April 15, 2026 - A hidden gem and fascinating park we discovered recently since we moved here in…read more2023. It has been an incredibly fun adventure for us - finding parks and places to enjoy, hike, and immerse ourselves in the nature, beauty of the outdoors, and wildlife in Virginia & Maryland. We walked all the trails in the Hidden Pond Park and liked spending time in the Hidden Pond Nature Center in the park. There are many activities for children and adults in the parks. The staff there were friendly and helpful. The park is well maintained and there are so many picturesque areas and hiking trails to experience there. We spent about three hours in the park. The park was peaceful and quiet. We experienced no traffic and saw very few people during our hike on the trails. Austin, one of the staff in the Nature Center, said it had to do with the geography & location of the park. Along the trails are many sitting areas to take a break. We saw many kinds of birds, deer, flowers, and foxes during our time in the park. Strongly recommend wearing bug repellent & sunscreen and checking out a map of the trails in the nature center. Beautiful park to visit during each season and very ideal for wildlife photographers and for peaceful & quiet walks in the park.

What did we see on our first day walking the trails? -Red fox, 3 deer, red shouldered hawk,…read morecardinal, woodpecker, sleeping squirrel, sparrows, chickadee, carnivorous plant, and a turtle back at the pond. Pretty eventful day, April 15, 2026. Staff were helpful and nice! Nature Center provides wildlife education and animals, a place to refill water or use the utilities. I wouldn't expect to see all that we seen, as think we were pretty lucky to come across all of that in one day. For instance as soon as we sat down on the bench near the river, the hawk flew over and landed nearby, first to get a drink of water then perched nearby. The fox happened to be coming to the river before we locked eyes and ran off while I fumbled with my dang lens cap, as always. Good luck!

I ran here various times during my stay in VA. Its a nice park to walk around, jog or run. The loop…read moreis mainly unpaved and its about 1.8 miles. Definitely beats running around the neighborhood as you see fellow runners and animals.

Yesterday on July 30th 2026. Royal lake is a fun drop by lake if you just want to cast a couple of…read moretimes. They don't have a bathroom, but they have a portable potty and it was not very clean. You can picnic here they have BBQ grills and it's free to get in. This lake is in the middle of a neighborhood. This lake is stocked with Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, crappies. I would recommend coming and taking a look.

I took my little nephews here for an afternoon of playing outside and adventure; away from their…read moreiPads and electronics. Albeit, it took some convincing and bribing (smh lol). I found this park from just Yelping parks that was nearby and I am glad we have found this park. It was a decent size. With a big play area, swings, good amount of picnic tables, bbq, and plenty of parking. And although we didn't have to use them; there were restrooms available as well! This park is next to a public school and we were able to walk to the other side of the tennis courts to enjoy the other playground that was part of the school's. My nephews had a fun time here. So much that I had to literally pull them into the car to go home! Lol We will be coming back for sure!

Cute little setting for the toddlers!!! The evening setting not to hot for a nice walk!!! Just…read moreenjoyed the time with the kids and they had a blast!

A great urban park with great potential. Good greening initiative of the county. However there's…read moretoo much concrete and too little greenery. Instead of concrete or tarmac there should be more grasses, lawns, and shade. Plant some trees please especially around the children's playground. It's so hot! No one felt like coming here when it's so hot. Very little shade as well in other parts of this small park.

Park was almost completely free from snow. What little snow that remained did not affect park…read morefeatures. Parking was cleared and easy. We had a great time there with our family.

Fantasy playground was A-ok…read more Positives: -parking lot - (very) small sand box -4!!! Baby swings -imaginative play areas Negatives: -very little shade -rocks are the main surface-tennis shoes recommended -spaces are small so you will probably smack your head trying to play with your kids -equipment is a bit run down, could definitely use a facelift -no bathrooms Located in a residential area, so reasonably crowded. Would not drive out of the way to visit in the future.

A very fun play ground wouldn't recommend it to older kids has tight spaces and can be very hot and…read morecrowded I would suggest taking your kids here that are below 6

I went to park on July 25th and let me tell you, this was a great experience. This park is very…read moreclean and also the bathrooms were clean as well. First of all when you get to the park you are greeted and you have to pay $10 to get in. They are stocked with Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Crappies, Walleye fish. They also have grills and picnic tables along with grills. Make sure you bring your own garbage bags so you can keep the park clean. Everyone speaks to that walks by. Enjoy the park and have lots of fun!

I love leesylvania state park! it have been my happy place for year, i used to take my kids there…read moreall the tim, they had a lot of fun in there. Now that I'm older I love to go for a morning walk it make me feel alive been around nature but now I'm not able to go becouse now has a handicap person with a handicap permit i has to pay to get in and I also need to make reservation on weekends which is hard for me becouse sometines I decide at the last minute to go depending on how I'm feeling that day. I don't think this was a good idea and im really disappointed about that.

Great fireworks display tonight! I watched from my apartment in Greenspring. What an unexpected…read moretreat!

Pretty park, was not totally wow'd. There is a pretty pavilion to have picnics at and there is…read moreplaces to throw a frisbee at as well as a basketball court. No bathrooms though. The only thing I found was a small port-o-potty right by the small parking lot. For a large get-together or to hike around, this is perfect. They also have grills so you can eat outside to your liking. It is not too far from Lake Akkotink if you want to check that out as well. I will give this; it is quieter than Lake Akkotink. So if you want some serene scenery, this works.

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.