A very nice trail right in the heart of West Alexandria, near the Mark Center. You will feel like your in natures own backyard with lots to see if you take your time and look around. Not too crowded but expect to run into others. To get a good hike in, cross over the trail on the other side of Beauregard Street. Enjoy!!!

I have lived and worked in Alexandria for years, but I had never been to this lovely park before! A part of Holmes Run, the paved and well-maintained paths meander past -and sometimes through- the stream. It’s a great escape from the bustle of the city.

This park was surprisingly nice. My kids enjoyed the stream and we were surrounded by nature. We will be returning soon to see what else this park has to offer.

Spent nice time hiking with a friend. We sat down after half an hour walk. We took pictures and enjoyed seeing small fish . The nature is beautiful with a patch of bamboo.

Well maintained park with a clean river. The main pathways are almost all paved with alternate dirt paths spread throughout. There are numerous locations of easy access to the river so people can swim. The depth of water is not too deep so young kids can swim safely (with adult supervision). Highly recommend for families looking to escape the heat or to go bird watching.

This was an awesome hiking spot surrounded by city. Lots of places for our kids to play in the river. Well maintained and hardly any trash. We always see a lot of broken glass in the rocks at different places we go. Did not see any here. We let our kids go barefoot and play. Parking was a pain due to the parking lots being closed because of the WUHAN Corona covid 19 virus. Or whatever its being called now.

Its a natural spring, great for kids. Swimming, climbing, finding cool rocks. Amazing hidden gem in Alexandria!!

The best trail and park ever. So many spots to explore and for much needed family fun. Or just for a nice scroll to recenter you mind or to refocus back on your new year resolution of putting more exercise in your life.

If youre a parent of small kids and plan to stay in the D.C. during a hot summer, meet your new best friend. Dora Kelley Nature Park is a wooded nature preserve with running trails, ponds with frogs/turtles and the best part, a creek for swimming.If you can find an open spot, park on Spanger Avenue and go through the main entrance to the park. After a few yards, turn left down the stairs down the dirt path. When the path turns into pavement continue straight toward the creek. After a few more yards, youll see a shallow creek with large rocks to sit on. This is where families hang out with their children. Its mostly shaded and shallow enough for kids of all ages to swim in. There are small fish in the creek that kids love seeing, My 3-year-old daughter LOVES this creek.If youre a parent in the area, this is a must-visit!

Cool and clean creek to spend a couple hours with kids.

Wonderful wildflower walk in the big city! Loved this place. It is a great place to get away quickly that is close to the house.

Super nice nature park suited for biking, light hiking, running, and walking! Lots of birds too if thats what you are looking for. Highly recommend!

When we got there we thought it would be amazing. But this park is really littered and the worst. I have no idea what the other people saw but me and everyone else agrees that this park is trash.

Best backyard in the world to play in when I was a kid. So wonderful to know it will continue to be protected for many more generations to enjoy.

What a cool little park. The creek trail was beautiful.

Calm and relaxed atmosphere.Dora Kelley Nature Park is an excellent example of conscientious urban planning and conservation efforts. Though surrounded by urban sprawl, this 50-acre nature preserve is a woodland gem nestled in the Holmes Run Stream Valley Gorge. This park is a prime birding spot any time of the year. Some species frequently seen in the park include tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, belted kingfisher, and several woodpecker species including a nesting pair of pileated woodpeckers. Raptors such as bald eagles, Cooper’s hawks, and barred owls are also seen in the park. Occasionally, there have also been wild turkey sightings.A one-mile long meandering nature trail leads to a spectacular upland oak-hickory forest with mountain laurel scattered throughout the sub-canopy. The understory is open and there is great plant diversity. The accompanying self-guided booklet is available at the Nature Center and interprets the natural features of the park using numbered signposts along the trail. The accessible park entrance at Sanger Avenue connects to the Holmes Run Stream Valley Trail, a biking/hiking trail that traverses the park, skirting several seeps, a freshwater marsh and Holmes Run before leading northwest to Columbia Pike or southeast to Eisenhower Avenue. The marsh provides habitat and breeding grounds for several species of frogs, toads, salamanders, and turtles. On an early spring evening, the cacophony of mating calls from the spring peepers and wood frogs can be heard a mile away. Along the stream, riparian species such as river birch and American sycamore dominate the landscape. A small patch of green in an otherwise developed landscape can be a gold mine for hungry, insect-eating passerines during spring. With regular invasive plant management, a great diversity of spring, summer, and fall native wildflowers flourish in their respective habitats, including native orchids, trillium, and Dutchman’s breeches, to name a few.

