NOVA Parks News

Today we throw back to one of the most dramatic land acquisitions in Regional Park history.

NOVA Parks has always been on the forefront of acquiring land in the Northern Virginia region for the purposes of preservation, conservation, and recreation. Since it's founding 60 years ago, NOVA Parks has acquired over 12,000 acres of land. The process of acquiring more parkland never stops. 

It was the 1970s when the area that would become Upton Hill Regional Park was purchased by NOVA Parks. The process was not to be made easy, however. This was due to the fact that the land had passed to a development company. Many in the region wanted the land used for something more than just another housing tract. NOVA Parks stepped in and began talks with the developer but things did not go as planned. When the developer did not get the price he wanted, they cleared an area of forest and said they would continue to cut down areas unless their price was met. These tactics sound more like what a terrorist would do as opposed to a typical real estate transaction. In the end, NOVA Parks acquired the 27 acres.

If the acquisition was not dramatic enough, the years that followed had numerous ups and downs. Plans for the pool, mini-golf and batting cages were first embraced by Arlington County, but then there were those who wanted no recreational amenities. That debate went on for some years until the recreational facilities were built. Today, tens of thousands of people enjoy the great features that take up just a small portion of the 27 acres. 45,000 a year enjoy the waterpark, over 20,000 visitors use the mini-golf, and nearly 100,000 rounds are thrown at the batting cages. Parks serve the dual role of conserving nature and giving the public engaging things to do outdoors. As an urban park, Upton Hill has long served this dual role.

In the coming year, an exciting climbing tower will attract more people to this dynamic park that combines passive and active recreation.