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Regional parks/Northern Va.

NoVa.

NoVa.

National Parks

Run Regional Park

7700 Bull Run Drive, Centreville

(703) 631-0550

Bull Run’s spacious fields accommodate groups by the hundreds, even thousands,

for picnics, camping or special events. Bull Run’s scenic woodland and

trails offer miles of hiking and solitude. In springtime, acres of bluebells

and other wildflowers bloom beside a meandering stream.

Occoquan Regional Park

9751 Ox Road, Lorton

(703) 690-2121

This spacious park is scenically located on the Occoquan River diagonally

across from the Town of Occoquan. It offers 400 acres of recreational

space and a touch of the past with its historic brick kilns and the memory

of imprisoned women suffragists. Features include a marina, batting cage,

walking trails and concessions. March 13 through November 28. Open daily,

Andrew Leitch Park/Waterworks

5301 Dale Boulevard, Dale City

(703) 680-7137

This Prince William County Park boasts baseball fields, softball fields,

a water park, picnic facilities, volleyball courts and playgrounds.

Anne Moncure Wall Park

4450 Waterway Drive, Dumfries

Tennis courts, basketball courts and picnic facilities are among the amenities

at this Prince William County Park. Open year-round.

Birchdale Recreation Center/Turley Fields

14730 Birchdale Avenue, Dale City

(703) 670-9118

Operated by the Prince William County Park authority, this park is home

to Little League fields, playgrounds, picnic facilities, basketball courts

and tennis courts. Restrooms on site.

C. Lacey Compton Neighborhood Park

17301 River Ridge Blvd., Dumfries

Operated by the Prince William County Park Authority, this is one of the

only public parks in the area with an in-line skating rink and in-line

Wilderness Overlook Park

43098 Edwards Ferry Road, Leesburg

(703) 737-7800

This off-the-beaten-path park offers panoramic views of the Potomac River.

No public restrooms. Open year-round, dawn until dusk.

Ball’s Bluff Battlefield

Regional Park

Ball’s Bluff Road, Leesburg

(703) 737-7800

Surrounding the Ball’s Bluff National Cemetery, this regional park preserves

the site of the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, the largest Civil War engagement

to take place in Loudoun County. Hiking trails and interpretive signs

aid in understanding this important and tragic part of American history.

No public restrooms. Open year-round, dawn to dusk.

Temple Hall Farm

Regional Park

15789 Temple Hall Lane, Leesburg

(703) 779-9372

The 286-acre working farm in beautiful Loudoun County provides educational

programs to introduce school and youth groups to Northern Virginia’s farming

heritage. At Temple Hall, goats, hogs, peacocks, chickens, ducks, sheep

and other farm animals are raised. The farm also raises Orchard grass

for use as feed. Temple Hall is not a petting farm. All animals remain

in fenced pens. A farm interpreter leads tours and guides children as

they participate in farm-related activities such as feeding the animals

or working in the garden. Sunday – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Closed Mondays;

Bay Regional Park

6501 Pohick Bay Drive, Lorton

(703) 339-6104

The Indians called this land “Pohick,” the Algonquin word for

the “water place.” Today, Pohick Bay is still the water place

– a water-oriented park 25 miles south of the nation’s capital. The park

occupies a spectacular bayside setting on the historic Mason Neck peninsula

in Fairfax County. Mason Neck is an ecologically fragile land that shelters

a profusion of wildlife, especially the bald eagle. The developed recreation

areas are concentrated where they will least disturb the delicate balance

of nature. Features include an 18-hole 72-par golf course, fishing, camping

Overlook Regional Park

13220 Yates Ford Road, Clifton

(703) 993-2059

Hemlock Overlook Regional Park serves as an Outdoor Education Center operated

jointly by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority and George Mason

University. The university offers a variety of outdoor and environmental

education, summer camp, team development programs for public and private

schools, religious groups, community groups, sports teams, corporations,

professional organizations, as well as local, state, and federal government

and military agencies. Programs at Hemlock Overlook are open to the public

and groups by reservation. Only the hiking and horse trails may be used

without prior arrangement.

Bull Run Marina

12619 Old Yates Ford Road, Clifton

(703) 250-9124 (Fountainhead Regional Park)

Located on the waters of the Occoquan Reservoir, Bull Run Marina is part

of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority’s 5,000 acres of preserved

Bull Run-Occoquan Stream Valley land. The water at this location offers

opportunities for high school crew practice and fishing and boating. Open

for training, competitive rowing practices and by special permits to anglers

and boaters.

Fountain Head Regional

Park

10875 Hampton Road, Fairfax Station

(703) 250-9124

Miniature golf, fishing, nature trails and picnic tables are among the

many attractions of this park on the Occoquan Reservoir. The parks’ Marina

Building offers sandwiches, snacks, beverages, bait and tackle, fishing

licenses, scale, deck and rest rooms. The park is open daily from March

20 to November 13. Open from dawn to dark. Closed Nov. 14 for the winter.

Sandy Run Regional Park

10450 Van Thompson Road, Fairfax Station

(703) 690-4392

Sandy Run offers a facility for team training and competition for Olympic,

college, high school and club canoe, kayak and crew athletes. This park

has a 2,000-meter racecourse and three boathouses. The park is open for

Regattas only, which happen throughout the year. Contact the office for

information.