Very lovely and diversified environment

I have been going to this park since I have been in middle school. I am now in my late 20s. As a kid, I would just care about riding my bike through the trails. As I got older I use this park as my way to heal myself from a rough day, or just find my balance again. This park is really refreshing. I walk, jog, or ride my bike along the Holmes Run Stream. There are a few trails that go off from the main trail. I love the trail that goes into the woodlands. I recommend going to that trail if you like hiking. There are many native plants and animals that I have seen here throughout the years. There are a few classes that I participated in at the Jerome Buddie Ford Nature Center. I love the annual spring ephemeral walk they host. I love this park, and will continue going!If you ever want to participate in a community clean-up, we usually clean the Dora Kelley Nature Park in April.

Gorgeous little park with a remarkably clear stream and a nice little trail to enjoy. Definitely worth a visit!

Awesomehidden gem in Alexandria to explore. Brought my 6 year old girl there to do some touch climbing. She absolutely loved it. Summertime would be perfect. Used to go to this place in HS we called it Sharks Rock Rock looks like a shark, imagine that. Very cool place to explore

Great place to bring your dog for a mini-hike! There are paved and unpaved trails; the unpaved trails arent super clearly marked due to some broken trail markers, but the park is small enough that you can easily manage. The park is pretty small, so we were in and out within an hour.

Very well maintained trails and great place to splash around in the water on a hot summer day.

Beautiful trail with small falls throughout! Great for an evening walk or even exercising.

Relaxing place to walk with your family and dogs.

Good place to walk. Flat and paved

Lovely place for a walk. Wear your bathing suit so you can take a dip in the creek!

Nice, peaceful. Off the beaten path.. Great place for walking and enjoying a bit of nature in a busy area.

Nice place for active rest

Pleasant paved hike. Many let their dogs off leash once off the pavement. You can walk to Holmes Run along many portions. Look for the pond.

Perfect trail to take a walk or run.

Open access to the water to let the kids play. Not overly crowded.

Really great place for dog walking!

I love this well-maintained park very much. The trail is nice and clean. Definitely come back ️

I love the place just it doesnt have public trash cans.

Nice nature trail on the belt way. Used to be more secluded.

Great nature park for exercise, wandering, birding, or a quick family adventure.

Wonderful to have this beautiful space so close to home!

This park was a nice hidden gem in the middle of nova, i enjoyed walking along the stream, I just wish there was more parking available! It was a bit of a hike to get to the park since there’s not a lot of space to park close by.

Awesome! Nice place

AHMAZING place to visit! My boys truly enjoyed visiting and they loved the microscope. Smithsonian does have microscope but they are dirty by many kids touching. This place offers clean and better quality microscope. Definitely coming back more often!!!!

Very peaceful and beautiful place.

Very nice trails and scenery!!

Such a gem!! Beautiful, well-kept park, and it was pretty empty on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, which was surprising. Looking forward to returning - our dog loved it, and we did, too!

We have great time with family really enjoyed our time .

Pleasant place for an easy stroll. And its right by a great nature center!

This place holds a special place in my heart. My puppy loved to swim in the streams, and stroll through the paths. Very quiet for being so incredibly close to the city. -RIP Guinness-

Great place...

It lies in a stream/river bed, but most of the path is paved. The Nature Center building has a little geological and historical info plus a few live and 2 stuffed critters. See the pink tarantula.

Has a great trail we even got to see deer on our walk

Not what it looks like on many positivism pollution photos up here. Upstream smells like sewage so dangerous crossing pilings, etc. Gang like graffitti, bridge and trail washouts so detours, tree roots, missing segments, and other major safety concerns nearby, as Holmes Run reports of murders/ bodies found, iirc. Ymmv

Beautiful place to walk and enjoy the sites.

Beautiful place to walk, work out, on and off the pathway. Great people, great neighbors, lovely enviroment. Not a bad place to get some fresh air and enjoy nature.

So therapeutic!

Nice and quite place

One of my favorite places to walk and run. The path is paved and either follows the water or crosses it. There are pillars in the water to to help you cross. Winding pathways and just enough change in elevation to make it worth your time and effort. Trees surround you and the sound of birds and water greet you with every step. There are benches along the path and places to stop and enjoy the surrounding. Flat rocks for contemplation, meditation or a place to read and write. Wonderful and engaging surroundings. Dont wear headphones. Connect with nature.

Lush & shady with paths along the Holmes Run Trail. Requires some upkeep after severe weather. To see fireflies, go around dusk in the summer. Might also catch a glimpse of a deer or two.

Great place to walk around with dogs or kids

Nice little bit of nature inside the city, Im not a city person by any means so this is a breath of fresh air from the people in their cars violently honking their horns and everything else that comes with living in this area that isnt so great.

