Northern Virginia residents can expect robust attendance and a plethora of outside opportunities at local and regional parks this summer, said , executive-in-residence for the Program.
鈥淛ust about all the park agencies in the area are planning to have their pools and waterparks open in the summer, and expect high attendance,鈥 said Gilbert, who is also executive director of NOVA Parks. 鈥淟ast summer, the park pools were mostly closed. This summer, people are going to be interested in returning to normalcy.鈥
NOVA Parks is busy hiring summer employees, including lifeguards, to get ready. As restrictions ease over the coming months, Gilbert expects even more people will want to take advantage of the variety of activities local and regional parks have to offer.
鈥淥ver the pandemic, people were already exploring the outdoors in new ways, because so many other things weren鈥檛 available,鈥 said Gilbert. 鈥淲e saw unprecedented use of hiking and biking trails.听 Now that people have discovered or rediscovered how fun the outdoors can be, I anticipate they will continue to gravitate to parks.鈥
Besides hiking, said Gilbert, local parks offer boating, golf, campgrounds, fishing and batting cages, among other activities. Gilbert recommends Fountainhead Regional Park in Fairfax Station as an excellent place to rent an aluminum boat and fish in a well-stocked reservoir.
鈥淩ight now, there鈥檚 still some hesitancy to hop on airplanes, so people are looking for vacations that are closer to home,鈥 said Gilbert. 鈥淣OVA Parks has great campgrounds at Bull Run and Pohick Bay.鈥
Gilbert also points out that several parks, including Algonkian Park in Sterling, have housing people can rent on the Potomac River if they want to be outside, but not necessarily camping.
鈥淚f you want to enjoy nature, but don鈥檛 have all the gear, we have cabins and cottages you can rent,鈥 said Gilbert. 鈥淭he housing ranges from rustic cabins to full-blown houses.鈥
In addition, Gilbert says that Upton Hill Regional Park in Arlington will be opening a ropes facility in June called Climb UPton.
鈥淭here really isn鈥檛 anything like it nearby,鈥 said Gilbert. 鈥淚t will have 90 different features. You can choose your path based on level of difficulty.鈥 Gilbert said the facility will include zip lines and an approximately 50-foot drop for anyone 鈥渨ho wants an adrenaline rush.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a great summer,鈥 added Gilbert.
To reach Gilbert, contact him at pgilbert@nvrpa.org.
For more information, contact Anna听Stolley听Persky听at听apersky@gmu.edu.
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