Eakin Community Park is a
county park in
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...
. It is managed by the
Fairfax County Park Authority. The park runs roughly northwest to southeast along
Accotink Creek
Accotink Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 tributary stream of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. At Springfiel ...
. The northwest corner is bordered by Pickett Road and Arlington Boulevard, and the southeast corner is bordered by Woodburn Road. Barkley Road and Prosperity Avenue cut across the park and over Accotink Creek.
History
The park is named after LeRoy Eakin, Sr. who in 1951 donated of land that became Fairfax County's very first park. Remnants of
mill races
A mill race, millrace or millrun, mill lade (Scotland) or mill leat (Southwest England) is the current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel ( sluice) conducting water to or from a water wheel. Compared with the broad waters of a mi ...
from the 19th century can be found in the park; signage is posted along the Accotink Trail.
Facilities and access
There are portable restrooms available seasonally from late March to late November, but no potable water sources.
Accotink Trail
The Accotink Trail runs through Eakin Community Park and traces the path of Accotink Creek. This mixed-use trail is used by hikers and bicyclists. It is paved in some parts and the rest is a gravel or stone dust surface. The trail is part of the larger
Cross County Trail
The Cross County Trail is a multi-use trail located in Plymouth Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The trail starts at its junction with the Schuylkill River Trail and runs north to its current terminus at Germantown Pike for a length of ...
, which runs north-south across Fairfax County from
Great Falls, Virginia to the town of
Occoquan, Virginia
Occoquan () is a town in Prince William County, Virginia. The population was 934 at the 2010 United States Census. The town is a suburb of Washington, D.C. and is adjacent to Woodbridge. The current mayor is Earnest W. Porta Jr.
History
Occoqua ...
.
Tobin Road entrance
At the Tobin Road entrance, there are two baseball/softball fields, two tennis courts, and three beach sand volleyball courts. There is a paved parking lot with 43 parking spaces. A community garden
that is managed by
Green Spring Gardens Park
Green Spring Gardens (31 acres) is a public park, including a historic 18th-century plantation house "Green Spring", which is the heart of a national historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The Fairfax County ...
may be reached by taking the small paved road to the right of the main parking lot up the hill. A gravel parking lot is situated next to the community garden.
Prosperity Avenue entrance
At the Prosperity Avenue entrance, there is a parking lot and a large shady playground area for children.
Wildlife
Wildlife found in the park is typical for the region.
White-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
are quite common and
beavers and
foxes can be seen occasionally. The park is a popular bird watching area.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Fairfax County Park Authority: Eakin Community Park
Parks in Fairfax County, Virginia