Darden Towe Park — Attraction in Virginia

Fairly new to the area. Decided to explore since it had been raining and our usual hiking spot, Chris Greene Lake Park, would've been too muddy and we had gone to McIntire Park yesterday and wanted a different trail for our dogs. We took our dogs to the dog park first. Decent area, but it looks like it could be mulched again. Luckily, it wasn't muddy, so I didn't mind so much. Our dogs weren't really in a playful mood so we took them on the trail instead. We crossed between the ball fields and took a paved trail to the Old Mill Trail. Part of it was gravelly, but a large part wasn't, which was fine because it was a little sandy. Enough so that the ground wasn't muddy at all. It's a nice trail that follows the water. It has mile markers, which was nice. Easy hike - not a lot of hills so that was nice. The Darden Towe Park was nice - two bathroom facilities (that we saw) (by the baseball fields and by the dog park). Small playground. Nice...

My dog Gunner caught leptospirosis swimming in this! Gunner passed away four days later from kidney failure due to leptospirosis. After Gunners story aired on nbc29 a parent came forward and said that her son caught leptospirosis in the Rivanna River at the same spot! Her son almost died. That story was also ran on nbc29. Folks if it's LOW AND SLOW DON'T GO. Fertilizers used in farming wash into the river and the bacteria have food to eat causing the bacteria to grow rapidly. IF IT'S LOW AND SLOW DON'T GO. It's not worth it. Gunner had his lepto shot to prevent this... we had no idea you needed boosters. We thought the lepto vaccine was just that...a vaccine. But it's not...YOU NEED BOOSTERS. It's better just not to swim in these nasty Rivers. You could find both those stories on nbc29 website. I can't believe that woman almost lost her...

my girl ... Melisandré Moon ... loves the dog park ... which is why I come there at the moment ... its large enough for her to run full speed and really stretch out and get a great work out and there have always been plenty of dog friendly dogs to run and play with ... there are double gated entryways for safety, doggie bags and trash can and buckets of water with access to fresh water to fill them ... all within a beautiful park ... there is also a river to see or ... weather permitting ... for humans and dogs alike to swim and play in ... as well as plenty of other activities for your family's enjoyment ... I used to come here years ago when I coached/managed an all men's softball ⚾ team ... ssswing...