Burke Lake (Reston, Herndon, Fairfax: lease, home, tax)

[SteelCityRising]

Good Morning All,

I just have a rather quick question that I hope someone can answer for me. A few nights per week I've been driving down to Burke Lake for a rather enjoyable and enriching workout as I run along the beautiful lakeside trail, but I noticed that on weekends there is a steep $8 fee to utilize the park for non-county residents. What sort of identification would I need to bring with me today and/or tomorrow to get into the park for free? Is my drivers' license sufficient to show to the person in the gate shack, or should I also bring a utility bill, lease agreement, etc.? I realize this is a dumb question, but Burke is a very long hike from Reston, and I wouldn't want to get there and be faced with either forking over $8 (expensive!) or going back home to retrieve something and then heading back down (roughly a 30-minute drive each way, depending on traffic).

Thanks!

[Home_Kid]

maybe this has the info you need
Burke Lake Park Marina, Fairfax County Park Authority (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/burkelake/marina.htm - broken link)

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Home_Kid

maybe this has the info you need
Burke Lake Park Marina, Fairfax County Park Authority (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/burkelake/marina.htm - broken link)

Well that particular link didn't help, but it did lead me to find the language I was looking for within another part of the web site:

•How is "Fairfax County Resident" defined?
There is no entrance fee for Fairfax County residents. The charge for non-county residents on weekends and holidays only (no charge on weekdays), April through late October is as follows:

Car/Motorcycle: $8.00
Large Capacity Van: $8.00
Bus: $40.00

When determining who is required to pay the park entrance fee (weekends and holidays only during our operating season), we use the tax sticker on your vehicle. If that is not available, we use the zip code on your home address. The zip code determines tax areas. Senior citizens from counties other than Fairfax receive a non-county resident senior citizen discount at the campground.


Thanks!

[Caladium]

I'm glad that you found a place that you love. Maybe one of these days you can take your camera and do a little photo tour.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

Well that particular link didn't help, but it did lead me to find the language I was looking for within another part of the web site:

•How is "Fairfax County Resident" defined?
There is no entrance fee for Fairfax County residents. The charge for non-county residents on weekends and holidays only (no charge on weekdays), April through late October is as follows:

Car/Motorcycle: $8.00
Large Capacity Van: $8.00
Bus: $40.00

When determining who is required to pay the park entrance fee (weekends and holidays only during our operating season), we use the tax sticker on your vehicle. If that is not available, we use the zip code on your home address. The zip code determines tax areas. Senior citizens from counties other than Fairfax receive a non-county resident senior citizen discount at the campground.


Thanks!

So I guess the license would suffice since we don't have tax stickers on the cars anymore.

[bmwguydc]

Your driver's license would suffice, as it does at all Fairfax County parks to determine residency, without looking at the vehicle.

[pcity]

BMWGuy is 100% correct. I can say from experience, it's always the driver's license they check. This is the same for NVRPA parks as well.

[SteelCityRising]

Thanks, everyone! I just had my license ready, and after the girl stared at it and scratched her head for about 10 seconds she let me proceed. What a beautiful day today. It was soul-renewing to see so many happy families as I ran past them. Just under 5 miles in about 40 minutes. Not bad. My pace is improving! I'll have to bring my camera along next time to take some photos for those who have never been there. The park is more or less wedged between Fairfax County Parkway (7100) and Ox Road (123) in the lower reaches of Burke. It's about a half-hour's drive south of Reston. They have mini-golf, a marina, a beautiful gravel lakeside trail, picnic tables and benches everywhere, and even frisbee golf! They also have what looks like a novelty train for the kiddos, but in all my times there I have yet to see it operational. I feel guilty wasting so much gasoline driving back-and-forth all the time, but I love this trail so much more than running on the W&OD through Reston/Herndon.

[movingtodcfromseattle]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

Thanks, everyone! I just had my license ready, and after the girl stared at it and scratched her head for about 10 seconds she let me proceed. What a beautiful day today. It was soul-renewing to see so many happy families as I ran past them. Just under 5 miles in about 40 minutes. Not bad. My pace is improving! I'll have to bring my camera along next time to take some photos for those who have never been there. The park is more or less wedged between Fairfax County Parkway (7100) and Ox Road (123) in the lower reaches of Burke. It's about a half-hour's drive south of Reston. They have mini-golf, a marina, a beautiful gravel lakeside trail, picnic tables and benches everywhere, and even frisbee golf! They also have what looks like a novelty train for the kiddos, but in all my times there I have yet to see it operational. I feel guilty wasting so much gasoline driving back-and-forth all the time, but I love this trail so much more than running on the W&OD through Reston/Herndon.

FYI the carousel and train are a HUGE hit for our kids. Very much worth the money and the train does run regularly (mornings are best).