Most landfills aren’t exactly places you’d choose for an afternoon walk.
But in Virginia, one former dump got a second life that’s almost hard to believe.
Instead of leaving behind a massive mound of buried garbage, the city covered it with clean soil and transformed it into a 165-acre public park.
Thousands of people can visit without realizing just how much trash is buried beneath their feet.
Even the park’s wonderfully weird name gives away a little of its past.
Here’s how a giant landfill became one of Virginia’s most unusual outdoor attractions, plus what you can do when you visit.
Where Is It?
Mount Trashmore Park is located in Virginia Beach, just off I-264 near Independence Boulevard.
It’s about 15 minutes from downtown Virginia Beach, 15 minutes from Norfolk, and 20 minutes from Chesapeake by car.
If you’re coming from farther away, Richmond is roughly 1 hour 35 minutes away, making Mount Trashmore an easy stop on a trip to Virginia’s coast.
About
Mount Trashmore Park has one of the strangest origin stories of any park in Virginia.
The 165-acre park was created from an old landfill, with layers of compacted trash and clean soil shaped into the giant hill you see today.
That unusual makeover is exactly how Mount Trashmore got its wonderfully straightforward name.
The transformation began in the late 1960s, and Mount Trashmore officially opened as a public park in 1974.
Its centerpiece is Mount Trashmore itself, a man-made hill that rises about 60 feet above the surrounding area and stretches about 800 feet long.
Today, you can walk to the top of the hill for wide-open views across Virginia Beach, and the grassy slopes are popular for picnics, kite flying, exercise, and simply hanging out in the sun.
Getting to the summit is easy compared with an actual mountain, but the stairs and slopes can still give your legs a surprisingly good workout.
The park also has two lakes, Lake Windsor and Lake Trashmore.
Lake Windsor is brackish, while the smaller Lake Trashmore is freshwater.
A network of paved paths runs through the park, making it easy to walk, jog, or bike while checking out the lakes and Mount Trashmore from different angles.
If you want a longer walk, the park’s Perimeter Trail is roughly 1.9 miles, while a shorter trail around Lake Trashmore measures about 1.5 miles.
You’ll also find the Mount Trashmore Skate Park, a 24,000-square-foot facility with a two-level half pipe at 5 and 6 feet high, an attached quarter pipe, and a street course packed with rails, ramps, and other obstacles.
Kids have their own big reason to get excited.
Kids Cove is a large playground with slides, elevated walkways, swings, climbing structures and several distinct play areas.
The park also includes picnic shelters, volleyball areas, outdoor fitness stations, open fields, restrooms, and plenty of grassy space for spreading out a blanket.
Mount Trashmore hosts community events throughout the year, with its huge grassy hill providing a natural viewing area for concerts, festivals, and other gatherings.
One detail you probably won’t notice is the landfill underneath your feet.
The former dump is capped and covered, so what you actually see is a huge lawn-covered hill surrounded by trails, trees, lakes, playgrounds, and recreation areas.
That contrast is what makes Mount Trashmore so unusual.
More than five decades after the transformation began, Mount Trashmore has become one of Virginia Beach’s most recognizable landmarks and an example of how some seriously unglamorous land can get a surprisingly fun second life.
Know Before You Go
Mount Trashmore Park is free to visit, so you can walk the trails, climb the hill, use the playgrounds, and explore the grounds without paying an admission fee.
The park is generally open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., although individual facilities and seasonal activities may follow different schedules.
Because hours, events, and facility closures can change, check the City of Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation website before heading out.
Spring and fall are especially good times to visit, when Virginia Beach temperatures are usually more comfortable for walking, jogging, and tackling the stairs to the top of Mount Trashmore.
Summer works too, but the hill has plenty of open, sunny areas and very little shade at the summit, so bring sunscreen, water, and a hat on hot days.
If you visit during summer, an early morning or late-afternoon trip can save you from the strongest midday heat.
Give yourself around one to two hours for a casual visit.
That leaves enough time to climb the roughly 60-foot hill, enjoy the views, walk part of the trail system, and check out Lake Windsor and Lake Trashmore.
Families could easily spend longer here thanks to Kids Cove, the open lawns, picnic areas, and other recreation facilities.
Parking is available at the park, but spaces can fill quickly when Mount Trashmore hosts festivals, concerts, races, and other large community events.
Dogs are welcome in the park as long as you follow posted leash and cleanup rules, making the park an easy place to add a walk if you’re traveling with your pup.
Cyclists, runners, skateboarders, and families all use the park, so keep an eye on signs showing where different activities are allowed.
Mount Trashmore is also close to several other Virginia Beach attractions if you want to turn your visit into a full day out.
The Virginia Beach Oceanfront is roughly 15 minutes away by car, where you can walk the three-mile Virginia Beach Boardwalk and see the 34-foot-tall King Neptune statue at 31st Street.
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is about 15 to 20 minutes away and is home to hundreds of species, including sharks, sea turtles, rays, and river otters.
For something completely different, head about 25 minutes to the Military Aviation Museum in the Pungo area, where you can see one of the world’s largest private collections of World War I and World War II military aircraft.
Mount Trashmore itself is easy to fit into a Virginia Beach itinerary, but don’t rush straight to the top and leave.
Walk around the lakes, look back at the grassy mound from ground level, and remember that the whole thing started as a landfill.
That backstory turns what looks like a simple city park into one of the weirdest and most creative stops in Virginia.
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