Huntley Meadows Park Review

Great place for wildlife and nature walks. Herons all over

The boardwalks are in a great natural setting. However, once you leave the boardwalks where there is water current and are back in the woods, the mosquitoes are quite a nuisance due to standing water everywhere. Visitors with small children should be cautioned about letting them run ahead on the boardwalk as there is a very real possibility of them tripping over the low edges on the walkways and falling into the marshes

Amazing place to hike, only complaint is in the lake section there are no borders to prevent someone from falling, so be careful(haven't been in a while so may be fixed)

Is a beautiful and peaceful place to enjoy nature and all the beauty in the park

Understated nature preserve provides accessible boardwalk thru marsh land. Lots of birds, frogs, turtles and water bugs

Each adventure is unique and builds an appreciation for the natural beauty all around us.

This place is great! It feels so natural here and alive. Very well maintained and there's so much wildlife to watch, birds, turtles, fish, crayfish, frogs, bugs, I saw them all on my first time visiting. The boardwalk is definitely the highlight. Make sure to bring some binoculars and some bug repellent! I came midday and the mosquitoes weren't too bad, but I'd imagine if you came in the evening there'd be tons of mosquitoes. I can't recommend this place enough, I'm definitely coming back soon.

I love Huntley Meadows! It's a little gem tucked away into the middle of Fairfax County that almost nobody knows of. The nature center is quite nice, and the walk over the boardwalks is well worth it. You'll see loads of wildlife, from turtles, more birds than you can shake a stick at, to snakes, fish, and if you're lucky even a beaver or two! Go for sunrise and take some pictures from the platform - you won't regret it!

Nice park
What surprise me there were signs everywhere ,no dogs, but there were people's with dogs

Beautiful wetlands with boardwalk. So many cool animals!

Great place for a walk but use off spray as the mosquitoes and flies might swarm you sometimes. It's also great for bird watching.

Great place to visit in a beautiful day....like a little bit of paradise!

Great place for a stroll, a date, or to take the family! There are raised areas above the wetland area which are great for bird watching. When I went there was a volunteer with a telescope set up on the various different birds. Saw a heron and a bald eagle! The visitor center has lots of displays and information on plants and animals and is great for all ages.

Plenty of trails, pleasant lake, beaver dams, Canadian geese and mallard ducks - mostly leisurely walking families, couples, and friends, many with their dogs; watch for goose poop on parts of the boardwalk!

It has a very long wood walk way allow you to see birds and dam. Very easy level of hiking. Good for kids and family. If at right season you will see lots of living creatures.

Great park, nature center is just so-so compared to others in the area. Love that the trail is stroller friendly.

Our go to for days when we just want to get outside.

Good distance for walk, either in shade or close to the wet land.

Great place, but can be a bit poopy. Bring your golashes!

Nice small trail through an open wetland. Dogs are allowed through a portion (can't do a full loop with dogs) and there is a $5 recommended fee.

One of the best parks in the DC metro area. Very well Incorporated into a wetland with beaver, muskrat, geese, water snakes, alligator snapping turtles, deer, the very rare otter, and much much more. It is a favored stop of migrating bird and so constantly has different assortments of bird through the seasons.

Such a beautiful and peaceful park. My sister had been asking for new photos, so we went wandering around at the crack of dawn. We had a really nice time watching all the turtles and frogs, and the local bird watchers very kindly shared their bird knowledge with us as well. This is truly a special gem of a park.

Surreal beauty when we visited, it was frozen over. Lovely boardwalk over the wetlands. Informative visitors center.

Nice trails and boardwalk with overlook tower to take in the scenery

Great place , swamp smells a bit in the wooded section , but that's nature in it's raw form!

This is a wonderful place to visit. There are amazing wild animals, including snakes, butterflies, turtles, and beavers. There are many different kinds of birds (Green Herons and Red Winged Blackbirds), as well as a ton of Geese. The wood path is dog and bike friendly, but the part over the marsh area isn t.

My favorite neighborhood walk. Flat 2 miles, out to the water & back. It's an easy walk with beautiful views. There are many other trails at the park.

Nice place. The parking area isn't huge so it can get full on nice days. I'm sure in spring and summer it's loaded with wildlife, but end of November was a little quiet

I never knew a place like this existed in Alexandria Virginia. A huge forest in the middle of a city. Wonderful place to enjoy a long walk and see many different types of birds and small animals in the summer weather. It s very beautiful and calming to make one fell relaxed within minutes of a busy city.

Huntley Meadows is a fantastic place to go year round. There is always change and something new to experience. This time we saw turtles (even a baby!), coots, a muskrat, and Canada geese. We say footprints of various creatures. My children love it here and it is just the perfect length for them to accomplish.

I go here often and watch the sun set. Loads of wild life and great views.

Its well worth the conservation and I feel its a great treasure of Alexandria!

Because the trail was short but i gave it 4 star cause people who are biking it gonna be short and at the end its a beautiful view. (Kinda)

Great place to go on a walk or bike ride. There are plenty of paved trails and unpaved ones if you're feeling a bit more adventurous

Recently renovated, very pretty and not too crowded

Great Blue Herons were up close and personal, great to watch them can't wait to see the Wood Ducks!

