Annandale Community Park, Annandale

1:12P.M. for 31 minutes

Temperature: 79° F

Humidity: 51%

4 September 2017

This was my first visit to Annandale Community Park, and boy was I in for a surprise.

Some Community Parks are more community centers than parks, with several ball fields and buildings but little in the way of nature. Annandale seemed like this at first, but I dutifully walked along a paved path to its Nature Center to find it connected with a network of dirty trails through beautiful nearby woods and along a nearby stream.

Unfortunately, it feels like a park that's grown awkwardly. Winding, unmarked paved paths connect several different buildings that are spread out across several acres of woods in a tangle. Come here once or twice and I'm sure it makes sense, but I got lost briefly on my way back to my truck.

Still, the quiet paths are worth it. I even saw a rare black squirrel clinging to a tree near the Nature Center.