Nice place to walk and fish. there is limited parking, about 20 spots, no public bathrooms, one…read morepicnic area, one grill. fishing was not great the first time i went there, but yesterday , we caught 3 1lb bass in 40 minutes

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.

Loooove this park. Natural shade everywhere, TWO playgrounds with one that is toddler friendly and…read moreTWO swing sets. There's a pavilion next to it with a grill and there's a porta potty AND a THRONE potty which is like an upscale porta potty with a changing table. Super clean and easy to access.

Used to go there as a kid with basketball courts. Nice place If you like a woodsy venue. It's been…read moresemi renewed and some of it is still in the 80s

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.

We recently went to Burke Lake Park with family and had a great time! We rode the train, went to…read morethe playground and played mini golf - we hardly had to wait for both the train and mini golf! The mini golf course was kept up nicely and was good for a wide range of ages! We will definitely be coming back.

I hadn't been in awhile and this place is as Yelp worthy as ever on a warm fall day. It's a must…read moredo if you like anything outdoors. They have a giant lake for fishing, you can fish from the dock areas or bring or rent a non-gas powered boat. You can also rent a canoe or paddle boat but all the rental stuff is only open during spring/summer They have a 5 mile trail along the lake that's a nice walk but can be crowded when the weather is good and pay attention since the trail entrance isn't marked as clearly as it could be. They also have mini golf, a train, playgrounds and some other stuff. It's free for Fairfax County residents (glad we're getting something for our taxes) and $10 for everyone else but of course the rentals, mini golf, train, etc. cost extra. There's a decent amount of parking but go early on a nice day or you might have a hard time grabbing a spot. I'll come back here for sure to walk the trail and maybe do a little fishing or rent a boat

Beautiful park with a lot of different areas that are like their own little landscapes. A great…read moreplace to take photos and even saw a proposal (she said yes!) while I was there. Fun to walk around and enjoy nature. Good place for families or kids or even a casual date. There are plenty of benches and areas with shade. Parking is abundant and the fee to enter is pretty cheap!

This place is absolutely beautiful. Huge with so many stunning areas from a greenhouse with glass…read morewalls and greenery to pagodas! I didn't know it's also a popular event venue! We saw a few weddings here last weekend. Plenty trails and photo ops! Looks like a lot of people come here for maternity shoots and engagement shoots- the photographers have a special entrance ticket and rules to abide by. Not free entry but very well maintained and a beautiful experience for families or couples.

What a gem! Chessie's Big Backyard is such a great spot for kids (and grown-ups who like a good…read morewalk). The walking trails were really nice--well maintained with peaceful forest views. Perfect for a stroller, and some nature scavenger hunts. The playground itself is huge and looked really well cared for. The toddler area was unfortunately closed during our visit, but the rest of the space more than made up for it. There are tons of benches and seating all around, and you can see most of the playground from just about anywhere, which is so helpful when you're keeping an eye on kiddos. There's a massive covered pavilion area that would be perfect for group meetups or a picnic in the shade. And while it was still closed for the season, the splash pad/water park area looked like fun! Definitely planning to come back in the summer to check it out! Such a great spot to have in the area!

Would definitely come here again didn't know that it was a park with a waterpark next to it just…read morefor small kids nothing major nothing big but it's still amazing. Granddaughter had a blast.

This is a smaller neighborhood type park with a pretty good trail and more of a legit woods feel in…read moreplaces than a lot of suburban trails while also being right in people's backyards in other places. It's only a few miles long and there wasn't any parking to speak of on Etsel Road so I just parked on the street in the neighborhood and didn't get towed or anything so I guess it's fine. You can also take the trail into Fairfax City and get something to eat or whatever. They also have a coyote warning sign but I didn't see any, not sure if I should be disappointed and grateful! This is a worth checking out if you're in the area and have an hour or so to spend going for a walk.

It's a nice place if in the area. Admittedly still saddened, that Army Navy Golf Course developed…read morethe land it bought, taking away some of the woods that used to exist here. Yes it was their property, but the bike hills and rope swing were so much fun. This is still a good neighborhood park. It connects Old Lee Hills with Fairview, and the paths are well maintained. You'll enjoy hiking your dog here, or biking through it. There is a lot of wildlife in here. It's a nice spot to see deer, or other animals who do coexist with us. There's a stream with small fish too. Hoping the city will always maintain this so well, along with volunteers who lovingly handle invasive plants. There are some benches too. I recommend sitting here and relaxing sometimes. It's healthy and a good place for it.

