One of our favorite parks to visit and walk at. There's some trails, hard to walk on the paved areas due to cars, but it isn't impossible. There's a great swimming beach and playground with a good amount of shade. It can get busier with folks fishing, but the small lake is pretty and is generally pretty quiet! read more

This park is a seasonal swimming hole. The beach was already closed when I visited, despite the weather still being warm. There is also a frisbee golf course and some trails. At least in the off season, there wasn't a charge to enter. read more

Walnut Creek Park - Parks Near Me - North Garden, Virginia

Great park that's dog friendly. A group of friends and I came here with our dogs on a Monday and it wasn't packed at all. We did one of the Blue Wheel loops which was pretty short (just over 1mi). There's plenty of opportunities for dogs to get water along the path and an open area for them to swim in which was great. We also had some young kids and they were able to do the trail just fine as well. Very clear and neat! We came in the off season (end of April) so there was no one at the park entrance gate. read more

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Lovely park with hiking trails, disc golf, and a sandy beach with a playground, picnic tables with shade and changing rooms/bathrooms. There was a few to get in but we arrived at 9:15 before the booth was manned so it was free. read more

Another gem in the Crown of Albemarle county and all the amazing parks and sights to see and explore Walnut Creek offers year round outdoor adventures for the whole family from hiking, biking in g ,boating swimming with shelters and playground for young and old. Get out and explore Virginia read more

Went here to play some disc golf. It was a fun experience with some challenging holes. If you have an errant shot you could end up going swimming or doing climbing which may be a perk for some. I would go here again but would wear better shoes for traction... yes I had to do some of thr climbing haha read more

We have only come here during the off season to use the trails so I can't speak on any of the water recreation but there are lots of miles of well kept trails that we love taking the dogs to. There is LOTS of signage that dogs must be leashed at all times and yet, more often than not people have their dogs off leash which is...frustrating. Most of the dogs are fine but there have been multiple over the months that have run up to my dogs with no owner in sight. Super annoying as I have one dog that is wary of other dogs and likes her space and not random dogs shooting out the woods and into her face. That being said, there are many times when we don't see another soul at the park and it was a great place to see the leaves this fall. We go probably 2/3 times a week read more

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I hike here at least 2-3 times a week. They keep the trails free of fallen logs within a few days of falling. It is so pretty here. Love the trails. read more

Walnut Creek Park - Parks Near Me - North Garden, Virginia

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We were surprised when we pulled into the entrance that there was a gate house with an actual guard in it. We hadn't read anything regarding a fee but there is one. We have apparently reached the magic age where we were allowed in for free. Score one for us! There are two parking areas. The first parking area accesses most of the trails for hiking/biking. The last parking area is for the beach area, disc golf, the Blue Wheel trail, and the Bike and Tri trail. Both areas have (not so nice) one seater bathrooms. The beach was very busy, and a bus loaded with kids pulled in right after we did. Once we realized we were in the wrong parking lot to access the trails, we moved. There were only a couple of cars in the first parking area on a Thursday in June around 1:30. There was also a truck with a trailer full of canoes which I assume are for rent but we never saw a person. There are very nice maps available at a kiosk. The trails are fairly well marked with colored blazes on trees. It was a bit confusing in certain spots, and that's where the map came in handy. It can be narrow in spots with encroaching branches. Luckily, we didn't run into any bicyclists at those times because they took no prisoners when we encountered them. The trails are dirt with some roots and lots of small rocks. The small rocks caused us to "roller-skate" quite a bit which was jarring. I imagine after rain, it is very muddy. We wandered around on several trails and ended up on the north end of Wilkins Way. There were two stream crossings on Wilkins Way with plenty of rocks to step on. We had hiking poles too which helped. We criss-crossed the power lines a couple of times. The bugs weren't horrible but there were gnats that wanted to annoy your face. We also had on bug spray so that may have helped. We have mixed feelings about this park. It was pretty quiet when we were there, and it was nice to commune with nature. There are no views and the trails could use some fixing up. read more

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Another gorgeous, huge park for Charlottesville residents to enjoy! People are able to kayak and fish along the water. Our family enjoyed doing a few of the easier frisbee golf tees. I believe that the park has an entrance fee during parts of the year (maybe Memorial day through labor day?) but there wasn't yet a fee when we visited in the spring. Plenty of parking, not crowded (so able to socially distance easily), and a free little library to check out before leaving (also such a gift since the JMRL libraries are all still closed indefinitely). There's a playground but it's roped off for the time being due to COVID 19 restrictions. read more

