Beautiful park! Smells great. I was here for a camp for only a day but it seemed like a great place

This park is in Clifton. It's at the end of a dead end road next to a winery. It is a beautiful park with many trails . It's very quiet , lots of birds . read more

See all

This is an amazing low key hike near a winery so it's hard to give less than 5 stars. We parked wayfar away but apparently we could have had to park further out. I love that some of the main trails hug the river so you can see a lot of interesting sights. It's not stroller friendly but it is walking child friendly. I highly recommend an early hike and drinks at the winery after! read more

If you are a nature junkie like myself then this place is a wonderful visit for you there is so much to see you will really enjoy yourself read more

See all

Soo...we're contracting out public parking spaces to the local winery and charging people to park to use our public tax paying parks??

I did not enjoy this trail at all. It didn't help that the weather was oppressive, or that there were pot smokers ahead of me on the trail. It was not very clear where the trail was. I followed the sign that said "Bull Run, public trail" and after walking to the water, could only go a short way in each direction, before the trail seemed to peter out. The forest doesn't seem that healthy, I hate pot smoke, and I wasn't motivated to persevere. read more

Gorgeous park, ample parking, well-marked trails, clean, and perfect for easy hikes.

The park was extra lovely this fall with the changing leaves and all the foliage . It is a well maintained park with great vistas and trails and easy to find in Fairfax county. I have lived here for years but had not taken advantage of hemlock until recently. It exemplifies the beauty that constantly surrounds us once we leave the urban regions of Fairfax. read more

Hemlock Overlook Regional Park - The lovely fall and gorgeous trees ! - Parks Near Me - Clifton, Virginia

Hemlock is a beautiful nature park, with trails, woods, wildlife, and a challenge course for groups (by reservation). The challenge course includes a zip line and several educational/exercise stations. Fifth graders in Fairfax County go here for a field trip every spring, and the kids can't wait! There are problem-solving and fitness challenges for the kids. Any group can reserve time here, though. Google Adventure Links at Hemlock Overlook for more info on this part of the park. The hiking, horse trails, and hanging out at the park are free and don't need a reservation. Go if you've never been - it is awesome when you want to get away from it all. read more

I went to this park with some friends today to do some hiking trails. I had no clue what to expect-- most parks in Northern VA that I have been to are not very "natural." When I arrived, I was surprised to see they had 4 different trails to offer. However, they were all of the same difficulty: Medium. This was fine for me, but I thought it was sort of disappointing that there wasn't an easier trail for children and a hard trail for advanced hikers. As soon as we began walking I knew I was in for a treat. We immediately saw a beautiful crane in the creek-- and then not long after than we began spotting frogs. Little frogs were hopping everywhere along these trails! We also saw a HUGE centipede (which I am not a fan of bugs but it was still really interesting to see)... and after walking for a while we decided to jump across some rocks to a center island in the creek-- we saw a water snake! Then we were skipping stones when on the island, and saw a baby snake in the water. When getting back to the trail, we saw a tree snake that was HUGE (at least over 5 feet long). I have never been on any trails in VA where I have seen this many critters. It was really exciting to see this much nature thriving this area. I saw several people out fishing, walking-- and there was even a race here this morning. They have several stations of obstacle courses you can participate in (I think if you pay a fee and have 10 people or something? Not sure about this one). But it seems like a great park for a group to go to. Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a place to go hiking. There are some challenging uphill parts and sections where the rocks are uneven. You will not get board on these trails! Side note: To get to this park, you take Clifton Road to Yates Ford Road. At first it seems like you've taken a wrong turn-- all you see are huge mansions with tall gates. However, the end of this road does eventually turn into a parking lot (you'll see at least two different trail maps). Hope that helps! read more

Hemlock loop is AMAZING. It's a relatively easy hike. I would actually rate it more of a 3 difficulty instead of a 2 b/c of the rock scrambles in one small area. Use this: http://www.hikingupward.com/OVH/HemlockOverlook/ It'll get you there and around easily. When you get to the stepping stones that cross the creek, do NOT CROSS. Hook a right and you'll find the path. We made the mistake of crossing and went a while out of the way before we realized where we were. The trail pretty much starts and stops at Paradise Springs Winery. Celebrate your hike with a nice wine there. It's beautiful too. Both are dog friendly. read more

Nestled in the Clifton area. A challenging and not so challenging trail area. Near a little stream. Trails can be muddy and rocky depending on the weather. Pretty nice actually if you want to escape the City life! read more

This park is the perfect getaway. Our family loves going on walks, especially out in nature, and even though it's nearby it feels like an adventure! Beautiful views...be sure to go in the fall to see the spectacular foliage. read more

This was a trail I have never tried. I was pleasantly surprised by how scenic it was. A nice stream along the walk. Rocky in some parts but not a difficult hike. So nice after doing the trail with my dogs, we all stopped at Paradise Winery afterwards. A dog friendly place. You can`t go inside but much better enjoying the wine outside today. I definitely will be back with friends who haven`t done this trail and do a picnic at the winery afterwards. read more

Hemlock Overlook Regional Park - Dog Meetup - Parks Near Me - Clifton, Virginia

The trail at this park takes you right down to the river. Easy enough for kids and adults alike. Unfortunately, the few parking spots it has are often taken up Paradise Springs customers. There are signs clearly stating the parking is only for park goers, but it doesn't seem to be enforced. read more

Excellent hiking trails. Not easy but not super hard. Just make sure you take a picture of the trails map so you don't get lost or hike longer than you want to. read more

Nice park and great hiking on the Hemlock loop. It is so pretty in the fall. You must also try the zip-line. Very fun!