My kids love this park. We always see turtles, frogs, tadpoles, snakes, heron, geese, and sometimes beaver. There's currently a beaver dam built right onto the boardwalk. The staff in the nature center are very knowledgeable and often walk in the park on their breaks. They're happy to bring you to common resting spots of the animals. The nature center also has events for children and hands-on materials.

Huntley Meadows is a great place for a quick hike. There are lots of animals to see. The boardwalk is fun. I will say that the bugs were highly annoying today. There is lots of standing water because of recent rains and the mosquitoes we're fierce. Not the best day for a visit but still fun. I highly recommend this park.

If you like to smell the nature, this is the place to go. We enjoyed.

Great place to walk around with the kids and appreciate nature.

This park is my favorite place to walk my dogs. The front part of the park has a few side trails and 1 main trail. I like that the trail is wide to allow for bikers and runners to go around walkers easily. The back side of the park has even more trails and an amazing trex boardwalk that goes around the wetlands area. I've seen all kinds of wildlife out there and the boardwalk puts you right in the middle.

Lovely forest, great wildlife sightings. Heron, lots of birds. Would give it five stars if more trails. Still a great spot for a nature walk.

Great wildlife reserve, a hidden jewel in Alexandria Virginia

Very scenic park. Perfect for jogging or taking a casual stroll.

Park has two entrances . There's a small lake. It has several paths to explore. Well maintained. There's also a visitor center.

This is quickly becoming my daily walk. Great views of open space and wildlife.

Wonderful small walking trail with amazing views of the Virginia wetlands, you can get up close and see a variety of native animals and the waterways they inhabit. Great trail for kids!

Gorgeous place. Didn't see any beavers sadly, will have to go back.

Beautiful park - we ran into animals and wildlife right and left. Highly recommend - especially since it's so close!

A gorgeous little corner of Fairfax County! Come for the beautiful views, stay for the neat nature center and wonderful staff!

Excellent, except why no dogs on Boardwalk?? Wasn't a 100% trip without walking through the wetlands!

So far, I've spotted deer, foxes, turtles, frogs, beavers, crane, chipmunks, and happy children! Explore the amazing boardwalk, or, if you're like me, go off trail and get lost with a few owls!

Come throughout the year to enjoy the variety of wildlife as it changes a bit each season

Peaceful park to get a really nice walk in. Some neat wildlife too if you like that. Great trails just wish their parking lot was bigger.

This is a beautiful trail through the canopy then an extensive boardwalk around a wetland. Clean and well kept

Very relaxing place for views. Come during the sunrise or sunset for best photos. Lots of birds and calm people. Although I have seen a creepy devil worshipper couple which I thought was funmy and they were super chill with me too! So occasionally some spicey people.

As for the walk, it appears short at first yet is a very long walk can last hours if your even speedwalking.
On facebook Nisoon Wolf is my facebook, I have updated my profile background picture as the one seen below. It took like 50 tries to get that photo.
There are snakes so be cautious of that. I have only once seen a snake popping it's head out of the water near the entrance of the creek and a couple of people aside me saw it. Pretty neat.

Great place for a quick nature walk. The whole loop takes about 30-45 mins to walk, so it's perfect for families/quick outings. You can see a lot of wildlife on the boardwalks (if you're quiet and know where to look). Animals I've spotted include: Snowy Egrets, Blue Herons, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Beavers, Muskrats, Raccoons, Frogs and Turtles.

My wife and I went here for a walk in February 2016, when the lake was frozen over. The walk it gorgeous, it takes half an hour or perhaps longer if you take pictures and all. Great way to have a look at what seems undisturbed nature. Parking is available very conveniently close.

This place is a gem. We spent hours looking at the beautiful scenery and fascinating animals.

Excellent for healthy walking and very scenic viewing of nature and animals in their natural habitats.

Wonderful wildlife area with flat accessible well-maintained trails. The wetlands boardwalk is truly great and gives great access to a lot of wildlife watching.

It's beautiful and the paths are in extraordinary condition. Plenty of easy, safe walking available including the boardwalk, and the fall foliage in contrast with the marshy meadow is extraordinary. We'll be back.

Good place to take children to learn about nature. Great place for couples and families to go enjoy nature. Its free!!! You will possibly see frogs, live turtles, lots of dragon flies. Butterflies, water, tadpoles, and more while walking on a safe boardwalk.

Thanx to covid-19, the parking capacity was not nearly enough. Probably 3 times too many cars. But the walk and views made it worth it even if it was difficult to get a good pic without someone in the shot.

Peaceful and calming park to go on a walk, run or ride our bike. There was wildlife and the trees are just beautiful. The park was clean with trash cans and benches around the sidewalks. You will need bug spray but I love this this park.

At a few places the boardwalk forks, affording the opportunity to change change one s life by taking the path less taken. Also a great place to part ways in a civilized fashion...