Countywide

Photographers braved the cold to capture moments from their New Year’s Day hikes for a chance to win the Fairfax County Park Authority’s (FCPA) First Hike Fairfax photo contest.

The annual contest invited Fairfax County residents to submit photos from their first hikes of 2026 on the park authority’s more than 420 parks and 334 miles of trails.


News

An array of boulders recently placed on a field at Roundtree Park (3320 Annandale Road) in West Falls Church is being removed, the Fairfax County Park Authority says.

The appearance of dozens of rocks in late December alarmed residents and park visitors, who frequently use the open field for soccer and other recreational activities.


News

An ongoing public-private partnership will support improvements to benefit both dogs and their human companions at Westgrove Park in Groveton.

The Fairfax County Park Authority Board on Dec. 10 approved $10,084 from its Mastenbrook Volunteer Matching Fund Grant Program to cover half the cost of the planned upgrades. The Westgrove Pumphouse Association for Canine Kindness — known as Westgrove PACK — will fund the other half.


News

Efforts to repurpose Gateway Regional Park in the City of Fairfax into a wetlands education facility could both start and be completed in the coming year.

“That’s the plan,” new NOVA Parks executive director Justin Wilson told members of the Fairfax City Council at its Dec. 9 meeting.


Around Town

In 1976, Jimmy Carter won the presidential election over the Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, Queen Elizabeth traveled to Virginia for the nation’s bicentennial, and “Happy Days” was appointment TV for millions of Americans.

That same year, the Town of Herndon created its Parks and Recreation Department with just one full-time staffer and one Fairfax County-owned park.


News

Ice-skating season at Tysons’ Capital One Center begins today (Thursday).

Skaters can take to a new, 9,000-square-foot ice skating rink at the development starting at noon, Capital One Center announced.


News

Workers and visitors at Capital One Center can now take a more direct route to and from the McLean Metro station.

After years of planning and construction, a new entrance with bicycle parking has opened on the station’s north side facing Capital One Drive, providing easier access to the development on Capital One’s Tysons campus, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced last week (Nov. 17).


Countywide

The Fairfax County Park Authority is considering increasing some of its fees next year to increase revenue and make up for rising compensation costs.

The park authority unveiled the proposed fee changes at a board meeting last month (Oct. 22) and is accepting public comment through next Wednesday (Nov. 26).


News

The Fairfax County Park Authority has identified a way to fully fund a sought-after trail on the south side of Colvin Run Mill Park.

Bond funding originally earmarked for a pedestrian bridge over Pimmit Run in Idylwood will be used instead to complete connections in Colvin Run Park, which is bisected by Route 7 (Leesburg Pike), staff told the Fairfax County Park Authority Board at its Nov. 12 meeting.


News

The list of places where guns can be carried in Fairfax City is getting smaller.

An ordinance to ban the possession of guns at city-permitted events and parks owned and operated by Fairfax City was approved Tuesday (Oct. 28) by the city council, aligning the city’s firearms policy with that of Fairfax County.


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