Liberty Lake Park — Attraction in Bedford

Park seems to be about 15 acres or so, and is well marked and easily accessible from VA 122. It's mostly green in the summer and has a nice view of the Peaks of Otter from the upper hill at the far east end. There end the positives.

The park boasts a large family picnic shelter (maybe 1100 Sq ft) with bathrooms cleaned sometime this month, trashcans emptied sometime this year, and tables that look like they were last replaced during the Reagan Era. There are 4 I think other, smaller picnic shelters with no bathrooms but otherwise similar sterling qualities. There are some kiddo play areas with equipment that is sturdy but date from the early 90s. BBQ grills are available but bring tin foil and bug spray.

There is a "lake" (a large pond really, maybe an acre) that has fishing areas and a dock I wouldn't let my kids play on. It's apparently stocked once a year by VA DGIF but fished out by enthusiastic local septugenerians within a couple weeks of stocking. There are a few ducks and geese, but not many as they're thinned out regularly by the local government (by the methods of having the police shoot them wholesale and dump them in the landfill and in the fall setting up a propane cannon that goes off randomly giving combat vets like me the blue willies).

The park has a community center building with ample parking (locked, rented to a local athletic organization), a handball court (locked, out of use), two tennis courts with lights (that oddly close at dusk) and cracks and potholes large enough to lose a compact car in, and a skateboard area that is poorly maintained and appears to have been installed about the same time MTV showed its first video.

There is an athletics trail that is paved more or less in the way you'd expect a toddler to smear his breakfast on the carpet, with "exercise stations" that seem to have been installed prior to the days of safety regulations and in any case are mostly missing key components that render them archeological curiosities more than fitness equipment. There's a sad overgrown beach volleyball area with leaning uprights, sand fleas, and no net. The offerings are rounded out by an unmarked nature trail that winds through roughly a quarter mile of untamed scrub, trees, and bog. I'm not sure what you'd learn about nature from it, but it does seem like a good place to let your dog poop.

The park has 3 baseball fields which are in pretty good repair (except for the press boxes, which any sensible building inspector would condemn). I have to assume these are maintained by the athletic association. There are numerous water spigots but only those at the large picnic shelter have water. Finally the local government thinks so highly of this public service that it has installed security cameras all over the facility. One has to assume this is to keep drug trafficking down.

I give it 2 stars because it was, after all, a good place to let my dog poop.

UPDATE:

Brief visit. Dog still thinks it's a right smart bathroom, despite the new (numerous) NO DOGS signs all over the place. Visible police presence (I was there about an hour and saw 2 police patrols, plus a new "Conservation Police" [whatever that is] SUV). They seem to have repaved the "athletic trail" but not repaired or replaced the gear. One of the fishing piers has been removed or collapsed (betting on the latter) and the ducks and geese were still alive. The "Community Center" was still locked up but, shockingly, no public WiFi. 2 new portapotties (one HC access) near one of the picnic shelters. Otherwise no significant change or...

This park is generally pretty good for a game of basketball. However, there are some very disrespectful and rude people who come here occasionally. Last time I visited to play ball, there were about 7 kids on the court. They were messing around and trying to learn to play. I didn’t know them but I decided to show them how to play. Three guys showed up and came down to the court and started to tell us we had to leave RIGHT NOW because apparently the court had been reserved for a party. I asked to see documentation of the reservation or something to prove to me it was reserved. They refused, told me to shut up and acted aggressive. They told me the kids had to leave the court because all they do is mess around. I was able to talk to the 3 and have a conversation with them but it was a conversation we shouldn’t have been having. The court is for everyone, the kids were there before those guys. The guys ended up playing on a hoop at the entrance but were visibly upset. They kept hollering at the kids, calling them various names. They even called me names. They ended up leaving. They told me “thanks for ruining our time” but they ruined their own time if you ask me. There’s no need for that. If you want my opinion, the kids playing, having fun and learning to play is much more important than those 3 guys little game! Sorry but not sorry! I could care less about your little game when it comes to you trying to bully children! There’s been other times here where I’ve seen bullying and highly rude behavior. I had to actually call the police once because there were some teens (and young adults) who were hitting people with basketballs in the back of the head, including me. Most of the time, you will have a nice time. I have met some really amazing people here. I met a guy here who ran down the street to retrieve my ball. It had went over the fence and down the hill into the street. He said he didn’t mind at all, that he actually enjoyed going and getting it!! What a nice person!! I would recommend coming to Liberty...

We have been traveling 40 miles several times a year for several years now to visit this cool little park. They do a light show during the Christmas season and it's always been free! They have a small little concrete skate park and an updated playground for the little ones right up front near the entrance. It's also just down the road from the D-Day Memorial and the Bedford welcoming center where they do an amazing Christmas tree scavenger hunt with 30 plus Christmas trees all designed by small businesses in Bedford! But getting back to the park, it's a great place to hangout and throw the ball with the kiddos or even walk their paved workout trail through the woods, with several exercise stations throughout the trail! If your looking for something more "off the beaten trail" they have a few of those too! They also have a large pond you can fish in. If your going that way or just looking for a new place to visit, go check it out! Then take a short drive into the awesome little downtown of Bedford, you definitely won't be...