We went on a beautiful sunny day. Walked our dog . Very very nice experience. We will return read more

Walnut Creek Park - Walnut Creek park - Parks Near Me - North Garden, Virginia

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Fun place near Charlottesville to canoe. Rental is $5 an hour and they provide you with life vests and oars. The lake itself is not that big, takes around 45 minutes to slowly paddle around it while enjoying the scenery. I love the view here, lots of trees and mountains. The water is not the clearest, but it doesn't smell bad or anything. The beach is kind of small, but there are two umbrellas for people who want the shade. There's a life guard from 11am to 7pm and they are super nice and helpful! There are nice hiking trails here, plenty of picnic spots, easy parking, and bathrooms (eco friendly bathrooms with no flushes). They have a water fountain and some vending machines. Entrance fee is $3 per adult for Albermarle County residents are $4.50 per adult for non-residents. Overall, a relaxing area to spend outdoors on a nice day! Remember to bring water, sunscreen, and bug spray. read more

Walnut Creek Park - Parks Near Me - North Garden, Virginia

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Walnut Creek is a lovely park with miles of walking/biking trails, a frisbee golf course, and easy access to the lake. A couple of years ago, we had a birthday celebration under one of the rented huts (that's not what they're called but that's what I'm calling it today) and it was perfect! We were near the playground, swimming area, and frisbee golf course, giving our guests loads of options to have fun with their families while we manned "home base". read more

Nice place to take a boat out, or canoe. Awesome hiking/ bike trails could go all day morning to dusk. Frisbee golf! The outhouses are so gross though might as well find a bush or tree to hide behind read more

Very nice recreational area with great trails, disc golf, fishing, swimming and an awesome playground for the big and little kids! Highly recommend! read more

Its a great DG course to play, challenging and at some times you have to be a real navigator. My issue with a low rating is the inconsistancy of sometimes they charge you 10$ to enter, sometimes $7 and sometimes not at all. The sign they post is not accurate. read more

The course here is woodsy and out in the open. The tees and the baskets are ridiculously difficult to figure out. We ended up meeting some guys who play the course pretty regularly and I'm real glad. The course criss crosses so often that you'll have two baskets in view from a particular tee. Not knowing which basket to throw to is only half as bad as trying to figure out where the next tee is. If you don't already know, consult their website or your favorite course site to get the low down on the specific course route. There is water. There's a big lake that is described as "deep enough to lose your disc to a 12 year old kid." There's at least 3 holes you'll be throwing over or next to the water. The rest seem to circle in and out of the woods area. The best hole is near the middle/end. I've forgotten the exact number, but the view is incredible from there. It's worth having a small break before you move on. You can see out across the lake and over a few different baskets. Depending on how busy it is you can really take the time to chill out and enjoy the view. Finally, during the summer (I think Memorial Day - Labor Day) you have to pay $6 for parking. There's a picnic center at the parking lot along with bathrooms. I suggest not using the bathroom unless you really really have to. And if you do, use bug spray. There are a lot of mosquito in there! read more

I was in desperate need of some nature, and this was enough to satisfy it! This park is about a 20 minute drive from Charlottesville. Because we live in 22902, admission was $3/adult for the day. We spent the morning walking some of the trails, which were quite secluded and had lots of interesting things to look at (open fields, dense wooded areas, streams, etc.). The trails are dog friendly. We stuck to trails labeled "intermediate" and found them to be non-strenuous casual walks (which is just what I was looking for). The trails are well maintained. We came back after lunch to go swimming. We lounged on the beach (small but sandy, just what I needed) for awhile and then rented a canoe for $5. My husband and I went around the lake in that time and even found a semi-secret cove that we hung out in for awhile. There was a good mix of young families and adults swimming. The lifeguards are a teenage crew. I was also struck by the fact that we went on a Saturday at the beginning of August, which I would assume would be peak season, and it really wasn't crowded at all. It was awesome. We had several hours of fun for $11 total! read more

My family and I really enjoy our time here - so far we've only hiked with our kids but we plan to enjoy the water this summer. It's less crowded than other area parks, which we appreciate. It's also very well maintained and cleaned up regularly. The playground area is one of my older son's favorites in the entire Charlottesville area. read more