Walnut Creek Park - North Garden, VA
Walnut Creek Park in North Garden, VA, is a premier dog park offering a perfect blend of pet-friendly trails and recreational amenities for dog owners and families alike. This spacious county park features well-maintained hiking trails, a large lake for swimming during warmer months, and a variety of playgrounds and picnic areas, making it an ideal destination for dog-friendly hiking and outdoor fun. The park is fully accessible with wheelchair-friendly entrances and parking, ensuring everyone can enjoy the natural beauty and activities available.
Dog owners will appreciate the leash-friendly environment and the abundance of trails that weave through scenic wooded areas and around the reservoir. The park also offers amenities such as barbecue grills, picnic tables, public restrooms, and a covered pavilion perfect for gatherings and birthday parties. With ample parking, clear signage, and a welcoming atmosphere, Walnut Creek Park stands out as a top dog park in North Garden, VA, where pets and their owners can enjoy a safe, engaging, and enjoyable outdoor experience.
FAQ for Walnut Creek Park in North Garden Virginia:
- Are dogs allowed off-leash at this park? Dogs are allowed but must be leashed while at Walnut Creek Park.
- Is the park wheelchair accessible? Yes, Walnut Creek Park has a wheelchair accessible entrance and parking lot.
- Is there a playground or activities for kids nearby? Yes, the park offers playgrounds with slides and swings and is good for kids including for birthdays.
- Is there a fee or membership required to enter? Yes, there is a fee to enter for most visitors, though certain age groups may be allowed in for free.
- Where is the best place to park? There are two parking areas; one near most trails and another near the beach, disc golf, and additional trails.
- Are restrooms available for owners? Yes, public restrooms are available and open year-round, though they may be basic.
- Are picnics or BBQs allowed? Yes, the park allows picnics and has barbecue grills and picnic tables.
- Is the park regularly cleaned and maintained? The park is maintained with trails being cared for and trash cleanups, though some areas may need updates.
- Are there walking or hiking trails connected to the park? Yes, Walnut Creek Park has multiple hiking trails, including the Blue Wheel Loop and other interconnected paths.
- Is there a swimming area or pond for dogs? There is a lake with a beach for swimming, but no specific information about dogs swimming; dogs are allowed on trails.
- Can I host a dog birthday party at the park? While there is no special dog birthday area, the park is good for kids’ birthday celebrations which could include dogs on leash.
Reviews
It’s a great county park to come and walk the trails. The covered pavilion is great to host parties and get together. There is a bathroom building that’s open even during the off-season. We always come here and walk our dog on the paths around the reservoir.
The county needs to replace the ropes and dock at the swimming beach. Both are worn and dangerous. The ropes cut my hands when I swim by and the steps to the dock are rusted. The beach sand is well maintained and the staff are very friendly. It’s a great location with lots of parking. Great place for picnics. Just needs a bit of attention.
We were surprised when we pulled into the entrance that there was a gate house with an actual guard in it. We hadn’t read anything regarding a fee but there is one. We have apparently reached the magic age where we were allowed in for free. Score one for us! There are two parking areas. The first parking area accesses most of the trails for hiking/biking. The last parking area is for the beach area, disc golf, the Blue Wheel trail, and the Bike and Tri trail. Both areas have (not so nice) one seater bathrooms. The beach was very busy, and a bus loaded with kids pulled in right after we did. Once we realized we were in the wrong parking lot to access the trails, we moved. There were only a couple of cars in the first parking area on a Thursday in June around 1:30. There was also a truck with a trailer full of canoes which I assume are for rent but we never saw a person. There are very nice maps available at a kiosk. The trails are fairly well marked with colored blazes on trees. It was a bit confusing in certain spots, and that’s where the map came in handy. It can be narrow in spots with encroaching branches. Luckily, we didn’t run into any bicyclists at those times because they took no prisoners when we encountered them. The trails are dirt with some roots and lots of small rocks. The small rocks caused us to “roller-skate” quite a bit which was jarring. I imagine after rain, it is very muddy. We wandered around on several trails and ended up on the north end of Wilkins Way. There were two stream crossings on Wilkins Way with plenty of rocks to step on. We had hiking poles too which helped. We criss-crossed the power lines a couple of times. The bugs weren’t horrible but there were gnats that wanted to annoy your face. We also had on bug spray so that may have helped. We have mixed feelings about this park. It was pretty quiet when we were there, and it was nice to commune with nature. There are no views and the trails could use some fixing up.
Great trails.Surprisingly more hiking trails than you’d think for a county park as we spent a good 90 minutes hiking only through a small portion of the area. The trails are not terribly well marked so pay attention, especially when hiking during the fall with a bed of leaves covering all the trails.I got lost on a chilly, rainy day near dusk on one trip and took a little while to make it to the park border so I could find my way around to the entrance street. If you do get lost on the maze that is the Red Trail try to get out to the border and make your way around until finding the entrance or the lake. From there you can get to the parking lots easily.Beautiful county park.
Dog (leashed) friendly park with great trails, huge lake, and disc golf. County park that did not require a fee while we were there.We came in late winter/ very early spring for a short walk/hike. We did the Blue Wheel Loop and had a great time. The trails are easy to follow and well maintained (though a few trees were down, clearly from wind storms that had happened very recently, including the day before…other trees along the way had been cut and moved, so it’s obvious that the County maintains the trails well). There’s multiple loops and connectors trails that can be stacked for a longer walk/hike, or done in shorter segments.The disc golf was well marked and maintained.The lake is available for swimming in the summer, with lifeguard chairs in the middle and on the “beach”. Access is closed during the colder months.There were also playgrounds and pavilion areas, though not in use during the winter. Plenty of parking, great signage and maps, and all around fun place to spend a morning or afternoon or even all day in warmer months.