Huntley Meadows Park — Attraction in Groveton

Beautiful county park with two entrances. It almost seems as if we see or hear a new bird each time we are there.

The south entrance has a straight paved track to the water. This is suitable for foot traffic, bikes, strollers and dog walking (all animals must be on a leash). There is about a mile from the parking to observation deck at the water.

The north entrance is tucked away in a corner. It has a visitor center there with water fountains and public rest rooms. There is a small shop with a park ranger on duty. Other than that, there is an informational room with stuffed versions of some of the critters in the area. Outside is a pavilion available for rent.

The trail on the north side is packed, not paved, and is more meandering. It is still suitable for walking, strollers and dog walking. It performs one of a few loops around, one leads to the boardwalk. The boardwalk goes over the water (no strollers or dogs are allowed on). From there you can get a better view of the wetlands life. I recommend bringing binoculars.

The area is classified as a hemimarsh, so the water can and should range between full and empty. In the warmer level you will see turtles sunning on logs. In the water you can see massive snapping turtles swimming just under the surface. Frogs and tadpoles are plentiful and make huge rackets in mating season. If you are lucky, you might see a muskrat swimming in the bushes. Deer roam around so you have a fair chance of seeing one, potentially with a faun.

As with any pond in the area, you can also find heron, ducks and of course geese. I've seen coot in the water as well. Redwing blackbirds are fairly common in the park, as well as cardinals. You can also find many woodpeckers. A birder once had a scope on a redheaded woodpecker that stayed posed for most of us once. I've seen a wild turkey in the park. It had quite a reaction when it walked out on to the paved path. I've seen an ibis eating in the marsh.

All and all a beautiful park in southern...

This is a decent and shorter park to take a walk in. I really feel like it's a 4.5ish but I can't give that rating. The mosquitoes are why I am giving this a 4. It's absolutely horrific to go here in the summer with the continents of mosquitoes here. If you're interested, make sure you read some of these. Let's break it down:

Pros: -Plenty of parking. It's suggested to leave a donation of $2 but that's up to you. -The trail is not very steep and winding, which makes it suitable for most people. -The trail really isn't long (could be a con as well). It takes 30-45 minutes to walk the lap. -Plenty of wildlife to see. I saw deer tracks (didn't see any deer), a turtle, plenty of ducks, herons, and birds. I saw beaver dams, but no beavers. You can't get close enough to the dams to get a good view. -Some flowers grow along the trail which make for some good photos. -Once you hit the boardwalk, if you go left at the first split and follow the trail, you'll find an observatory with a pretty good view. -Good for photos

Cons: -Holy moly, are there mosquitoes here...I have never seen so many mosquitoes in my life. If you don't coat yourself in bug spray, God help you. I'm talking swarms of 20-30 following you. There's a CVS 0.8 miles down the road so do yourself a favor. If you try to take this walk without some bug spray, you gone' die. O+ blood types beware. -No running on the boardwalk. Likely a precaution to prevent slipping and damage. It makes sense but joggers beware. -No dogs on the boardwalk. Makes sense considering it's swamp-like. Keep your animals on the trails. -No bicycles. If you're trying to bike in a swamp...really? -The walk won't offer you much shade once you hit the boardwalk. Prepare if you go in the summer. -Construction and unfinished trails once you're past the boardwalks.

I didn't go into the visitor center. We tried, but the doors were locked.

Overall, a decent park to visit with plenty of scenery and wildlife. If you love nature, it's worth a shot, but you better prepare...

This is a wonderful place for kids, adults, and photographers. If you live in the DC area, it’s hard to beat the mix of forest, marsh, and wildlife watching within a 45 minute radius as Huntley Meadows. You can see muskrats, beavers, snakes, raccoons, turtles, butterflies, great blue herons, turtles, and much much more depending on when you go and the time. One of the best times to go for spotting mammals is in spring and summer. During the fall, you won’t see as much. The trail is super easy and flat, and the highlight of course is the .5 mile boardwalk portion. Tips: bring binoculars (for spotting the beavers and birds in the distance), a magnifying glass (especially for the kids who can view a ton of interesting fauna), and bug spray...there are mosquitos. It’s a small parking lot but if it’s full you can park on the right side of the entrance road as you enter. Best time to go is before 10:30 am to beat the crowds. Photographers also like to get there during the golden hours with their big cameras so keep that in mind too. All in all a wonderful place. For more info do check out the friends of Huntley park page for all the types of things you can see there. Finally, no bathrooms as visitor center is closed. And if you have a dog, they can come on the trail but can’t go on...