Sally Ormsby Park

Review #28
Location/​Parking: Sally Ormsby Park (SOP) is located at 3288 – 3290 Barkley Drive, Fairfax, VA 22 031. It runs along the Cross County Trail in the Accotink Stream Valley between Barkley Drive and Prosperity Avenue. It is in between Thaiss Park and Eakin Community Park, in the Mantua neighborhood. You can either park off the side of Barkley Drive, to the west, in a small dirt area, across the street from the SOP signage; or better yet, park at Eakin Community Park off Prosperity Avenue, where there is a paved circular parking area. Then you walk across Prosperity Avenue behind some homes to enter the park from the back side.
Specifics: The park is part of the Fairfax County Park Authority, section 5 of 10 of the Accotink Stream Valley Cross County Trail. The trail consists of gravel roads, partially paved roads, and a bridge across the stream. There are tall trees covering the trail, with benches along the way if you need to sit and rest. When you get to the end of the park, you will be at Prosperity Ave where Eakin Community Park is located, and the trail continues on. The trail is used by walkers, hikers, and bikers.
Wildlife: If you hear weird sounds like howling/​laughing, it is usually the foxes in the woods, so try not to be scared.
Facilities: As one might expect, there are no restroom or water facilities in the park, so bring water to drink; unless you want to chance drinking out of the stream and possibly catch some viruses, parasites, and bacteria.
Misc Info: I read that the park dedication ceremony was held November 14, 2009, in honor of Sally B. Ormsby, a champion of stewardship issues in Fairfax County. She served Fairfax County in many capacities, lastly as elected Chair of the Northern Virginia Soil & Water Conservation District.
(Posted on 28 Sep 2015)