Mount Trashmore
Encyclopedia
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
located in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
which opened in 1974, Mount Trashmore is an example of landfill reuse as its creation consisted of the conversion of an abandoned landfill into a park. The park spans 165 acre (0.6677319 km²) with hills over 60 feet (18.3 m) high, over 800 feet (243.8 m) long. Facilities include four large and 11 small picnic shelters, playground areas, a basketball court, four volleyball areas, parking, vending machines and restrooms. Mount Trashmore Park also has multiple walking trails - a Perimeter Trail that measures 1.95 miles (3.1 km), a Lake Trail that measures 1.45 miles (2.3 km), and a Mountain Trail that measures 1.3 miles (2.1 km). The Lake Trail and the Hill Trail may be combined for a trail measuring 2.75 miles (4.4 km). The park also features two lakes where fishing is permitted. Since its opening in the 1970s, it ranks as the most popular park in Virginia Beach, with attendance of over one million visitors a year.
Mount Trashmore Skate Park is located in the northeast corner of the park, where numerous professional skateboarders have made appearances, including Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
. The 24000 square feet (2,229.7 m²) skate park opened in August 2003 features an extensive street course including an above-ground, 7 feet (2.1 m) bowl. The park also has a competition-sized vert ramp over 13 feet (4 m) tall and 40 feet (12.2 m) wide. On 16 August 2006, a fire damaged a significant portion of the skate park. The skate park was completely rebuilt as of March 2007.
The park is open 7 days a week from 7:30 a.m. until sunset. It was built in 1978.
WNOR's 1992 April 1st report warned that a large build-up of methane gas was about to cause a fiery explosion at Mount Trashmore. Residents were warned to evacuate the area, causing the local 911 to be flooded with calls. The DJs responsible for the prank were suspended without pay for two weeks.
Kids' Cove
A new, $1.4 million Kids Cove reopened to the public in December 2010. The new playground is nearly twice the size of its predecessor.