Mason District Park

So this is a perfectly good dog park-​my one complaint is really no fault of the park itself. The complaint would be that sometimes it can be pretty quiet, with not many dogs there. If you are used to a super-​busy park with tons of pups it is a little different vibe.
My only other actual park complaint may not really necessarily be the park’s fault either, but I have run into a number of people that get directed to this large park and are unable to find the dog area. For anyone looking, Columbia Elementary has parking behind it that leads to the dog park. If you try to go in through Mason District Park you’ll have a nice hike, but I’ve never successfully figured out how to get to the park from there, lol. So use Columbia Elementary if like me, you are new to the area, and use GPS.
The good things are really nice, friendly owners and dogs. Great maintenance, ample parking, and toys and water bowls provided by the staff or parks & rec. Plenty of room for them to run around, some grass at the corners for potty time, and benches for the humans. I’m not sure if this is a public or private park, but they did a really nice job on it. It is big, fenced in, and has waste bags right outside. If you are in Annandale it is super convenient via LIttle River Parkway. There are trees around the edge that provide nice shade in the summer. And if you have a dog you are just introducing to dog parks, or trying to socialize, the lesser number of dogs might actually be a plus. Also if you have a mischievous dog with the fewer pups they are easy to keep an eye on, haha.

Close to home and my boxer can run her energy out. Everyone is social and the dogs have a great time. I love seeing different breeds.

This is one of the best dog parks in the area. If you have never been here the dog park parking lot is accessible from a road off Little River Turnpike. Turn like you are going to the elementary school and you will see the gravel road leading the the dog park parking lot. If you park at the large lots on Columbia Pike side you will have a good hike through the woods following signs leading you in circles.
Things it is short on: Shade, seating, water, and climbing obstacles. Things it has: shale gravel that flakes off quickly when dry that also absorbs rain (like a nice giant kitty litter box), best crowd of humans and extremely friendly dogs, and excellent walking trails.
No one at this park ignores their dog or allows bad behaviour to escalate into aggression or fights. It kinda feels like a couple of your buddies asked you over to their backyard to hang out and play with dogs. The dog park is like the bar on Cheers: every body knows you and your dogs name and is familiar with your and your dogs quirks. If you want to keep to yourself they leave you be and on the days you want to have some human time they invite you into conversation.
The play area is large enough if two dogs just don’t like each other you have lots of space to separate them.

Great trails but we couldn’t find the dog park. By the time we walked all down the one parking lot and followed the trail to the other parking lot our Brachycephalic breed of dogs (flat faced dogs) were too hot to go to the park even if we had found it. We plan to go back and attempt to find the dog park again. The trails were nice.

The New Dominion Band has a scheduled performance at the Mason District Amphitheater on 8÷31÷14. Wanting to hear from anyone who can describe the stage acoustics to help us in our preparation. Will post our comments on the experience for others after the performance.
Excellent venue, had a ball!

I’m a bit fussy when it comes to dog parks. This particular one has always been one of my favs. I think it’s worth the drive, and it’s only about a 15 – 20 min drive via Braddock Rd to Rt. 236. The park has ample parking, there is a double fence enclosure so you can take off your dogs leash, and safely know that he/​she won’t escape. Remember to latch both gates. The people who bring their dogs here are all respectful of each other and they watch their dogs. We are a bit over protective of our pups, so we tend to follow them around. They use gravel and sand, which is great because we don’t have to worry about mud like other dog parks. There’s also a trail behind the enclosed dog area, for those who like to walk with their pets. Mornings are fun because it’s not too busy!

I’m writing solely about the dog park. And it would be a great dog park… if it had separate areas for small and large dogs. Instead, there aren’t. So, regrettably, if you have a small dog, don’t even think of going there. It’s just too dangerous!

Decent dog park; however, there is not a lot of shade and there is no water for the pups — so bring bottled water on the warm days.

