Huntley Meadows Park Review

Lovely park. Fill out of birds, turtles and ducks. Amazing! The parking is free.

So much fun, we saw almost all the birds marked on the wildlife signs.

Pet friendly. Trails. Education center. Wetlands that can be walked thru.

Great wildlife viewing from the boardwalks of the Heron Trail. Beavers, turtles, frogs, many bird species. Serene and nicely maintained park.

What a great place to walk and learn about these wetlands. Signs along the way educate you on what you are seeing.

One of my all time favorite outdoor places in the DMV. This is truly a hidden gem. It is tucked away in suburbia and starts off with as a nice forested walk. The trail is hard packed earth and generally ok for strollers. The best is when it opens up to a boardwalk over looking the wetlands. Reminds me of the Florida everglades. There is just a ton of animals to see from birds to turtles. My son was only 5 months but I can't wait for him to experience it when he is older!

Lots of water and wildlife, biggest snapping turtles I have ever seen.

Love this park!! Plenty of parking off season and weekdays. My favorite place to get away, hate leaving a 5 star review as this park still remains a hidden gem and does not get too crowded on weekdays.

Very nice place, family friendly park with wildlife.

4-11-18
Today we had a great performance from a wide venue. Right as we got on the the bored walk in the wet land a red-wing black bird was full on flying onto the walk way anf singing for us. we had a similar experiance with an ospre who let us take some good pictures, before diving in fir his dinner. And of course, to complete our trip a male canadian goose got on the path (the only exit) and was bucking at us cuz his woman was grazing.

Check this place out, especially now. all those animals are real flirty with mating season lmao.

ill see if i cant get mi chika to post the good pictures of the ospery.

Good place for a nature walk. Boardwalk is nice, lots of birds. Easy access, kids friendly. Recommend it to others as well.

With the snow?, is another history, we took Beutifull pictures !!, combination water small spots with snow?, amazing experience!!! You want too connect with nature, these is the place!!!!

Very pleasant place to walk. Level, not too difficult nice view of water and wildlife. Been there many times with my kids.

Beautiful natural beauty and wet lands. Dense trail and amazing birds.

Great for a walk. Great for pokemon Go. Sad about light restrictions on dogs... (not allowed on the boardwalk) we like. Well be back.

Very neat walking paths. Very defined boundaries. I am only giving 4 out of 5 stars because a good portion of the paths were not Doggie friendly.

Great spot to take kiddos to wear off some energy though.

Huntley Meadows Park is an awesome place to go and relax, take a good walk and is great for wildlife photography. The nature center is really cool!

Amazing oasis right off Route 1 in Fairfax County, VA. Almost 2 miles of trails, a lot of it wooded boardwalk. Heavily forested but also a lot of water views. Abundant aquatic life including beavers, fish and turtles. Great place for burden watching. Don't forget to check out the visitor center with displays which is great for children.

I liked this place.Because there are a lot of animals and insects to look at!

The boardwalk gives great access to the wetlands where your can see herons, ducks, geese, turtles and beavers. Nice weather days mean tons of photographers, strollers and dogs, so be prepared to share the space. The nature center has really good kids programs, but check the schedule for availability.

Even with COVID19 we are able to come here and walk around and bike. It's a good way to get out of the house without a lot of risk! Such a beautiful place!

Beautiful all seasons of the year. Wonderful wildlife.

Great boardwalk thru a marsh, low water lake. Bring water. Mornings and evenings are best

Trail through wetlands is great experience. Close look of inhabitants like turtle, fishes, snake, goose hatching eggs.

What a gem! Well-maintained, stroller-friendly trails, and some real peace and quiet -- during the week at least.

Wildlife sanctuaries in swamp land and in the middle of Alexandria and Springfield, Great place for birds lovers.

This is a great park. Nice and clean with great scenery. First time I went I saw some nice birds and got a nice picture! A very calm place to go on a stroll to. And the little help center has some cool stuff inside it as well.

Nice park in the DC metro area although not Metro accessible. Flat boardwalks wind through a wetland with birds and turtles. Sometimes can be busy with families walking. Nature center has exhibits and information about the park.

The Boardwalk that goes through the wetland makes the experience unique. It is very well maintained and enjoyable. They do a great job.

Beautiful location, plenty of parking, and very well-kept, easy trail for strollers and youngest hikers. Every time we come we see turtles, frogs, and many types of birds. The classes offered at the park center are also excellent. A true gem south of DC!

Beautiful park, lots of wildlife and well maintained. This synthetic boardwalk allows you to really go into the marsh area.

This is a hidden gem in Fairfax County. You can enter from near Route 1 or from near Telegraph Road. Beautiful Forrest trail and wetlands trails. Boardwalk over wetlands. Seasonal wildlife and aquatic mammals. Lots of birds. Visitor center and observation platform. No bicycles or motorized vehicles. Close to Lee District Park and Kingstowne area.

Great place for a leisurely stoll any time of the year. There is also a nature center and a board walk through the wetlands to see birds, turtles, fish and beaver. Fun for all ages.

A relaxing and convenient trail to walk a dog or ride a bike, but not very scenic. I recommend it .

This park is like a mini zoo. You can spot some animals if you are lucky enough. I love how this place preserves, I love nature and also the wildlife. You can bring your camera, dogs, and kids. My advice is to put some anti-mosquito lotion before you start to explore the park. This is an Amazing place, exciting and fun.

