Parks offer multitude of ways to enjoy the outdoors.
According to the 2010 census, Great Falls has 15,247 residents spread out over 17.9 square miles, making it one of the least dense communities in Fairfax County. Great Falls’s density is 861.8 people per square mile, compared with the average density for Fairfax County, which is 2,738.5 per square mile. The semi-rural nature of Great Falls is its claim to fame, as many residents moved here to be around less development and several citizen groups work to keep it that way.
With so much land undeveloped, it’s no wonder that Great Falls contains many parks that bring visitors from around the country. More than two square miles of Great Falls is designated parkland. The Potomac River runs along the west side of the area, separating it from Maryland and creating many destinations. Riverbend Park is located on the upper part of the river, along the Potomac River Gorge. The 418-acre park, which is run by the Fairfax County Park Authority, features 2.5 mile trail along the river, as well as three different ecosystems: river, forest and meadow.
“I’ve always found the park to be a great place to just watch nature. If you walk along the Potomac Heritage trail, you’ve got the river on one side and the forest to your left,” said Paul Hollander of Sterling. “I walked about a mile down and back today, and while watching the water, I saw a snake slithering through the muck by the river. I also saw some beautifully colored birds on the other side, flying above the forest.”
THE POTOMAC HERITAGE TRAIL connects Riverbend Park with Great Falls Park, run by the National Park Service. Here the river cascades over rocks creating the falls themselves, as well as pools for kayaking and the Patowmack Canal for hiking and exploring. The park also contains several miles of riverside trails.
“I’ve been coming to Great Falls Park since I was really young,” said Sean Arklay of Great Falls. “First my parents walked me along the trails, and when I got older, it’s where I took my first kayaking trip and went rock-climbing for the first time, and those hobbies have been a part of my life for a long time now. Hopefully my kids can have the same experiences and learn to love the outdoors like I did.”
While the Potomac has been flowing for hundreds, if not thousands. of years, Great Falls features more “recent” additions as well, such as Colvin Run Mill, which celebrated 200 years of operation in April.
Located on land once owned by George Washington, the mill still functions today and is one of the oldest brick mills in Virginia.
“Thousands of school children come to see this old mill at work,” said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova (D-At large) at the mill’s 200th anniversary celebration in April. “They have a chance to study engineering; they gain new insight into how water power and machines work and they view what was once cutting-edge innovations for automated milling.”
Turner Farm, located on 52 acres that were previously home to a dairy farm, offers almost 40 acres of open fields designed for horseback riding. The fenced in area includes a novice cross-country course featuring water, ditches and banks, a round pen and a 200 by 300-foot all-purpose arena with all-weather footing.
“Turner Farm is a great place to actually learn how to ride your horse at a comfortable pace,” said Denise Okun, 19, of Leesburg, who has been riding for more than 10 years. “I remember when I started riding I was so scared, because everyone you saw at the arena or on TV looked so perfect, it’s hard to believe you can ever learn to do that. But I learned on these fields, and I was able to get better because there’s so much to work on at the facilities here.”
FOR THOSE INTERESTED in a higher view than is available while on a horse, Turner Farm is the site of Observatory Park, which features a celestial telescope and weekly opportunities for visitors to examine the night sky.
“You mention Fairfax County and you think ‘Is there anywhere that light pollution doesn’t block out the wonders of the sky at night?’ and that’s what you have here at the Observatory Park,” said Jerry Ogden of Vienna, who regularly attends the Friday night viewing sessions. “Right now it’s an open field where you can set up your telescopes in peace, but from what I hear, that’s only the beginning for this place.”
Plans for observatory park include equipment such as a radio telescope and cosmic ray detector, as well as an international sundial garden, featuring designs from all over the world.
Charles Olin, founder of the Analemma Society, which operates in partnership with the park authority to supply equipment for the park, has already gotten started on the sundial garden, the flagpole is a gnomon (the part that casts the shadow) for the first planned dial.