I'm just writing to correct the previous reviewer. There are easy and difficult trails. They're just not immediately apparent when you enter the park. I don't know whether they're marked on the maps. The easiest trail goes around a pond, and is suitable for very young kids (though I wouldn't bring the stroller). You find it by following the gravel road back into the park, then turning right to follow an asphalt driveway down to a pond. It's short, mostly flat, and offers stable footing. A number of the smaller trails that go down to the river that are much more challenging than the average. I'm in pretty good shape, but I tend to avoid them in the fall--they collect fallen leaves and acorns, making footing rather treacherous. Some of them aren't very easy to spot from one end or the other, so keep an eye out for the markings if you're looking for them. I've been a fan of this park for a long time. Not yet sure what to make of the new management, though. The number of signs insinuating that only certain trails are public is a bit strange, considering that the land is publicly owned. They've also attempted to heavily restrict parking, it seems. read more

This is a beautiful park with great scenery and trails, albeit not very well marked. There's also other activities available like zip lining. If you're looking for an alternative to Burke Lake Park, stop by here and give it a whirl. read more

Nice trails for walks and small hikes. However, it was somewhat difficult to navigate as a first timer with the map from their website and the signs posted throughout the park. Otherwise, not too bad. read more

The park is amazing, the events are amazing, the staff are amazing. Coming from a 6th grader (Julian) who recently went on a field trip there. read more

This is another of my personal favorite places to run to when I visit my hometown in Northern Va. There is a very nice wide stream running throughout the park and offering a view while hiking in the shade. It's such a large park it could take many days to get the mental map of the area. I have always enjoyed this one even in the winter because it seems to have its fair share of American Holly trees and watching the wide stream freeze over is always gorgeous. read more

Wonderful park with all kinds of trails & creeks & trees. Lovely place to find peace & quiet. Every square inch is unique & beautiful!

One of my favorite places to trail run in Fairfax County.

It was horrible. We went there for a bonding trip but in the end we all ended up more seperated and frustrated with each other vs. before we arrived. The place was not clean AT ALL. At one point it started raining and we went inside the lodge. GROSS! There were three bunkbeds that did not look stable (they were there for the summer camp) and it smelled terrible and there was cobwebs everywhere. When we went into the bathroom we were also disgusted. The stall looked as if they had not been cleaned in years and in one of the stalls was A DEAD MOUSE! The activity called "the peanut butter pit" first of all, had nothing to do with peanut butter and they wanted us to grab a rope and swing across a watery mud pit. THAT HAD TRASH IN IT! Overall we were disgusted and the instructors were very rude and looked as if they were just there for the paychecks and did not care about anything at all. read more

Just wanted to respond to the previous post about the signage and parking situation that has changed a bit since 2009. Not sure how it was done in the past, but I know that currently folks are encouraged to park at the ample public parking area located at the end of Yates Ford Rd., where you see the informational kiosks. If you type in the address into google maps or your GPS, you will most likely be directed to turn into the park at the first entrance across from the winery, but this is not the place you want to park, as the trails generally begin at the public parking area. Folks are also encouraged not to drive through the second set of gates and leave there cars in there while they hike, because that parking is generally set aside for school buses that bring large groups to the park for kids to enjoy. All of the trails are still open to the public for hiking. Some of the additional signage was added to make sure that people don't attempt to use some of the challenge course elements that are located throughout the park. Hope this was helpful! read more

What a gorgeous surprise of a park. I came here with my dog on a whim, seeking a nature adventure, and Hemlock Overlook did not disappoint. The trails were just enough of a challenge to make it interesting, and the scenery is beautiful. I do wish the trails were marked a little more clearly. Next time, I'm going to allow myself more time to really explore. read more

My wife and I walked here on Sunday and had a really good time. The parking situation was not good but not at fault of the park. The winery near the park must have been having some sort event because the winery patrons were parking anywhere they could fit their vehicles without regard for people who were visiting the park. Luckily we found a spot inside the second park entrance near the adventure links area. We walked down to the gate of the second entrance and found a sign marked "public trail" and we were on our way. My wife is not much of an outdoors person but she was able to get through most of the trails without too much assistance. The rain storms from the last couple weeks seem to have done some heavy wash out damage but the trails were all passable. She even enjoyed some of the downed tree obstacles because they were not too hard to climb over or duck under. There is one section of the light blue trail that runs near the river and gets very narrow that had some heavy roots and rocks that I think she wished she had chosen better footwear but she will never admit that. That would be the only section that I called a hiking trail. The rest are regular Sunday stroll trails which was what we were looking for. We did pass other people but they were few and far enough between that we did not feel crowded on the trail. Maybe 15 people in 2 hours of walking. We did not see any wildlife other than a couple of squirrels and a blue-tailed skink. Very enjoyable park we will definitely return. read more