It's always been a pleasant lake/park. There are some okay trails here, yet what it's all about is…read morethe water. Germantown Lake is quite nice. As for the fishing, a lot of snags. You can rent paddle boats, and quite a few kayak here. Yet the fishing isn't all that. It certainly is beautiful in some areas, but I wish more fish opportunities. Crockett Park is owned and managed by the county. This is impressive. What I usually do here is go during astronomy nights, with a group called NOVAC. Light pollution is less of a problem than say the DC area. A very nice group of men and women. Parking is never a problem, and it is a family friendly place.

This is the best public lake and picnic area I have found in Virginia. It costs six dollars for…read moreeach car. It is free if you reside in Fauquier County. The park is well maintained. There are picnic areas and even one spot by the water reserved for Seniors/handicapped. There is neat play area for children, a snack bar, and boats for rent. There are canoes, flat boats and paddle boats. It is peaceful here at least in early Spring.

It's a nice NOT crowded place to enjoy beautiful scenery. I had a celebration of life party for my…read moremom who loved the luray area. It was easy to reserve the pavilion and the cost was not to much.

What an incredibly beautiful gem! Revenue the ride out here is great! Beautiful lake surrounded by…read moremountains & trees. Nice pretty easy trail that loops around the lake (some parts are thin & steep, but made it through with the dog) . Absolutely loved this place on our vacation. Quite peaceful. I counted 6 shelters too so I imagine in spring /summer it gets used a lot. They have porta potties and a 2-stall bathroom for women & a bathroom for men too. Hand washing station outside. We came during the week of October 13th & the foliage was beautiful.

TOTAL DOG HEAVEN. My pup Otis and I frequent the dog parks in town around Charlottesville a few…read moretimes a week, and decided to take a little winter adventure up to Chris Greene Lake this past weekend. Despite being VERY muddy (everywhere is muddy right now because of all of the rain and snow!), it was absolutely awesome. As soon as we arrived at the dog park area at Chris Greene, which is a short and pretty walk through the woods from the parking area, Otis went NUTS! There's a ton of space to romp, and I think the dogs really love the added fun of dodging in and out of the many trees. I've never seen Otis run so much at a dog park, and despite the cold and ice on the lake he jumped right in. This place will be perfect when the weather is warmer and the dogs really want to swim! It also offers what no other dog parks have: total shade, which will come in handy in July and August! I did get a little turned around leaving the park - there are two paths and I couldn't remember which one we came in on. I took the wrong one, but it just took me on a pleasant little loop before arriving back at the parking area. For the direct exit, take the path on the right. I also think it's important to note that this park is big and your pooch can get pretty far away from you at any given time. I try to stay pretty close to my guy just in case he encounters a grumpy-pants-pup, and that feels pretty hard to do here. Still, like most dog parks around town, the owners were all pretty keyed into their dogs behaviors and we didn't have any problems.

Nice park with many activities. However the dog park is not…read morefenced properly. Our dog got through the fence and ended up miles away and hurt herself doing so. Fortunately she had a name tag with phone number and we got her back that night. If they don't fix the fence you need to stay right with your dog, which defeats the purpose of the park.

great lake for paddling or fishing…read more lots of smaller largemouth bass, but a developing population of larger ones. no gas motors are allowed. concrete boat ramp with a small floating dock and attached canoe/kayak launch. even when the parking area is crowded, I've never seen it full. & the lake looks empty even when the parking is full. limited shore fishing. some picnic tables & such. there are restrooms on the hill above the boat ramp. only flaws are a population of wasps at the dock that repeated complaints to the County have not resolved, and a tendency for all-about-me folks to park along the ramp (which is NOT a parking area, except for the small handicap area) or leave their vehicles there for extended periods.

Lake Mooney is technically a reservoir but it definitely has that lake feel and is perfect for…read morefishing or kayaking. Gas motor boats are not allowed; only electric motors are permitted on the lake. There's a boat ramp that is easy to get to. A few benches also line the shore. This is a great place for a picnic. I personally enjoy visiting late in the afternoon, as you can watch the sun set.

We decided to join the 1st Hike of the Year and had a great time. The county led the hike on a path…read morethat is going to be built up. After the hike we took a quick peak down at the river and want to come back for some more outdoor activity.

I'm so glad I came here this morning. I am truly grateful this land has public access and rendered…read moreas a preserve. Fauquier Co is beautiful already and then to come here and walk a trail by the Rappahannock River; It was gorgeous. I loved the rock jutting out into the river. The tall trees, so silent. I felt like I was far from home but it only took me 12 min to get here. I followed the red blaze trail. 2.5 miles maybe? Creeks, ferns, and singing birds all around. Very nice. DYK, the Rappahannock River is 195 miles long? Starts in the Blue Ridge Mountains and empties into the Chesapeake Bay. That being said, please keep Virginia beautiful. Pack it in, pack it out. Give a hoot, don't pollute!

