Countywide

The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) is once again encouraging residents to welcome a new year by hitting its trails.

The First Hike Fairfax photo contest will return for New Year’s Day 2025, offering prizes to park visitors who take a snap while strolling or hiking and upload it to the FCPA website. The link will be posted online by 7 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday).


News

The new year will bring some upgrades to the trails at Royal Lake Park.

With a two-year-long design and permitting process nearing completion, the Fairfax County Park Authority is accepting public comments through Jan. 27 on an environmental review of the planned trail-network improvements at the park in Kings Park West.


News

Pickleball and tennis courts at two parks in the McLean area might be retired in the future.

The Fairfax County Park Authority is considering relocating two shared-use courts at Linway Terrace Park (6246 Linway Terrace) in McLean. Westgate Park (7508 Magarity Road) in Tysons also has two courts — one dedicated to tennis and one for both tennis and pickleball — slated for removal.


News

McLean Central Park has reopened to the public following a major revitalization project nearly two years in the making.

The upgrades include modernized playgrounds, a new pavilion, improved walkways and enhanced green spaces. While the Fairfax County Parking Authority is still finalizing a new donor wall, a grand reopening ceremony is scheduled for 9 a.m. this Saturday (Dec. 7).


Countywide

Cost, distance and limited awareness are keeping many Fairfax County residents from taking advantage of county parks and recreation programs, a recent survey by the Fairfax County Park Authority found.

In response, the park authority is drafting a strategy to bridge the gaps and improve accessibility for underserved communities, focusing on both immediate and long-term solutions.


News

New interpretative signs are headed to Riverbend Park in Great Falls and Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly next month as part of an initiative to promote poetry in Fairfax County’s park system.

Set to be unveiled next Friday, Nov. 1, the signs will showcase poems selected by outgoing Fairfax County Poet Laureate Danielle Badra for both of the locations.


News

A woman who made international headlines for restoring a lighthouse in Ohio is seeking to undertake similar duties at Ash Grove in Tysons.

Later this month, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) will begin reviewing and soliciting community feedback on Sheila Consaul’s proposal to move into and help maintain the historic house at 8881 Ashgrove House Lane as part of the agency’s Resident Curator Program.


News

A Reston soccer club will add fencing at Lake Fairfax Park with some financial help from Fairfax County.

During its meeting on Sept. 25, the Fairfax County Park Authority board approved $20,000 in matching funds to install fences around the rectangular fields 1 and 4 at the park (1400 Lake Fairfax Drive).


News

Different portions of McLean’s popular Clemyjontri Park will close in phases next week to allow for repairs.

Contractors hired by the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) will arrive at the park on Monday (Sept. 30) to conduct maintenance on the playground equipment. Work is expected to wrap up next Friday (Oct. 4), if the weather cooperates.


News

A combined basketball and futsal court is set to open next Thursday, Oct. 3 at Stratton Woods Park (2431 Fox Mill Road) in Reston.

Construction on the court began in August. The $229,000 project is being supported by the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), Volkswagen Group of America and the Great Outdoors Fund, a nonprofit that aims to expand access to recreational amenities.


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