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.

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.

Looking for an easy spot to social distance outdoors? Look no further! While there is no swimming…read morein this lake, it's the perfect spot to kayak, canoe, or paddle board. We rented paddle boards from Rivanna River Co and brought them over to the lake. The launch area is super easy for loading and unloading, and the lake is massive and provides plenty of room for everyone to have their own space. There was no entrance fee, plenty of parking, and gorgeous views. I'll definitely be back next time I need to beat the heat while getting some outdoors time in!

it's beautiful and perfect for boating of any anykind but motor boats but people and dog are NOT…read moreallowed to swim in it!!! Makes no sense! Birds swim in it and poop in it has fish and boats are allowed! Also people do not clean up after themselves today I went and saw a bread bag and fishing line tied to a root and left! That kind of stuff is dangerous to wildlife and yet people and dogs can't swim there?! make it make sense!

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.

Chill vibe. Helpful staff. Reasonable price. Amazing location with easy river access…read more A new owner bought this place in 2021, and has been fixing, adding, and generally making it even more awesome. We will be back. It's a true gem.

I went to a 420 festival here and it wasn't what I was expecting. The people were nice and so were…read morethe vendors. I was expecting more companies trying to sell you things on how to grow your herbs. If the government would stay out of this everyone would benefit from each other. Whether from a economic standpoint and for the help it does for others. Now only the government is making the money because they are the only ones who are allowed to sell you the herb and then they have you in the system . The government allows these companies to functionson, so they get the profi. You can't buy seeds for your 4 plants you are allowed to grow. I didn't give it low stars because it really isn't their fault. Maybe next year the government with get off its heiney and get on with what was promised to the voters.

Tubing Review: We had an amazing time. Was is exhausting,…read moreyes. Worth it, yes! Owen was great. He was a great driving the stick shift bus back to the outfitters. It was nice being dropped off and picked up. We did have issues with our card online, but when I called in to book, Nancy was helpful. She got us all situated and sent an email to confirm. We filled out waivers online which was a breeze. We watched a quick safety video, picked up our lifevest and were on our way. The water was the perfect temp, and it was clear. Tips: bring snacks and water. You are out there 4-5 or longer hours. Especially if the water is low, which ours was. We used a waterproof bag and had no issues. We used a tube with a cup holder which was nice. I wore my life vest out of precaution even though I can swim, plus it made it comfortable for my to use it as a neck rest. I've noticed people mention in previous reviews that the bus was dirty ect. Um, you're in the woods. If you get picked up after many other groups the bus will be dirty as everyone is wet coming out of the water no matter what activity you choose. I would not own a brand spanking new vehicle for this type of environment and job. Used is best and saves money I'm sure. Wear a hat and sunglasses, put in that sunscreen. Bring a waterproof phone case/bag. You will have no service out there so put it on airplane mode and use it as a camera.

Fun experience for floating down the river! Great service, chill vibes, great staff... I'd go back!read more

Having just purchased our first canoe, decided to use Mountain Run Lake for our maiden voyage, it…read morebeing a mere 15 minutes or so from home. While we've visited this county park a few times just to walk around, this was our first experience on the lake itself, thus my comments are pretty much just based on our lake experience. The park itself, apart from the lake, has quite a bit of property & amenities for a nice day outdoors. Lots of green open space, some walking trails (which we have yet to investigate), & a fair number of covered picnic shelters with grills &/or very nice brick fireplaces. As far as boating facilities, there is one very small wooden pier & an equally small concrete boat ramp. Since we were "launching" a canoe, was glad I was wearing my new little breathable "quick dry" water shoes, since it was impossible not to get wet during the process. Mountain Run Lake is considerably smaller than Culpeper's other lake property - Lake Pelham, which runs a canoe/kayak/paddleboard/paddleboat etc. concession - Mountain Run being a mere 75 acres to Lake Pelham's 225. Thus, it took us only about an hour to do Mountain Run's entire perimeter, & that was just via slow, leisurely paddling. (In comparison, we usually spend around 3 hours on Lake Pelham, including a 1/2-hour or so on-water lunch break.) Since we were there around 10:30 a.m. on Labor Day, there were LOTS of people fishing - both along the banks & from boats. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how many times we visit a local waterway & see people fishing, we've yet to see anyone ever catch anything - lol! Regardless, we did our best to be considerate & stay as far away from fishing people as we could. (Unfortunately, we did just barely miss mowing down some poor guy's line, but to be honest, he was standing completely hidden in the brush on the banks, right around a corner, & there was really no way for us to know he was there. We apologized profusely, but just got a glare. Oh well.) Being an avid birder/naturalist, I was of course more interested in the wildlife than anything else. Quite a bit of deep purple Ironweed & a few patches of brilliant red Cardinal Flower blooming on the banks. Saw lots of Painted Turtles; a beautiful Great Egret; several Great Blue Herons; one very small heron that was either a Little Blue or a Little Green; Canada Geese, along with one big visiting domestic-looking Greylag goose; a handful of hybrid ducks; & the piece de resistance - an OSPREY!!!! It flew right by our canoe, carrying a fish. I had no idea that we had Osprey in Culpeper, but it was close enough to be absolutely unmistakable. Weather was absolutely lovely, & all in all it was a very nice, if short, trip. Bottom line - nice, clean park. Only caveats are that 1) being so nice & clean, it's extremely popular on weekends & holidays, so if you're looking for solitude you need to visit early in the day; & 2) Parking is extremely limited. Like most county parks, park is open from dawn till dusk.