This review is for the splash pad and playground. The incredibly awesome and very, very free splash…read morepad and playground. This new splash pad and playground serves as a reminder that damn Loudon County has some money. We got here at noon with our toddler and only planned to spend a couple of hours and ended up basically being here until they closed in the middle of summer at 8 PM. I think it's an amazing design to have three playground design for different ages right near the splash pad. Luckily it was like 5000° out so kids dried off the minute they left the waterpark to go to playgrounds. So being a wet mess really wasn't a concern. There are a few rules to the waterpark that includes no toys and no dogs and the standard diaper requirements for the incontinent , but otherwise it's pretty open and people were really really well behaved. The bathrooms are amazingly clean for a public bathrooms and offer wide enough stalls to change in. It's highly recommended because of temperatures and the fact that most of the place is concrete to wear water shoes. The only issue we had was that a baby kept putting wet banana peels like this was Mario kart in the splash pad and people kept tripping on them. Most of the water features are well functioning and a lot of fun. The playground themselves range from ages 5 to 12, and have a lot of hills with Astroturf, which is kind of fun to just roll down and they have slides built into them. There are a lot of climbing activities. The slides do get hot on a sunny day, but since the kids are already wet from the waterpark, they seem fine. And the park is very clean. We went on a weekday and it wasn't really that crowded, but I can see how weekends could be pretty full. They also have lots of tables for our families to sit down and enjoy some picnic items.

My kids love it. It's clean and lots of parking space and well maintained. It's worth visiting.read more

Love coming here and doing walks, plus the scenery is great - huge lake. On my recent visit I went…read morewalking with a friend - off the beaten path. Also, took a short visit through the Discovery Center (my first time inside) - will have to check it out another time. I'm already looking forward to my next visit to this park as it is one of my favorites in the county. Visited November 2024

Enjoyed a wonderful barbecue here. The park is large and it's beautiful. We had a picnic pavilion…read moreright next to a playground. The facilities are well maintained here.

If you're into history, hiking the trail around Government Island is an interesting one. It's the…read moresite of a colonial-era quarry that the federal government later bought to use the stone to help build the U.S. Capitol and The White House. After driving 45 minutes from Southeast D.C. on a January Saturday, here's my experience. 1) Parking: There's a medium-sized gravel parking lot with empty spots often. On the edge of the lot is a porta potty. Near the trail head are signs talking about the area's history and directions on which path to follow. 2) Trail: The path leads to a boardwalk where people sometimes fish. Follow the boardwalk across the water to the island. Here, the trail wraps around the small island with a constant view of the water and its wildlife, including herons. 3) Markers: The trail is well marked with signs that talk about the quarry's history, how the stone was transported to D.C., etc. You can see the foundation of the old quarry and a historic marker.

Such a lovely trail to get some fresh air! Came here with my family + 2 pups. There are two parking…read morelots, one side for Aquila Harbour residents and the other side...not quite sure how people access actually. Small parking lot for a somewhat secluded trail. Dirt trail with a bridge to connect to the only side. My favorite thing is all the history you can stop and read throughout. Did you know George Washington was raised in Stafford county?! Great view of the inlet and there's even a few benches if you ever want to sit and rest. Trashcan & doggie poop bags at the entrance. Unsure how long it actually is (we've tried twice & got too tired to make it all the way to the "end"). Nice tree shade and bugs weren't a bother. AED located at halfway mark of the bridge.

Really close to my daughter's house, she runs here often and said she feels safe and hadn't had any…read moreissues. It was clean, well taken care of. There's even an area that's wheelchair accessible and over 7 miles of trails. Lots of signs explaining the history of the area and bridges and paths were well taken care of. We also noticed they had been planting and working on reforestation. It's a beauty natural setting only 45ish minutes from DC.

Lots of great options on this hike, a few trails to choose from (short and long), lots of great…read morescenery and historical markers along the way. We just did it this last weekend, and the whole trail is just under 5 miles. Highly recommend to families, as it is mostly flat. Meet my hiking partner....he's loving the scenery.

Pretty little park! Nice to walk and see the well kept grounds and dedication the staff has put…read moreforward to keeping it so beautiful. Photographs also posted on Instagram @3spade7star_photography and Facebook ThreeSpade SevenStar

Green Springs Gardens is one of the most beautiful parks in Fairfax County and North Virginia that…read moreI have ever visited and definitely a hidden gem among all the parks here. The colorful flowers and unique park areas like the glass greenhouse, the secret garden, and the children's library were some of the spectacular highlights in Green Springs Gardens. Admission to this park is free as well. I was impressed by the manicured lawns for picnics, meditation, and community outdoor activities. We walked all of the trails there. I noticed the happy and musical chirping of many birds there. All the flowers were beautiful . I loved the delicate orchids the most in the glass greenhouse. Many nice sitting areas all over the garden to take small breaks from walking. This is one of the finest and a definite go see garden in the DMV area. I will visit this garden again & again.