I’ve only utilized this park a few times, and then only for the playground and for running. The playground is nothing fantastic, but it does have a lot of different things for kids and usually has kids for your little one to play with, or in parallel to. For the older kids, there soccer and baseball fields that appear to be well kept. For the adults there is enough open space for running, with some nice trails that are clear enough to run in regular running shoes (as opposed to training shoes). I especially like one nice grass covered hill, which reminds me of running in the rural Pennsylvania mountains like I did when I was a kid. I have not been to anything at the amphitheather, but I’ve been told it’s a good venue.

Admittely, we come to this park often because it is walking distane from our home, but it’s still a very nice park. Plenty of trails though the woods, an outdoor theatre, sports fields, picnic tables, tennis courts, fitness course, etc. We mostly come to walk through the woods and take the pup to the dog park. It’s a decent park, big, with a couple tables and benches. Unforunately, most of the smaller trees didn’t survive the massive, crazy storm earlier this year so it isn’t as shady as it used to be. There is no water source, so be sure to bring some for you dog. They redid the surface fairly recently which is nice, not so muddy.
Oh, and who can forget the farmers’ market on Thursdays!

great park to take the kids. Has everything you need for them to play. nice hiking trails to. if you keep walking towards the back there is a dog park so if you have a dog, good place to bring him.

I had no idea this little one-​with-​nature venue was here. Yes, there’s a dog park and plenty of hiking trails. But there’s also a simple, modern amphitheater surrounded by trees and trails and plenty of bench seating. (
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The acoustics aren’t amazing, obviously, but with the speakers hooked up (yes, there are speakers! and a sound booth!), it’s plenty sufficient for a great time.
Bring your dog and a paper fan and an optional thermos of frozen margaritas, and you’ll be set for a magical musical experience in this tiny utopia.

I can really only speak to the dog park and the wood trails, but it’s a great park! There’s plenty of parking over by Columbia Elementary School and there’s a large field prior to the dog park. The dog park is well-​maintained and the people who go to the dog park are pretty good at keeping an eye on their dogs. You’ll have the odd humper here and there if a dog shows aggression, the handler removes their dog immediately. I’ve never seen an aggressive dog remain in the space and I’ve been going regularly for three months.
The wood trails are great, too. There’s a trail that leads from Old Columbia Pike and either goes to the dog park or to the athletic fields. It’s clean, well-​marked and safe.

You have to hike almost a ½ mile from your space in the parking lot to the softball field because all the soccer players get there early and fill up all the closer spots. I mean, do you guys REALLY need to walk as little as possible to the soccer fields when you’re going to be spending the whole time running anyway? Keep those spots open for us softball players who are in *slightly* worse shape and could cramp up or pull something if we have to walk further than we’d like.
Other than that little gripe of mine, this park is a fun little place. The soccer fields are some of the best I’ve seen for a public park and the place is clean with vending machines for those who need to replace those vital electrolytes w/​a can of coke or orange fanta. Most importantly, it’s near some hospital or emergency center. I know this because a girl who was playing catcher in the game before us got trampled by a guy who was easily 2.5x her weight. She was out cold and her teammates immediately called 911 and the paramedics were there in less than 5 mins to tend to her (I think she was ok). Needless to say, I had no inkling to play catcher and decided to give pitching a go. Not to say I pitched like the second coming of Cy Young, but we did win both games so that might factor in a smidge with my opinion of this park…

Little league ball games
My brother in the ‘80s
We picked him up there

This Park has LOTS to offer … tennis, trails, fitness trails, doggie park, ball fields, BBQ & picnic areas — and more
More specifically I am writing this review because this season (2008) I have already gone to 5 of the FREE concerts as part of the County wide «Arts In the Parks» series. Here at Mason District it’s called «Spotlight by Starlight — 2008 «and here is a link to what performances they offer:

We go to this Park and series because it’s only 5 minutes from home –check the link and find one near you. Get out and play — and play at your local park!