Amazing hiking trails! Trails are pretty accessible for all levels…read more The trail maps need updating as there are some new trails.

It's closed for months to repair a sewage siphon in spring, which is ridiculous. There's a sewage…read morepipe that empties into the waterfall area, but people don't seem to care and they swim, even though you can smell the sewage. The whole place and even the forest is littered with hard lemonade and beer bottles, babies diapers, dog poop and all kinds of food wrappers.

Parking is a bit slim. Dont park in the grass. Automatic $50 ticket…read more Overall great place to bring family. Very shallow and calm water since it's Bayside. Beach is roomy. Nice view of the Bay Bridge.

Visited on a Sunday, nice parking area with modern restrooms that were open. Plenty of maintained…read moretrails with different views of the water, woods, marsh areas. Only really issue was trail signage, did not have a map (should have took a picture at entrance) so trail signage was not the greatist. The Map Legend at entrance did not have a legend that we saw so distance was a guess. Overall, nice park, be back in the Summer.

Absolutely worth the visit! I was looking up nearby beaches to DC for a day trip, and this one…read morepopped up. Who wants to cross the Bay Bridge in traffic? (No one.) You won't have to with this find! 1000% better than Calvert Cliffs Park. 2025 rates: $20/car for non-county residents on weekends. Parking is easy if you get there early, and there are real bathrooms at the visitor center. It's still a .5 mile hike to the beach, but it's mostly a firm gravel path with more sand as you get to the beach. Lots of other hiking trails that I didn't try on this visit. Signs help you navigate your way to the beach. There are restrooms and a rinse off station prior to the boardwalk onto the sand. Once to the beach, it's a pretty narrow strip of sand, but off to the right of the main path there is more space. Bring your own everything--shade, seats, snacks, and any digging/sifting equipment for finding fossils! Pack lightly. I saw some people with big beach carts and I'd not recommend it as coming back from the beach it's mostly uphill! Signs at the entrance indicate jellyfish may be present but I didn't see any for the 3 hours I was there. The waves are not very rough and the water is clear out to about 3 feet. I'd recommend water shoes as there are lots of shells/rocks at the shore. I hiked in Teva sandals and it was the perfect shoe for me hiking and on the beach and in the water. Because parking is limited, the beach was not too crowded. It was fun watching other people find fossils as I relaxed in the sun and enjoyed the peace of the sand and surf!

What a total gem of a park- obviously our first time there and it was just a gorgeous Fall day!…read moreApparently this spot is "lesser known" or less visited than the nearby Calvert Cliffs but offers a lot of the same views and perks like finding fossils and shark teeth. Part of the beach have a very small shoreline but around the corner it opens up to this huge wide beach area with a little look out deck. We walked along some of the other pond trails and they were just beautiful. Saw tons of birds and turtles. A lot of the paths are maintained by boardwalks, and sometimes you're just walking along the dirt/sand mix but it's very peaceful and picturesque! We brought our dog and she loved it too! Being that it was November, it felt like a very few amount of people around- I imagine its much busier when it's warm out- but if you're looking for a day on the water- this is a very accessible and fun spot! I would imagine you'd want a wagon or something to carry chairs or anything that you were planning on bringing to the beach as it's a bit of a walk from the parking areas. They do have a handicap accessible lot close to the shore for those that can't do the walk.

Theodore Roosevelt Island is a wonderful spot to visit. Me and my girl enjoyed walking and jogging…read morethrough the paths of the park. It kind of has that green swampy look to it. Lots of room and space to observe everything. Parking is not so bad. I mean, we didn't have a hard time getting here by car, but it is a wonderful experience.

A very nice walking trail that is very close to DC/Rosslyn. A bit of a walk to get there from the…read moreRosslyn Metro station, but definitely worth it. Wish that there were more walking routes with a better view of the water, but it was pleasant and easy to walk--not at all strenuous.

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!

This place is huge. You can explore in DC or Maryland. There are trails for bikes or you can take a…read moreleisurely drive or walk. The trails in Takoma Park Maryland are convenient to travel when visiting friends.

Love a accessible national park via public transit! The views are absolutely stunning with the high…read moreterrain spots, the creek, and endless amount of foliage along the winding path. We had great animal encounters with squirrels, ducks, snakes, and deer! Its the perfect place to retreat from the city and go on a walk with nature, even on a hot day. The grounds are well labeled and urban enough where you're not worried about getting trapped in the woods. There is also a designated picnic area we saw families enjoy.

