Begrudgingly, I am rating Lake Fairfax with 4 stars. Let me preface by saying I am not an…read more"outdoor-sy" type of gal. Spas and sparkling rosé...more my speed, but I am always up for different experiences. Having said that...I've experienced it, and umm...with mosquito bites still itching, this was cool...not sure if I would say, "yes" again. While he set up the tents, I went to grab a margarita. Upon my return, I was impressed with the setup. Who knew camping could be "chic"? lol. After sending my daughter pics, she said it was, "glamping," not "camping." Lol Honestly, I enjoyed. Just hated the bugs. I love to read. If you do too, bring a good book. The camping ground is spacious. You're assigned a lot where you set up your tent(s). Seems like he had the entire gamut -- blow up couch, blow up bed, portable grill, speakers for music, bug repellent, food, and libations ;-) You will hear everything that is nature at night. I swear I heard a fox howling/barking. All-in-all, it was a cool experience...five days later, still itching from those bites. Oh! There's a water park too...arrive early to get in because they do have a capacity limit.

Wayyyyy back in the day, my dad bought a RV, and the one place that I can explicitly remember us…read moregoing, was Lake Fairfax Park. I also remember having a great time on the lake paddle boating and swimming in the big "L" shaped pool. Fast forward decades later, I have taken a liking to camping. I still consider myself a novice, and over the last 3yrs, I have accumulated some cool stuff. I have an annual camping trip with a large group next month, but I wanted to do a small intimate trip to one of my favorite childhood places. I must say, Lake Fairfax has one big change from when I was a child. It now has a HUGE waterpark that has giganic water slides as soon as you enter. I was a little disappointed to hear from the check-in Park attendant, who had the personality of a disinterested teenager, that the L shaped pool I referenced was no longer there. My picture of laying poolside or chillin in the pool were shattered, because with waterparks, comes tons and tons of young kids.. and honestly, I would just rather not..LOL! Once we made it to our assigned camping lot, I was super pleased at how close we were to the extremely clean rest rooms that were equipped with showers. The camping site was noticeably quiet, almost library quiet, so that suprised me a little. I didn't want to disrupt the flow, so I kept my speaker at a low level. :) All in all, I had a memorable experience at Lake Fairfax Park and I can definitely see myself coming back sometime next Spring/Summer!!

I visited Great Falls NP on a spring-like day on May 30, 2026. This is a fantastic place to enjoy…read morenature on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. What are the pluses? First, the park includes waterfalls, pine trees, granite cliffs, and babbling brooks. Second, the Visitor's Center area has restrooms, staff who can answer questions, and a simple "old-school" ice cream and snack shop. Third, the river trail and waterfall outlooks provide amazing scenery without much effort - just a bit of walking. What more can you ask for? It's $20 per vehicle (for 7 days of use), or if you have an annual national park pass ($80), it's valid here. On the last Saturday of May 2026, it was crowded but parking was still available in the additional parking lot (second one past the visitor center) around 11:50am.

Great Falls & National Parks, Oh my!! (US National Parks) worth an Annual Pass…read more Do you like easy walking trails? Beautiful views? A front seat to nature...ducks, frogs eagles and other animals await your visit to Great Falls Park. It's really 2 parks in 1, or is that 1 park cut into 2? Let me explain, Great Falls is a national park that sits in the border of Maryland and Virginia. The trails were relatively easy, in regular sneakers. Apparently, if you get up in the morning you can see an amazing array of wildlife and a huge amount of birds. There's even a man made waterfall, areas to enjoy water sports and fishing. It cost $20 per car, $15 per motorcycle and $10 on foot. It cost $35 for Annual Pass (only for Great Falls Park and C&O Canal National Historical Park). There's also an America the Beautiful--the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, which cost $80 for US residents and citizens. For nonresident it cost $250. There are even a senior citizen resident annual pass for $20 and lifetime resident pass $80. For the cost of a one year annual pass, you can visit many times in a year. It's cheaper than paying each time you go...if you are into physical fitness, trails, nature and the great outdoors. Did you know the US National Parks include a rainforest and a Spanish Fort located in Puerto Rico, a US territory. Yes, for such a small area Washington, DC has 30 National Parks (including historic sites, memorials, and parkways). But wait there's more, The Greater Capital Region (DC, MD and DC) has 86 Parks in total with all parks and sites maintained by the US Parks Department. Are you going to Great Falls or will you hit all the US Parks this summer? Get a pass and get out in nature.

We have held our company picnic at the Great Falls Grange for the last two years. Working with…read moreJulie and the Foundation has been so refreshing. This year, our picnic was planned for the hottest day of the summer so far. We have a big set up of games and inflatables with Ed Boak and Fun Services and a full menu with Bob Egan and High Point Catering. The building is air conditioned which makes it a great place to set up the food, cold drinks and some eating tables. The outside is so beautifully maintained with lots of shade. The Great Falls Foundation has done a wonderful job of caring for this beautiful and historic property. We are already planning to return next year! Thank you Julie and the Great Falls Foundation!

