Prince William residents have a new place to hike and play in the woods.
Residents and officials celebrated the opening of Doves Landing Park on Saturday.
The park is located on Doves Lane in Brentsville, at the confluence of Broad Run and Occoquan Creek.
Here, you won’t find a children’s playground or a sports complex.
“This is for the person who wants to simply get out into the woods and enjoy themselves,” Prince William parks and recreation spokesman Brent Heavner.
The area is heavily wooded and includes a planned system of trails developed by the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition. Park visitors may ride horses, but motorized vehicles such as ATVs and motorbikes are prohibited.
A gravel parking lot was added as a part of the process to develop Doves Landing into a park. Next, parks officials will work to make the entrance to Doves Landing “more inviting,” said Heavner.
The park’s ribbon cutting was held on National Public Lands Day. The Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition has several photos from the ribbon cutting on its website.
The land on which the park sits was owned by Prince William County. A “no trespassing” sign has been posted on the property by the park authority warning people not to enter prior to the land becoming an official park.
“Obviously, we thought we could do something better than put up a no trespassing sign,” said Heavner.
Talk about developing the park began three years ago. Residents that lived in the area did not want a large park or sports fields.