My kids and I call the is Royal Lake park and it's a nice neighborhood/local park. A nice lake you…read morecould kayak in (not too many ppl), with geese, turtles and ducks. Very busy Saturday mornings during some seasons due to soccer (so parking lot will be full). There's a pretty good toddler and bigger kid playground structure and basketball court. It's about a mile walk across the lake with some paved parts but other parts are gravel and dirt and stairs. You'll have to carry a stroller at some points if taking stroller. Beautiful to look at the tree line during Fall.

It's nothing extraordinary. Right off of Pommeroy St, this is a small place with a playground. The…read moreset is decent enough for little ones. The field is of substantial size to throw a football around, or maybe fly a kite, but the goose poop isn't so attractive. That alone is a reason why the Canadian Honkers have less bag limits, during hunting season so please hit 'em up. As for the view, I do appreciate Lake Royal. Only two lakes in Virginia are natural, but this one has herons and an occasional eagle. Fishing from this side is ok, but it's far more action on opposite. Parking is for the most part adequate. Can't beat the price of admission, as it's free, and the adjacent trail is a pleasant one.

Ratliffe Park is a great little park tucked away in the heart of Fairfax City…read more There is a playground for both toddlers and elementary school age kids, giant saucer swing, animal totem pole, and artfully arranged tree trunks that kids can practice their jumping skills on. My children are especially fond of all of the fresh mulch to play with (eye roll). There is a covered picnic area which would make this spot perfect for birthday parties as well as lots of green grass to run around. I find it a little bit more quiet and more well-maintained than nearby Van Dyck Park which can get kind of crazy if you have tiny littles like me.

A nice park by old town Fairfax. Right off of Sager Avenue, there's a decent field here. This is…read moregood for throwing a baseball or football around. Also the basketball courts are pretty sweet. I like the amount of open space here, plus the trees mixed in, for a bit of a relaxing view. Parking is a cinch, as I just park on Sager. If you have little kids, there's even more. The playground is quite extensive. They will also like the swings. A clean park, and a safe place away from big streets to. It's a fine place for families to go. This usually isn't too busy either, so people who like a laid back spot, might be enamored by this. There are some gardens and flowers too.

Begrudgingly, I am rating Lake Fairfax with 4 stars. Let me preface by saying I am not an…read more"outdoor-sy" type of gal. Spas and sparkling rosé...more my speed, but I am always up for different experiences. Having said that...I've experienced it, and umm...with mosquito bites still itching, this was cool...not sure if I would say, "yes" again. While he set up the tents, I went to grab a margarita. Upon my return, I was impressed with the setup. Who knew camping could be "chic"? lol. After sending my daughter pics, she said it was, "glamping," not "camping." Lol Honestly, I enjoyed. Just hated the bugs. I love to read. If you do too, bring a good book. The camping ground is spacious. You're assigned a lot where you set up your tent(s). Seems like he had the entire gamut -- blow up couch, blow up bed, portable grill, speakers for music, bug repellent, food, and libations ;-) You will hear everything that is nature at night. I swear I heard a fox howling/barking. All-in-all, it was a cool experience...five days later, still itching from those bites. Oh! There's a water park too...arrive early to get in because they do have a capacity limit.

Wayyyyy back in the day, my dad bought a RV, and the one place that I can explicitly remember us…read moregoing, was Lake Fairfax Park. I also remember having a great time on the lake paddle boating and swimming in the big "L" shaped pool. Fast forward decades later, I have taken a liking to camping. I still consider myself a novice, and over the last 3yrs, I have accumulated some cool stuff. I have an annual camping trip with a large group next month, but I wanted to do a small intimate trip to one of my favorite childhood places. I must say, Lake Fairfax has one big change from when I was a child. It now has a HUGE waterpark that has giganic water slides as soon as you enter. I was a little disappointed to hear from the check-in Park attendant, who had the personality of a disinterested teenager, that the L shaped pool I referenced was no longer there. My picture of laying poolside or chillin in the pool were shattered, because with waterparks, comes tons and tons of young kids.. and honestly, I would just rather not..LOL! Once we made it to our assigned camping lot, I was super pleased at how close we were to the extremely clean rest rooms that were equipped with showers. The camping site was noticeably quiet, almost library quiet, so that suprised me a little. I didn't want to disrupt the flow, so I kept my speaker at a low level. :) All in all, I had a memorable experience at Lake Fairfax Park and I can definitely see myself coming back sometime next Spring/Summer!!