Ellanor C. Lawrence Park

Absolutely loved walking through this park. Well maintained and manicured, with information placards and seating. Easily put a couple of miles in here.

This place is one of our favorites. They have great trails and a welcome center with activities and animals (like turtles and snakes) for kids. There are plenty of benches and picnic tables. The staff is always very welcoming and informative. If I could give this place 6 stars, I would.

Beautiful well maintained park with pond and trails for sitting and walking. Poplar spot for family photography. Now accessible by the new 66 bike trail. Limited street parking at the moment, surrounding areas under construction.

Wonderful location for a Quiet peaceful walk in nature around the many trails surronding the area! Also many Large Black Walnut Trees with a huge abundance of Nuts between September and November for forging:)

Talk about a hidden gem when it comes to locations for engagement portraits in Northern Virginia! Though it might not be one of the first places you think of, Ellanor C. Lawrence Park is an awesome place to have your pre-wedding pictures taken! For starters, the sheer diversity of settings is absolutely jaw-dropping. We did an engagement photoshoot there a little while ago, and the hour we spent walking the trails with the couple barely scratched the surface of what the park has to offer. We found so many great spots in the woodsy area near the information center that we never even made it to some of the ponds and rivers elsewhere in Ellanor C. Lawrence Park. And as an added bonus, there is no fee or permit required for commercial photography!

Love this place! One of the walking trails is a straight path and not a loop but it ends in a big neighborhood so you'll know when to turn back. That being said there are several neighborhoods it cuts through before you get to the end so I recommend you take a photo of the trail before you start. It runs along a creek for most of the way and it's so beautiful. We went the day after it rained so the path was very muddy but still traverseable.
The trails by the pond on the other side is a big loop and it's pretty easy. Kids could easily do this.

This is a great place to escape into nature for an hour or two. It used to be a family farm and there are several buildings from that time that are at least partially preserved. Each structure has an informational placard next to it, which offers quotes from the family members about the structure. It's interesting to have some insight into daily life on the farm from the people who lived there. The placards also describe the historical function of each building in detail. The smokehouse is the only completely original building still standing, but the other buildings at least have their foundations still standing, or have been reconstructed. The farmhouse has been converted to a visitors' center, but it's understandably closed due to COVID.

There are also nature trails and a pond where the family used to gather ice in the winter. It started raining pretty heavily while I was there so I didn't get a chance to visit the pond, but from what I saw the trails are beautiful and well-maintained. I'd love to go back on a better day and explore this hidden gem some more.

Update (9/7): I went back to the park on a day with better weather to check out the pond, and it's absolutely wonderful.

Great park to spend some time outdoors and easily accessible for those of less physical ability. Team also spends time upkeeping it such as this past year when they replaced the pond overlooks.

New construction to the road leading to EC Lawrence Park has made it easier to get in and out. You can no longer make a left on Route 28 to enter and have to take the exit on the right for Westfield's Blvd. The park itself is very busy with many parking on the grass during game times. There is a kid friendly playground in the middle. The turf soccer fields are well maintained. The games today from SYA were fun to watch and their were winners

Nice trails to walk on. The trails are pretty shaded ( which is a big plus). Theres a very nice pond to just sit and relax ( also a few picnic tables by the pond) as well more around the visitor area. Very nice and tranquil.

If you, like me, are looking for a small affordable outdoor wedding venue, then the pond here is an excellent choice

Short easy walks through the woods. Rest rooms in the main building when it's open. We had fun walking around and looking at turtles, birds and nature

On the last day in Virginia, US (March, 9, 2015) before returning to Malaysia, my Host Mr Jeffrey Kinnick (Word of Grace Christian Center) and his wife Lidiane called the transportation agency telling them they wanted to send us to the airport. They took us to a forest reserve, Ellanor C. Lawrence Park. We had fun exploring the park through a walking trail while breathing fresh air. There were times when we made a snow man considering the snow was still thick. There is a frozen lake and we can walk on it. An interesting experience for us who come from a tropical climate.- Fauzi & Rizal, Malaysia

Beautiful park for a walk or relaxing picnic! Well kept and nice shade trees over the picnic tables. My husband and I ordered sushi takeout from Matsu nearby and had a wonderful picnic. Highly recommend!

Great place! We celebrated the birthday part there. We had pleasant weather and breeze in the picnic area. The staff prepared verzmy engaging program for mixed-aged children from 4 to 12 years old. Everyone had fun.

Wonderful to walk the trails during the Fall Season

Fabulous hike. Trails are well maintained, scenery is pretty. I can't wait to come back during the warm weather.

Great walking paths, mostly shaded. Beautiful pond and old mill. Visitor center and picnic areas.

It’s a decent place to visit with family. The trails are beginners level and it is fun to walk around with your kids. Being located within highways there are places which can be a tad noisy which blemishes the fun of being in nature a bit. But overall it’s a good experience

Found this beautiful park with a quick google search in Fairfax. It’s a well maintained park (no littering) with nice walking trails, some paved walkways and some dirt road, surrounded with a lot of ancient/historic structures, some that date back 200+ years!

There’s bird feeders all around the park, attracting a lot of different birds. We were lucky to see plenty of woodpeckers, cardinals, warblers, doves, blue jays, orioles, finches, even a red breasted grosbeak, and many more.

You might run into some very knowledgeable and avid birdwatchers here :)