to tell the story of the last major battle of the Civil War in Virginia before the surrender of Robert E. Lee's Army at Appomattox Courthouse, and its impact on the citizens of Southside Virginia.

The award winning Virginia State Parks are managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

For more information about Virginia State Parks' activities and amenities or to make reservations in one of the more than 1,800 or 300 climate controlled cabins, call the Virginia State Parks Reservation Center at 800-933-PARK or visit www.virginiastateparks.gov.