Sweet Run State Park is an 884-acre preserve in northern Loudoun County, Virginia, between Short Hill Mountain and the Blue Ridge Mountains near Harpers Ferry. It protects natural habitat and evidence of an older rural community that grew in the late 18th century around the “Waters,” where settlers farmed wheat and corn and produced charcoal for Harpers Ferry iron forges. The area also saw Civil War cavalry fighting in a fiercely contested border region. After later shifts in agriculture and preservation efforts, the land became Virginia’s first state park in Loudoun County in 2023. Today it includes hiking and equestrian trails, Appalachian Trail access, and habitat for endangered wood turtles and other wildlife.