The grange is a great local playground. The best in great falls (and for my money better than…read morethose in Vienna too). It's got one huge play set with fun tunnels and slides. A smaller 2-5 play set, a nice feature and a very rarely seen Whirl A Round that my kids love. While the playgrounds are more or less standard the shade, the size and the whirl a round put this playground up a couple notches for your average elementary school playground. There is also a small older building that hosts farmers markets in the winter and a few pavilions that are nice for get togethers. Overall a great local spot.

It was really fun it was also big I had so much fun there with my family at the basketball court…read moredefinitely going back

This playground was renovated and is awesome!!! I would say kids 2-8 would appreciate it the most!…read moreMy two year old son had a blast running around. There are several play structures, spread out, and lots of shade. There's also tennis courts, a whole row of swings, and an obstacle course (more for older kids). There's a couple areas for younger kids and areas for older kids just based on the play structures. We lucked out with a gorgeous day and for the most part kids can distance themselves. However since it's huge the kids really are not in one area close together for long. The best part is the whole place is a rubber floor instead of mulch or dirt! We will definitely go again!!!

This place is absolutely beautiful. Huge with so many stunning areas from a greenhouse with glass…read morewalls and greenery to pagodas! I didn't know it's also a popular event venue! We saw a few weddings here last weekend. Plenty trails and photo ops! Looks like a lot of people come here for maternity shoots and engagement shoots- the photographers have a special entrance ticket and rules to abide by. Not free entry but very well maintained and a beautiful experience for families or couples.

Meadowlark is the best spot to view cherry blossoms in the DMV, hands down. Visit on a weekday…read moreduring peak bloom if you can, but even on a busy day you can get better views of the blossoms than at the Tidal Basin. Don't sleep on this hidden gem during cherry blossom season! The rest of the botanical garden is well worth a visit, with a greenhouse, polished garden favorites, and wild woodland scenery. There are also children's gardens and a small playground, as well as many benches with different views to enjoy. One of my favorite spots is the fairy garden right outside the entrance, with all kinds of small-scale flowers. Admittedly, I've only been to Meadowlark during two seasons and have yet to witness fall and winter. I'm eager to go for the holiday lights, which I've heard great things about.

To my surprise, this trail was found by accident as I had finished an errand in Herndon and needed…read morea place to kill time and explore. This trail/park allows you to see the beautiful nature Northern VA offers with the trees, streams, trails, and surroundings of buildings and landscapes. It's a long trail and it intersects with the WO&D trail. Plenty of space and mileage to explore and perfect for biking/walking/jogging. Get those steps in!

I love walking this easy trail with my dog and am so fortunate to have it located so close from…read morehome. There is plenty of shade and is great for bikers, runners, dog walkers and if you are looking for a simple trail to take your family to! There is also a really neat wall of painted rocks that the community has been contributing to which is awesome because we all get to add to one big piece of art! On a few of my walks here, I've seen deer, raccoons, and foxes so there is a pretty good chance you may spot some wildlife too.

There are many things to like about this park. Initially I thought the park was small, until I…read morestarted exploring it. There are plenty of amenities. There's a basketball court, tennis courts, exercise stations throughout the park, a soccer field, a playground, and even a little chapel. I came here to use the trails. There is a trail that goes around the lake. It's has stunning view because the lake is surrounded by spectacular houses. Also, a portion of the Blue Trail passes through the park. The Pink and the Blue Trail run throughout the city of Reston. I was a little nervous about using the trail and crossing the streets. But there are pedestrian tunnels to cross under the busiest streets. Every time I come to this park, I always see plenty of people exercising. 5 stars.

This is one of my favorite spots in Reston. Between the baseball fields the basketball court the…read moretennis courts the random exercise equipment set up along the walking trails. This is a great family friendly environment and I usually take my dog for a walk here once a day. The view from the lake is absolutely stunning. There are at least two docks if you have a boat or a canoe you'd like to take out on the water. There's usually Little League baseball games going on for the kids and people playing tennis at all hours but not in a busy or overcrowded type of way. There's also bathrooms and water fountains for people to use which is convenient. The gazebo has two grills and is perfect for an outdoor get together or a family outing. I would highly recommend this location to anyone trying to enjoy Reston's outdoors.

Great place to hike along streams and some of the sidearms of the Potomac river. Even on a weekend…read moreit never gets crowded here. Bring your horse and take it on one of the many paths through the woods.

My family loves Seneca. Even on gorgeous days when all the parking is full (there's not much…read moreparking so take note of that), you still won't run into too many people. There's several different trails with different levels of difficulty. We come here with our 3, 5, and 7 year old and it's a great way to have fun while wearing them out! The lower parts (near the water) do get really muddy if it rains so wear hiking boots or old sneakers. It's really pretty here at all seasons, but the fall is a must see. It looks picture perfect with all the color foliage. A great place to go!