Scott's Run Nature Preserve Parking — Local services in McLean

This is a gem of a park just outside the Beltway on Georgetown Pike. On holiday weekends and most weekends during the summer during prime hours, 9 am until an hour before sundown, parking is incredibly difficult in the two Georgetown Pike parking lots and prohibited on most streets around the preserve. Most folks I encounter on a 3-1/2 mile jog around the preserve are going to the falls, a somewhat challenging 1-1/4 mile walk to the falls at the teminus of Scott's Run as it flows into the Potomac River. The falls are generally not particularly inviting to me except after a good rain storm, when they will have enough water to really command awe. The trails throughout the preserve have kept me coming back two or three times a week, all year, for twenty years. There is a fine mixture of double tracks and single tracks, though no biking is allowed and is saferthat allow users to create walks of varying lengths and difficulty of terrain. The trails generally all have some incline and several are fairly steep. There are trail maps at both parking lots to help find a route for your use and other maps scattered on main (double track) trails in the preserve. Deep in the preserve is a stone chimney, a remnant of the Burling cabin when the Burlings owned this tract, on a bluff overlooking the Potomac River, but obscured by trees. While wading in the Run looks inviting, the source of the Run comes from the Tysons Corner Center parking lots and is likely contaminated with spent motor oil and coolant, not really recommended for exposing to skin. Park maintenance of downed tree, broken wooden steps and missing pilings on stream crossings does not seem to be of pressing concern to preserve managers and detracts for an otherwise pleasant preserve experience. Users of the preserve will need to be mindful of the three Rs of trail jogging, ruts, rocks and roots, while traversing the park. For me this is an oasis of calm in a very busy world. ...

Scott’s Run Nature Preserve in McLean offers limited but free 2 parking lots, which can fill up quickly on weekends due to its popularity. The preserve is known for its scenic beauty, with lush woodlands, rocky streams, and a picturesque waterfall flowing into the Potomac River. The trails are moderately challenging, featuring a mix of rocky paths, stream crossings, and shaded forest areas that make for an adventurous hike. It’s a great spot for nature lovers seeking a short yet rewarding escape with serene river views and photo-worthy landscapes. Portable washrooms are there but no picnic shelter or...

The park itself is beautiful beyond a doubt.

But as I mentioned in my review of the park, the parking situation here is terrible. Although this particular parking lot is long and can fit a lot of cars, it gets full very, very quickly. And once people start parking their cars by the water (Scott's Run), the space between the parked cars become extremely narrow, allowing only one car to pass through.

So if there are both incoming and outgoing cars, good luck trying to drive backward to make room for each other to move in whichever direction they're...