Huntley Meadows I'd a wonderful park..it is excellent for birdwatching and quite exceptional for Herps. It's location is an added value ! It is wheelchair accessible so everyone can enjoy it's treasures! I heartily recommend it for anyone who is nature oriented or even for those who just want a break from noisy, busy life. A must see and visit!

This is a great park to do some bird watching, to relax and to enjoy nature while walking on the boardwalk. I also did some exercising in this area and it helps me release my stress.

Nice place to walk around if you want a place to enjoy nature.

You must go! Awesome place to see all sorts of wildlife that thrive in wetlands

Beautiful trails and boardwalk through woods and wetlands. Wheelchair accessible. Bug spray is very much advised,

I love this place! So much wildlife to see, especially in the summer and at dawn and dusk.

Great educational center! Park is wild with paved walkway but watch for snakes cuz it's a swampy area. Perfect for birdwatching/photographers. So quiet you can hear bird's wings going overhead.

Lovely nature walk. Boardwalk is well maintained, and takes you into the marsh to watch birds and other wildlife. Can get crowded.

I love this park! It has a little paved path, lots of well kept gravel paths, some dirt, and neat boardwalk paths over the wetland. Forest and wetland enviroment to enjoy tons of wildlife (a Birder's delight). The interpretive signs are nice as well as the benches and buildings. I run on the long deer trails and sight see over the boardwalk.

Absolute gem near D.C.
The park is very well maintained for the size. Lots of wildlife and beautiful sunsets. The park is separated into two parts. The main part s entrance, with the visitors center and most of the waking trails, is at the corner of Lockheed Blvd and Harrison Ln, then down a small paved road. The second part, for biking and some shorter walks, is right off of South Kings Hwy.

Always love coming here with my camera. Hit or miss on the wildlife but very peaceful place

Great park to walk except many don't social distance which would improve greatly if people were more courteous.

Place had everything for a party, a shed that held trash bags, tables and chairs. The pavilion had electrical outlets, ceiling fans and well lit lighting. Posted instructions were clear for clean up and also had a clean usable grill area. A giant floor broom to clean up afterwards. Everyone had a great time and parking was relatively close.
First time there and was well priced according to party hosts.

Always a nice walk over the marshes on the boardwalk, especially when the frogs are announcing spring and the turtles are sunning

Natural atmosphere is very strong, very natural, many wild animals, feel close to nature here

Great getaway just minutes from home. Watch for the poison ivy though.

This is a great park with lots of shady trails and a really nice long boardwalk that crosses over the water and a watch tower with beautiful views.

Gets busy! Very pretty place that's great for animal watching. Don't forget your bug spray!!

Paths in the forest. And the main thing is the "Road of Life" in the swamp! It's great! Good job.

Great park, numerous side trails. Highly recommended!

I love bringing my kids here to look for turtles, frogs, snakes and birds.

Wonderful wildlife sanctuary. Incredible if you get there at sunrise in the spring.

A surprisingly different park experience. We saw lots of wildlife, birds, beavers, dear and it was beautiful at sunset.

The boardwalk allows to experience the wetlands which my family would likely not be able to.

Awesome wetland park in Alexandria. First one I've ever been to and it didn't disappoint. There was not too much wildlife activity when I went (around 11am on a Sunday) but that was okay. It was easy to follow the trail over the wetlands and it made for a nice Sunday morning. Just be careful not to step in the geese poo!

A great scenic walk with the best close-up experience to nature that I've experienced!

Nice park, nice trails but mosquitoes are OUT OF CONTROL!

This is a decent and shorter park to take a walk in. I really feel like it's a 4.5ish but I can't give that rating. The mosquitoes are why I am giving this a 4. It's absolutely horrific to go here in the summer with the continents of mosquitoes here. If you're interested, make sure you read some of these. Let's break it down:

Pros:
-Plenty of parking. It's suggested to leave a donation of $2 but that's up to you.
-The trail is not very steep and winding, which makes it suitable for most people.
-The trail really isn't long (could be a con as well). It takes 30-45 minutes to walk the lap.
-Plenty of wildlife to see. I saw deer tracks (didn't see any deer), a turtle, plenty of ducks, herons, and birds. I saw beaver dams, but no beavers. You can't get close enough to the dams to get a good view.
-Some flowers grow along the trail which make for some good photos.
-Once you hit the boardwalk, if you go left at the first split and follow the trail, you'll find an observatory with a pretty good view.
-Good for photos

Cons:
-Holy moly, are there mosquitoes here...I have never seen so many mosquitoes in my life. If you don't coat yourself in bug spray, God help you. I'm talking swarms of 20-30 following you. There's a CVS 0.8 miles down the road so do yourself a favor. If you try to take this walk without some bug spray, you gone' die. O+ blood types beware.
-No running on the boardwalk. Likely a precaution to prevent slipping and damage. It makes sense but joggers beware.
-No dogs on the boardwalk. Makes sense considering it's swamp-like. Keep your animals on the trails.
-No bicycles. If you're trying to bike in a swamp...really?
-The walk won't offer you much shade once you hit the boardwalk. Prepare if you go in the summer.
-Construction and unfinished trails once you're past the boardwalks.

I didn't go into the visitor center. We tried, but the doors were locked.

Overall, a decent park to visit with plenty of scenery and wildlife. If you love nature, it's worth a shot, but you better prepare accordingly.