Dora Kelley Park is one of the largest parks in Alexandria. The Buddie Ford Nature Center is in the park, and it exhibits live animals, hosts nature classes, and leads guided park walks. This trail guide traverses Dora Kelley Nature Park and was designed to assist visitors in exploring the parks varied habitats. The park is an excellent example of conscientious urban planning and conservation efforts. Though surrounded by urban sprawl, this 50-acre nature preserve is a woodland gem nestled in the Holmes Run Stream Valley Gorge. This park is a prime birding spot any time of the year. Some species frequently seen in the park include tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, belted kingfisher, and several woodpecker species including a nesting pair of pileated woodpeckers. Raptors such as bald eagles, Cooper’s hawks, and barred owls are also seen in the park. Occasionally, there have also been wild turkey sightings.A one-mile long meandering nature trail leads to a spectacular upland oak-hickory forest with mountain laurel scattered throughout the sub-canopy. The understory is open and there is great plant diversity. The accessible park entrance at Sanger Avenue connects to the Holmes Run Stream Valley Trail, a biking/hiking trail that traverses the park, skirting several seeps, a freshwater marsh and Holmes Run before leading northwest to Columbia Pike or southeast to Eisenhower Avenue. The marsh provides habitat and breeding grounds for several species of frogs, toads, salamanders, and turtles. On an early spring evening, the cacophony of mating calls from the spring peepers and wood frogs can be heard a mile away. Along the stream, riparian species such as river birch and American sycamore dominate the landscape. A small patch of green in an otherwise developed landscape can be a gold mine for hungry, insect-eating passerines during spring. With regular invasive plant management, a great diversity of spring, summer, and fall native wildflowers flourish in their respective habitats, including native orchids, trillium, and Dutchman’s breeches, to name a few.

Love this paved trail. Parking at the top or the bottom of the hill.

There is a nature center nedt to this park where you can see small live animals, and learn about them. There is also a childrens corner, as well as this neat microscope where you can put different specimens (bug shells, sea shells, fossils etc) and inspect them on a monitor. Staff is helpful and knowledgeable. Right outside there is the nature park with trail(s). This place is truly a hidden gem in Alexandria.

This is one of the hidden gems in the Southend of Alexandria. The park hugs the Holmes Run creek and you feel like you stepped back in time.

Relaxing and the water was clear

Beautiful park with friendly people and happy dogs. Great place to run and bike.

Great spot for a family hike or photos.

Great for dog walks and jogging

It was very scenic

This place is too fine

Nice walk but the water was stagnant and spelled like a sewer. Part of the trail is closed due to erosion.

A lovely place to skip rocks, ride/walk, see some critters or just sit quietly

Nice place for a walk, or a sit. Small park with apartments & other buildings visible when tree foliage is down.

Scenic trails leading to a beautiful rocky creek

This is a gem stashed right in town. Want to see waterfalls, walk along a creek, see wildlife? Its right here without driving hours. Great place to walk, jog, bike, fish

We walk our dog here often. Great gem in middle of Alexandria

It is ok. Not very stroller accessible.

Seeing the creek the trail has was fun.

Nice walk with paved paths.

For a little creek tucked-away amidst suburbia, this is particularly peaceful and scenic. Nice wide walking path and relatively accessible for strollers, bikes.

Good places for kids and family

Its a nice place to enjoy a walk & enjoy nature

A great little gem tucked away in a residential area of Northern Virginia. Small, but beautiful. Hiking trails, a paved bike road, creeks, a river, and a wetland area are all great for kids to spend a few hours exploring. You forget that you are in suburbia the minute you step onto the trail.

If you live in the area you should definitely go to this park. The paths are absolutely gorgeous with great views of the creek. A relaxing place to enjoy the nature.

We nice escape from the city, but small.

One of my favorite parks

No parking

It is good natural park,having running track

Nice park to walk by the creek and the nature discovery center near by is great for what it is.

Great park!

Great local park!

Neat little nature trail. Kinda hard to find

Only been outside since I come with my dog. But this was a lovely mini urban escape.

We love the park beutiful trail to walk. a lot birds, fish and our favorite woodpecker making a noise to build her house every afternoon walk.

I like to walking there

If youre a photographer, 6ou have to see the area!!!!!

Beautiful little Oasis and walk for families, runners, pets and others.

Its a peaceful get-a-way with a scenic trail.

Beautiful park great for the everyone including dogs.

Live snakes being fed, turtles, kid puppet shows, Orange trees, parrots and more!

Beautiful, clean and convenient

Very nice place