Leesburg's New Potomac Park Opened Just Before Its Shortest Season

"Frank, that's a lot of money."

That's how Supervisor Kristen Umstattd, who was Leesburg's mayor when the land was bought, remembered answering former Council Member Frank Buttery. At the September 30 dedication, she told Loudoun Now that he'd brought the council a riverfront property he said they could get "for only $3 million." The council agreed. Leesburg paid $2 million for 86 acres in 2001, and NOVA Parks took the other 55 acres of the 141-acre purchase to expand its Ball's Bluff park.

Then the Town held the land for more than 20 years until it had money to build. Loudoun County put in $4 million of the $4.2 million cost, and after 16 months of construction, Veterans Park at Ball's Bluff opened at 42314 Balls Bluff Road. The Town's announcement calls it Leesburg's first park with direct access to the Potomac River.

After 25 years of waiting, the park opened a month before its shortest-hours season. The best way to use it this fall is as the river end of a walk through the Ball's Bluff Battlefield next door, while that park's free guided tours are still running.

The Hours Shrink on November 1

The Town posts four seasonal schedules on the Veterans Park page. Opening day came during the September–October hours, and the cutback arrives on Sunday, November 1.

The November–March schedule covers five months, longer than any other on the list. From then on, the gate schedule runs 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., five fewer hours a day than in summer. The Town also bans trespassing or loitering outside posted hours, so a late paddle that would have worked in early October won't work in mid-November.

That's why the next several weekends matter. The park is new, the leaves are turning, and for the moment it lines up with the busiest part of the schedule next door.

The River End of a Battlefield Walk

Veterans Park borders the 223-acre Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park, run by NOVA Parks, and Loudoun Now reports that the trails connect across both properties. On the Town side, the paths are marked by color:

• Blue blazes mark an existing section of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. An improved trailhead at Balls Bluff Road leads down toward the river.
• White blazes mark a new connector trail, a shorter, more direct route.
• Two parking areas, one at the boat ramp and one at the historic silos, each have a trailhead.

The Town describes the trails as primitive paths through woods and along the river, so plan on a hike, not a paved stroll. The same network reaches farther out. An earlier Loudoun Now report on Potomac Crossing Park described trails that run along the Potomac, through Ball's Bluff, and north into Veterans Park. In that piece, Deputy Director Kate Trask said the goal was to tie the nearby NOVA Parks land into the Potomac Heritage Trail system.

The battlefield's history is the reason this ground was protected. NOVA Parks dates the Battle of Ball's Bluff to October 21, 1861, so this week's 165th anniversary falls in the park's first month. Parks and Recreation Director Rich Williams pointed to that history at the dedication. According to Loudoun Now's coverage, he said the land "has played a significant role in Leesburg's history," while also providing "an escape into nature for our community."

NOVA Parks keeps the battlefield open from dawn to dusk for walking and self-guided visits. Free guided tours run Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. from early April through the end of November. They start at the kiosk in the battlefield parking lot, last one to two hours, and cover about a mile of woodland trail at a moderate pace. As of this week, the battlefield's events page lists no separate anniversary program, so the regular weekend tours are the way to mark it.

From this Saturday, October 24, through Sunday, November 29, that's six weekends, or twelve tour days, before the season ends. The 1 p.m. tour pairs well with the new park. If it runs the full two hours, you can still reach the river on the white connector before the 5 p.m. gate time that starts November 1.

What the Launch Is Built For

Before the dedication ended, Mayor Kelly Burk and Supervisor Umstattd went out on the Potomac in a canoe, according to the Town. The main piece of Phase 1 is the three-quarter-mile, two-lane road that runs from the Potomac Crossing neighborhood on Balls Bluff Road to the water. It ends at an accessible boat launch for non-gas-powered boats, which the Town's own materials describe for canoes and kayaks. Fishing is also listed as a park activity.

Most of the rules are about the ramp and parking:

1. No gas-powered boats at the launch.
2. No swimming or loitering on the launch ramp, and the ramp is used at your own risk.
3. No trailer parking anywhere in the park, and no parking on the roadways. Unauthorized vehicles are towed at the owner's expense.
4. Dogs must be leashed, restrained and curbed.
5. No alcohol and no weapons, and no entry into areas marked Restricted Access.

The trailer rule matters most for anyone who loads a canoe or kayak onto a trailer. Plan on a car-top boat or a hand carry. For safety on the water, the Town asks paddlers to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket and to check weather and water conditions before launching. It also notes that there are no lifeguards or lifesaving equipment. For questions on site, the Parks Manager's line is 703-737-7155.

The Silos Are Waiting for Phase 2

The second parking lot sits next to the old silos and corn crib, which the Town says are a reminder of the property's agricultural and industrial past. For now, they're mainly something to look at. Phase 2 on the Town's project page includes upgrades to the existing silos, along with road upgrades, more parking, a picnic pavilion and trail improvements, all with an estimated completion of fall 2029.

The pavilion's timing is less clear. The Town's October 2 announcement says the trail-access parking area and picnic pavilion "will open in the spring." Loudoun Now's opening coverage, on the other hand, puts the pavilion in the 2029 phase. Either way, a family picnic this fall means carrying everything in and plating it on a blanket. The Town says its posted site map does not show current conditions, so the signs in the park are the better guide.

A November Calendar That Points Back to the River

The park's name ties it to Veterans Day, which falls on Wednesday, November 11. That morning, the George C. Marshall International Center hosts its free 22nd Annual Veterans Day Celebration at Dodona Manor from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It includes free house tours, a speaker program, vintage military vehicles, and a community barbecue lunch at noon while supplies last. If the event ends at 1 p.m., that still leaves about four hours of park time under the November schedule.

Two other Town dates fall in the same window:

• Kiwanis Halloween Parade, Wednesday, October 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m. on downtown Leesburg streets. The Town calendar sends readers to Kiwanis for details.
• Freeze Your Gizzard, Saturday, November 21, at Ida Lee Park. The 5K starts at 9 a.m. and the one-mile fun run at 10 a.m. The Town asks runners to bring food donations for Loudoun Hunger Relief. That same weekend is one of the last with Ball's Bluff tours, so a morning race and the 1 p.m. battlefield tour can share a Saturday.

As Mayor Burk said at the dedication, in remarks reported by Loudoun Now, "Twenty-five years passes like that, and here we are." On November 1, gates close at 5 p.m., and Ball's Bluff's last guided tour of the year is on Sunday, November 29.

When a new trailhead or river launch opens a few minutes from a neighborhood, it changes how people talk about that part of town. Telling that story well is part of how I prepare a home for the market. If you're thinking about what Veterans Park means for your corner of Leesburg, I'd be glad to walk through it with you. Choose Wisely Group is here when you're ready. Let's Connect.