Grading on the curve of "it's in Maryland", this is a fantastic trail!…read more If this were west of the rockies though, it would be A-OK. There is one tiny section where you actually have to scramble. The rest of it is pretty much a moderate hike with some lite route-finding. We saw multiple snakes on the way in, which were the highlight. Definitely worth doing if you're in the area, but probably not worth a dedicated trip if you're in DC proper.

Not a reflection of the trail as a whole, but when I stopped back on this occasion I was dismayed…read more It was one thing during the peak of the COVID era when there were signs up saying this trail was to be undertaken in one direction only. People were throwing around all sorts of silly rules out of desperation in those days. I doubt any lives were saved by this; maybe the theory was to reduce human contact but realistically, we're talking about hiking in open air. Public health aside, I return to find even now there are still signs saying to take the trail one way. And having done it both ways many times, it's the wrong way! Absurd. Supposedly there's some justification, but I think that grown adults can figure out how to hike in two directions without running into each other. As an overall natural resource, it remains a gem (though it must be noted that the Billy Goat B trail downstream is currently closed due to damage). But whoever is making these stupid rules shouldn't be in the business of making rules at all. Thankfully some rebels were taking the trail in the northernly direction, as well they should.

Came here with a group for kayaking. Only they ran out of kayaks before noon. So some of us had to…read morerent standup paddle boards instead. There is a slightly more expensive pricing for folks not residing in Fairfax, Loudon, Alexandria, or Arlington counties. But they don't really verify...so as long as you put down an address within those counties on your waiver, then you are good to go. See my pics for the pricing as of Aug 2023. The Sat I came, they seemed very short staffed with only two people managing the rental payments and forms and then another 2 manning all the boats/boards. So we pretty much ended up having to launch and bring back our vessels ourselves. They have very limited 2 person kayaks and they require kids under 12 to be in a boat with another adult so be prepared. In addition to kayaks they have jon boats and stand up paddle boards. You can bring your own vessel but there are launch prices. The lake is quite large so 1 hour is still not enough to explore its entirety even if you were powering through. The boat rental process is this: 1) Each person needs to fill out a waiver (just one page), you need to keep the yellow paper on you and return it when you come back. 2) Payments can be done per person or by group and they accept Apple Pay 3) Go down to the dock, hand them your form 4) They will tell you which vessel you can pick and hand you life vests and paddle(s) 5) Go have fun 6) Return the vessel 7) Bring back the yellow form to the rental house Not sure why we need to keep a piece of paper on us while out on the water. I've rented boats in many other places and all they needed was the vessel back. I guess to prevent theft...but they log the number assigned to the vessel on the form prior to you renting so...But at least there isn't an entrance fee to this park and there isn't really much else to do besides activities around the water front. There is a trail that leads to Bull Run, but there isn't say a playground, picnic area, or sports fields. Parking is pretty limited but you can park along the side of the road.

One of my dogs favorite hiking spots. The bike trails are good too, although this park is nestled…read moreway out of suburban NOVA areas like FFX.

New little adventure for Desmond and I. I was on Yelp looking for a new dog park or trail for my…read moredog and I to explore not too far from home. Dora Kelley nature park was such a great find! There are several entrances. We entered off the Sanger Ave entrance next to the Nature Center. There's lots of informational signs along the trail, explaining all of the different things to be on the lookout for, including plants, flowers, birds, and other species you may encounter. There's a paved and unpaved trail that runs along a creek. I usually keep an AirPod in and listen to music or audiobook, but there were so many earthly sounds that made me want to walk in silence and take in everything nature was offering.

This is a lush, peaceful neighbourhood park. We parked on N Chambliss and headed south, and…read moreimmediately past the playground, a tree-lined paved trail opened up. The trails are mostly wide enough for 3 adults, and mostly flat with gentle slopes. The trail ran along a wide gorge creek, and we came across several families enjoying the outdoors. It's easy enough to navigate, and connects multiple nearby neighbourhoods. I appreciate this green space being maintained and freely available to the community.

There's a resident Bald Eagle in the park now and I've seen him five times this spring. Saw him…read moreflying upstream with a fish in his talons today. Woodpeckers, blue jays, and nuthatches were there today.

Need a park to walk with great scenery bugs, water, innocent wild life? this is a great dot to come…read morewalk. just under a mile and a half, this gives you just enough walking experience to break a small sweat. coming back to check out the views again.