Hemlock Overlook Regional Park

This was a trail I have never tried. I was pleasantly surprised by how scenic it was. A nice stream along the walk. Rocky in some parts but not a difficult hike. So nice after doing the trail with my dogs, we all stopped at Paradise Winery afterwards. A dog friendly place. You can‘t go inside but much better enjoying the wine outside today. I definitely will be back with friends who haven‘t done this trail and do a picnic at the winery afterwards.

My wife and I walked here on Sunday and had a really good time. The parking situation was not good but not at fault of the park. The winery near the park must have been having some sort event because the winery patrons were parking anywhere they could fit their vehicles without regard for people who were visiting the park. Luckily we found a spot inside the second park entrance near the adventure links area. We walked down to the gate of the second entrance and found a sign marked «public trail» and we were on our way. My wife is not much of an outdoors person but she was able to get through most of the trails without too much assistance. The rain storms from the last couple weeks seem to have done some heavy wash out damage but the trails were all passable. She even enjoyed some of the downed tree obstacles because they were not too hard to climb over or duck under. There is one section of the light blue trail that runs near the river and gets very narrow that had some heavy roots and rocks that I think she wished she had chosen better footwear but she will never admit that. That would be the only section that I called a hiking trail. The rest are regular Sunday stroll trails which was what we were looking for. We did pass other people but they were few and far enough between that we did not feel crowded on the trail. Maybe 15 people in 2 hours of walking. We did not see any wildlife other than a couple of squirrels and a blue-​tailed skink. Very enjoyable park we will definitely return.

This is another of my personal favorite places to run to when I visit my hometown in Northern Va. There is a very nice wide stream running throughout the park and offering a view while hiking in the shade. It’s such a large park it could take many days to get the mental map of the area. I have always enjoyed this one even in the winter because it seems to have its fair share of American Holly trees and watching the wide stream freeze over is always gorgeous.

Limited parking, steep dirt paths. Just didn’t feel at all inviting, maybe good for some extreme trail jogger. Many other (better) choices in NOVA for my wife and I to go walking… Burke Lake, Fountainhead, Great Falls, Prince William Forest. I guess we can say we tried it, next.

Hemlock is a beautiful nature park, with trails, woods, wildlife, and a challenge course for groups (by reservation). The challenge course includes a zip line and several educational/​exercise stations. Fifth graders in Fairfax County go here for a field trip every spring, and the kids can’t wait! There are problem-​solving and fitness challenges for the kids. Any group can reserve time here, though. Google Adventure Links at Hemlock Overlook for more info on this part of the park.
The hiking, horse trails, and hanging out at the park are free and don’t need a reservation. Go if you’ve never been — it is awesome when you want to get away from it all.

One of my favorite places to trail run in Fairfax County.

I’m just writing to correct the previous reviewer. There are easy and difficult trails. They’re just not immediately apparent when you enter the park. I don’t know whether they’re marked on the maps.
The easiest trail goes around a pond, and is suitable for very young kids (though I wouldn’t bring the stroller). You find it by following the gravel road back into the park, then turning right to follow an asphalt driveway down to a pond. It’s short, mostly flat, and offers stable footing.
A number of the smaller trails that go down to the river that are much more challenging than the average. I’m in pretty good shape, but I tend to avoid them in the fall – they collect fallen leaves and acorns, making footing rather treacherous. Some of them aren’t very easy to spot from one end or the other, so keep an eye out for the markings if you’re looking for them.
I’ve been a fan of this park for a long time. Not yet sure what to make of the new management, though. The number of signs insinuating that only certain trails are public is a bit strange, considering that the land is publicly owned. They’ve also attempted to heavily restrict parking, it seems.

I went to this park with some friends today to do some hiking trails.
I had no clue what to expect– most parks in Northern VA that I have been to are not very «natural.» When I arrived, I was surprised to see they had 4 different trails to offer. However, they were all of the same difficulty: Medium. This was fine for me, but I thought it was sort of disappointing that there wasn’t an easier trail for children and a hard trail for advanced hikers.
As soon as we began walking I knew I was in for a treat. We immediately saw a beautiful crane in the creek– and then not long after than we began spotting frogs. Little frogs were hopping everywhere along these trails! We also saw a HUGE centipede (which I am not a fan of bugs but it was still really interesting to see)… and after walking for a while we decided to jump across some rocks to a center island in the creek– we saw a water snake! Then we were skipping stones when on the island, and saw a baby snake in the water.
When getting back to the trail, we saw a tree snake that was HUGE (at least over 5 feet long). I have never been on any trails in VA where I have seen this many critters. It was really exciting to see this much nature thriving this area.
I saw several people out fishing, walking– and there was even a race here this morning. They have several stations of obstacle courses you can participate in (I think if you pay a fee and have 10 people or something? Not sure about this one). But it seems like a great park for a group to go to.
Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a place to go hiking. There are some challenging uphill parts and sections where the rocks are uneven. You will not get board on these trails!
Side note: To get to this park, you take Clifton Road to Yates Ford Road. At first it seems like you’ve taken a wrong turn– all you see are huge mansions with tall gates. However, the end of this road does eventually turn into a parking lot (you’ll see at least two different trail maps). Hope that helps!