Meadowlark Botanical

Gardens

9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna

(703) 255-3631

A picturesque gazebo, three sparkling lakes surrounded by weeping cherry

trees and a profusion of colorful blooms are the centerpiece of this beautiful

95-acre garden. The public is invited to enjoy and participate in the

growth and beauty of Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. Features include The

Atrium at Meadowbrook Botanical Gardens, a meeting and reception facility

featuring indoor gardens; gazebos available for weddings (reservations

(703) 255-3631 ext. 104); a visitor center with a gift shop, restrooms,

exhibits, rental meeting and activity space. The Gardens are open year-round,

but closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and when snow

or ice covers the trails. March through November, admission is $4 for

ages 18-59, $2 for ages 7-17 and 60 and older and free for ages 6 and

younger. Admission is free December through February. An annual pass is

$25.

Upton Hill Regional Park

6060 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington

(703) 534-3437

Upton Hill Regional Park offers visitors a wooded oasis in the heart of

the most densely populated area of Northern Virginia. A large outdoor

swimming pool complex is a sparkling attraction in this wooded, urban

park, which straddles the boundary line between Arlington and Fairfax

counties. The deluxe miniature golf course boasts one of the longest mini

golf holes in the world and the batting cages include baseball and softball

cages.

Cameron Run Regional Park

4001 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria

(703) 960-0767

There’s plenty to do at this Northern Virginia park, which boasts the

Great Waves Water Park. Other attractions include miniature golf and a

batting cage. The pool is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

Batting cage and mini golf are open mid-March through October. Hours vary.

Carlyle House Historic Park

121 N. Fairfax Street, Alexandria

(703) 549-2997

On the National Register of Historic Places, Carlyle House is architecturally

unique in Alexandria as the only stone, 18th-century Palladian-style house.

Daily tours of the house, programs for schoolchildren, special events

and lectures explore the life and times of John Carlyle in pre-Revolutionary

Alexandria. The site may be rented in the evenings for private functions

and weddings. Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday noon to

4:00 p.m. Closed Mondays. Tours on the half hour. $4 for adults, $2 for

students age 6-17 and free for children age 5 and younger.

Potomac Overlook

2845 N. Marcey Road, Arlington

(703) 528-5406

On the Potomac Palisades in north Arlington, Potomac Overlook offers 100

acres of peaceful woodland. Potomac Overlook’s Nature Center serves as

the regional center for the Park Authority’s year-round programs of outdoor

adventure and environmental education. Youth and nature-oriented groups

and schools may make arrangements for special programs. Park open all

year during daylight hours. The Nature Center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday and is closed

Monday.

Algonkian Regional Park

47001 Fairway Drive, Sterling

(703) 450-4655

Located on the scenic Potomac shore, this park features an 18-hole par-72

golf course, a driving range, a pro shop, the Downpour Water Park, a snack

bar, river front cottages, RV and boat storage, a children’s play area

and nature trails. Park open all year. Golf course open all year, weather

permitting. Pool open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Mini golf

open April through October. Hours vary.

Washington and Old Dominion

Railroad Regional Park

21293 Smiths Switch Road, Ashburn

(703) 729-0596

The 100-foot-wide W&OD has been called “the skinniest park in

Virginia.” It is also one of the longest parks – 45 miles of paved

trail for walking, running, bicycling and skating and 32 miles of adjacent

gravel trail for horseback riding. Built on the roadbed of the former

Washington & Old Dominion Railroad, the multi-use W&OD Trail runs

through the urban heartland and countryside of Northern Virginia.

Brambleton Regional Park

42180 Ryan Road, Ashburn

(703) 327-3403

This scenic park is home to the Regional Park Authority’s newest championship

18-hole, par-72 golf course. Brambleton offers a variety of challenging

holes with scenic woods and water holes, large bunkers and plush putting

greens. Features include a driving range and professional instruction.

Open all year, weather permitting.

Burke Lake Park

7315 Ox Road, Fairfax Station

(703) 323-6601

Its 888 acres feature a 218-acre lake with fishing, boating, rowboat rental,

tour boat rides, camping, a miniature train, a carousel, outdoor volleyball

courts, an 18-hole golf course, disk golf, an ice cream parlor and snack

bar, picnic areas, playgrounds and a brand new miniature golf course.

The new fishing pier is accessible to persons with disabilities. Privately

owned boats with electric motors are permitted on the lake.

Lake Accotink Park

7500 Accotink Park Road, Springfield

(703) 569-3464

Its 493 acres include a 55-acre lake with boating, fishing, hiking, miniature

golf, a carousel, snack bar, tour boat rides, trails, picnic areas and

playgrounds. Boats powered by electric motors, sailboats under 15 feet

and kayaks are allowed on the lake. Swimming and windsurfing are prohibited.

Nominal fees are required for miniature golf, the carousel, rowboat, pedal-boat

and canoe rentals.

Lake Fairfax Park

1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston

(703) 471-5415

This 476-acre park includes a 18-acre lake, an outdoor swimming pool enveloped

by a lazy river; pedal-boat rental, fishing, a carousel, campgrounds,

trails, playground and picnic areas. Nominal fees are charged for boat

rentals, The Water Mine, carousel and camping.

Rock Creek Park

1500 Glover Rd.,Washington, D.C.

(202) 895-6070

Called the “gem of the nation’s capital,” this city park offers

something for everyone. Nature trails abound, as do areas to play soccer,

picnic, hike, bike and rollerblade, play tennis, fish, horseback ride,

listen to a concert, or attend programs with a park ranger. Open year-round

from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sources: Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority,