Chapman DeMary Trail

The student designed and maintained Chapman DeMary Trail is an outdoor classroom where students learn about and develop an appreciation for the nature that surrounds them—it also serves as a nature park for residents and visitors. The beauty of the trail encourages exploration of the outdoors and emphasizes sustainability in everyday activities. The trail is supported by the Newton Marasco Foundation, Loudoun Valley High School, the Piedmont Environmental Council, and the Town of Purcellville.

Download the Chapman DeMary Trail brochure

Events on the Trail

The Town of Purcellville offers a variety of interpretive hikes on the trail throughout the year on topics such as local birds, wildflowers, and trees along the trail. Information on these can be found on the Town of Purcellville web site as well as in the Events section of our web site. We hope you will come out and enjoy this beautiful resource!

Become a Friend of the Chapman DeMary Trail

How can you become part of this inspirational effort initiated by local students and make a difference in their lives and education?

Become a friend of the Chapman DeMary Trail

Your support ensures that the trail continues to exist as a sustainable outdoor classroom and nature park. It also provides for the continued creation of educational tools—such as field and activity guides, signage, toolkits for students, resources for continued native planting efforts, and trail upkeep

The Story of the Trail

Years ago, award-winning Loudoun Valley High School (LVHS) Environmental Explorations teacher, John DeMary, began an effort to preserve this remarkable tract of undeveloped land in Purcellville, Virginia. He and his students shared a vision to protect the land and use it as an outdoor classroom where students could learn about and be inspired by the nature located so close to their school.

To turn their shared vision into a reality, Mr. DeMary’s students gave presentations to community leaders and members in the Town of Purcellville about the importance of preserving this land and the benefits of using it as an outdoor classroom. One of these community leaders was John Chapman—the owner of this tract of land—whose son was a student of John DeMary’s. He was so impressed with the students’ presentations and his son’s enthusiasm that he approached Mr. DeMary to express his interest in preserving this land. Mr. Chapman offered to put the land into a conservation easement as long as LVHS students continued to be stewards of the land. This 10-acre easement was signed into effect in 2008.

Under the guidance of Mr. DeMary, and fellow teacher Liam McGranaghan, LVHS students took on the creation and maintenance of this trail. Their efforts to clean the area, lay wood chips to mark the trail, and build non-invasive bridges over portions of the trail began in earnest in 2009. This land is now available for all of Loudoun County to enjoy—students, residents and visitors alike.

Friends of the Chapman DeMary Trail

We thank the following individuals and organizations for supporting our trail efforts!

Deborah Lee
Lawrence and Helen Leonard
Jan Ross
James Schatz, Jr.
Martha Semmes
Diane Shipp
Ken and Susan Stewart
Twigs of Purcellville
Virginia Regional Transit