Nice park. Fishing is meh. Never had much luck but I've seen other catches. It is a pleasant…read morelittle park.

More like 3.5 stars. Tubing on the river was fun and our family of 5 enjoyed it. Our kids are 5-9…read moreyears old so we had to keep an extra eye on them and help them a little. We used the strap that came with the cooler tube to strap my youngest child's tube to another one. One employee told us we could purchase another strap to tether them together but then the employee in the shop kind of scoffed and said it wouldn't necessary. It was definitely necessary! We had to paddle after all the kids cause their arms and legs are too short to even reach the water and paddle themselves. The employees really didn't do a whole lot of customer service so I'm not really sure the tip (which was paid in advance) was worth it. We even had to carry all our tubes all the way back up the hill after we finished. The river itself is mostly calm and it is a beautiful area. But there was quite a bit of algae/scum in the slower moving water which grossed out the kids lol. And the island where we stopped to each lunch had some trash on it. Overall tubing was a good experience but the $200+ price felt like a lot for what it was.

Our float was nice despite the river being low and getting stuck a few times. However, the guy…read moreworking the front desk (the owner? I don't know, I see what I assume to be the same guy mentioned in several other reviews) was *incredibly* rude. I can't understand this; I own a business and if I ever spoke to a client like that, they would never hire me again. So I guess he doesn't count on repeat business? The guy driving the shuttle was nice enough but I also don't understand this whole tip jar thing for boating companies. All the guys do is drive us a few minutes down the road and unload gear. Is that not their literal job? Why isn't the company paying them a living wage? I'd definitely scope out other places given the customer service at this place

Beautiful lake . You can rent paddle boats or boat with a…read moremotor for up to 4 hours . Cash only . There's an officer that comes around every now and then - if you get stopped by him, he'll ask to see your fishing / hunting etc license . If you don't have it he'll ticket your for $23. The one I ran into was really nice . They have Porto potty bathrooms ( very cramped -- I'm 5'8 and was struggling to move around without touching anything! ) . Real gross . Bring hand sanitizer and your own wipes just in case !

This is a pretty body of water. As a park it's quite pleasant. The sad part is development is…read moreencroaching the area big time. What used to be a quiet place, isn't what it was. Yet this is a common theme in northern Virginia. Park employees are excellent though. I do like my times over here. Some of my best fishing trips used to be here. Whether it's overfishing or VGIF isn't stocking as much, I'm not sure what's going on. There are some walleye. Last few years I've caught some crappie, catfish, and bluegill. The bass caught have been small. Used to find the area by the water containment to be top notch. Now I use the walk our dock that's got a roof on it. This is a great structure to relax by the water, yet the fishing quality has dropped substantially.

Even though it was pouring rain we had a wonderful time at the RV campground. Our campground…read morehosts made sure all was perfect. The bathrooms and showers were clean. The campsites were large with great space making parking easy. And the adorable town of Luray is only 20 min away.

Often times, the national parks get the best territory and the states get leftovers. However, the…read moreShenandoah River State Park, down the mountain from well known Skyline Drive and its accompanying federal parkland, is by no means inferior. A rural drive leads to a visitor center, trails, an overlook, river access, and campgrounds. I had time for only a brief visit, but the views were majestic. It would be an excellent place to return for a hike. As with most of Virginia's state parks, there is a modest entrance fee, but I'm sure it's well worth it.