Today there were 5 of us, Mom, Megan, Wendy (mini doxie) and Leo. We packed up the car and everyone went through their checklists to pack. Leo had his dog packed ready for 8 miles (the girls might not have heard about that), and everyone had their best walking boots on.
The trip to Lake Anna took us through 95 south of Fredericksburg. We hit some memorial day traffic near woodbridge but the rest was at least moving.
Once we arrived at Lake Anna we realized that we might have been in more of a recreational regional park than a regular state park. There was a pretty decent crowd for BBQ's and beach R&R.
The trails are all over this park and they are really beautiful. This was a great place to try out my brand new hands free leash. Ruffwear makes a "roamer" leash that make the trails even happier. it has elastic to prevent pull shock to either me or the dog. It also follows all post regulations by having my dog on 6' lead.
What did I expect before I left home:
As one of the biggest parks in the northern Virginia area there are many people who go to this park for everything from camping to hike, staycation and scouting activities. I knew the lake would be prominent but I didn't think that the park would have so many long distance trails and history in this neck of the woods.
Lake Anna State Park
Weather of the day:
| 25 |  |
| Actual: | 68 | 37 |
| Precip: | 0.00 |
| Average: | 78 | 55 |
| Precip: | 0.25 |
The trip in 140.
Crystal blue waters with the hum of the cicadas at Lake Anna and enough amenities to make it feel like a cozy Regional Park.
— Topher Gee (@WVUGEE) May 25, 2013
Most interesting thing to see:
Cicada mating season was in full effect. The brood was out in full force giving us a new soundtrack to hike to. I have actually missed all of the major broods in VA either living in Europe, College in West Virginia or travelling while they were here. We saw a tree absolutely full of cicadas that were actually eating leaves and living out their last few weeks above ground. It is fun trying to explain the sound to someone that hasn't heard it before. The distance and the sheer volume of forrest made a distinct whur out far and a buzz when you got close.
As far as the park there are many amenities for any type of recreation you might want. there are tons of boats on the lake and plenty of room to ski or wakeboard. There is a full beach on the lake that has plenty of room for grills. There are lots of campsites, trails and picnic areas. Compared to the other parks in No.Va this is a versitale park versus specialized natural areas.
Extra items/needs:
- Sunscreen and full swimming gear. It was a great day to go and get some lake water on your skin.
- The next time I go to Lake Anna and hike the gold mine trails i'm going to bring a charcoal grill to cook out.
- Maybe a little outside of reality, but I would have loved to go boating on the lake.
Trails Hiked:
I'm setting up a new rating scale for the trails that we hike on the state parks. I noticed there were vast differences between what made me comfortable and what Leo wanted to hike through. There are generally 5 types of trails on the parks; Earth, Grass, Boardwalk, Gravel, Paved. For instance there were a lot of gravel trails on Caledon that would have lessened the score for Leo and the distance of the trails was good for me. I would have made that a Paw: 2 and Boot: 4. For Mason Neck there were a lot of boardwalks which I don't enjoy but the ground was moist which Leo really likes, in all this park just needed more distance. That park would have got Paw: 4 and Boot: 4. The Paw score will be out of 5.
Paw score: Leo loved the water trails, Earth paths and easy trails. I think he loves any time a trail ends with water.
- Railford Trail
- Old Pond Trail
- Fisherman Trail
- Sawtooth Trail
Next time I go back I will be hiking the trails of the Goodwin old gold mine. check out the trail here on everytrail
Sycamore:
The largest trunk diameter of any North American hardwood.
The VSP Geocache was far off the trail and in the back woods... my kind of treasure hunt.
Worst part of the trip:
I-95 traffic
And of course... don't forget to relax and stretch after a hike!
And of course... don't forget to relax and stretch after a hike!
