Reservoir Park Water Views
Reservoir Park is the new waterfront park in Loudoun County, surrounding the 350‑acre Beaverdam Reservoir with some 600 acres of woodland trails, boardwalks, picnic pavilions, and inviting woodlands beside a new welcome center. Opened to the public on October 21 2024 after a decade‑long collaboration between Loudoun Water and NOVA Parks, the park lets visitors launch kayaks or stand‑up paddleboards from a floating dock, cast for bass from fishing platforms, or walk along the forested shoreline, all within an easy five‑minute drive west of One Loudoun in Ashburn.
Exhibits throughout the park explain how the reservoir safeguards the county’s drinking‑water supply, turning every paddle or picnic into a lesson in watershed stewardship.
Trails for every pace
An 8‑mile loop circles the lake, blending friendly paved promenades and boardwalks with natural‑surface trails through oak‑hickory woods. Trailheads at Reservoir Park, Edgar Tillet Park, and Beaverdam Run Walking Trails let hikers customize bite‑size segments, while a spur ties into Loudoun’s Goose Creek Pointe Park. AllTrails users peg the full circuit at 7.5 mi/2–2½ hrs of moderate walking, with frequent box‑turtle sightings in warm months.
Paddle & row
Water access is open March 1 – Nov 30, dawn to dusk. Bring your own kayak, canoe, or stand‑up paddleboard and pay the day‑launch fee, or pick up a rental at the marina on weekends in season. A dedicated crew facility and docks on the south shore host practices for half‑a‑dozen Loudoun high‑school rowing teams, adding a splash of regatta color on spring and fall mornings. Motorized craft are limited to electric trolling motors.
Fishing notes
Anglers can cast from shoreline pockets, the Crew Overlook Pier, or any non‑motorized boat. The latest Virginia DWR survey lists largemouth bass, channel catfish, carp, and assorted sunfish; trout are absent and no special fee is required beyond a state license. Live bait, tackle, and cold drinks are stocked at the rental kiosk on peak‑season weekends.
A quick look back
Beaverdam Reservoir was carved out of the Goose Creek watershed in the early 1960s to serve what was then a largely rural Loudoun County. After Loudoun Water purchased the reservoir in 2015, engineers drew the lake down for several years to modernize its dam and spillway work that set the stage for the decade‑long park‑planning process that culminated in Reservoir Park’s ribbon‑cutting on October 21, 2024.
Partnership & purpose
The 300‑acre drinking‑water reservoir remains under Loudoun Water’s care, while NOVA Parks manages the surrounding 600 acres of forest, meadow, and shoreline infrastructure. All design decisions, parking lots, boardwalk footers drilled were outside the high‑water mark, and a strict ban on gas motors and swimming put source‑water protection first. Interpretive panels inside the welcome center turn that behind‑the‑scenes stewardship into a teachable moment for visitors.