Potomac Overlook Regional Park

Potomac Overlook Regional Park A property of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, Potomac Overlook Regional Park is located in Arlington, Virginia.

Park staff present educational programs on a wide range of natural and human history topics.

Congratulations to Arlington County Virginia – Government for being named #1 in the 2026 American Fitness Index’s evalu...
07/14/2026

Congratulations to Arlington County Virginia – Government for being named #1 in the 2026 American Fitness Index’s evaluation of the top 100 cities in the U.S! The Fitness Index provides a snapshot of how well cities support active lifestyles. Accessible parks, safe walking and biking infrastructure, and public transit systems help make physical activity part of daily life.

NOVA Parks supports healthy lifestyles in Arlington by offering options to walk, run, bike, climb, hike and swim to meet your fitness goals. Walk, run, or bike the paved W&OD Trail, which extends 45 miles to the northwest from Shirlington. Surround yourself in nature as you hike the wooded trails at Potomac Overlook Regional Park near Donaldson Run. Or, visit Upton Hill Regional Park near Ballston and challenge yourself on the vertical adventure at Climb UPton or swim laps at Ocean Dunes Waterpark.

Celebrate the longest day of the year with NOVA Parks on Sunday, June 21! Participate in a variety of free activities as...
06/20/2026

Celebrate the longest day of the year with NOVA Parks on Sunday, June 21! Participate in a variety of free activities as part of Play All Day VA, a statewide initiative across park and recreation agencies to encourage park exploration and play.

NOVA Parks offers 20 different activities throughout Northern Virginia on June 21. Plan your adventure today! Visit novaparks.com/PlayAllDayVA

It is with heavy hearts that Potomac Overlook says goodbye to our resident common snapping turtle, Shelby, who passed aw...
05/29/2026

It is with heavy hearts that Potomac Overlook says goodbye to our resident common snapping turtle, Shelby, who passed away earlier this week. Shelby was an education animal at our nature center since the summer of 2019, where she was a star attraction for thousands of school children, campers, visitors, and anyone else who got a chance to see her. Despite her species’ fearsome reputation, Shelby was relatively docile and quite curious about those who came to look at her in her aquatic tank, and quickly became a favorite of the team who worked with her. While she was rarely used by our staff for animal presentations due to the challenges of handling her, she was a major hit at our feeding programs, where she frequently left visitors in awe at the speed of which she would strike at and gobble up her food. Sadly, Shelby’s health had declined in recent months due to a rare fungal disease, and despite multiple treatments, her prognosis did not improve. She helped to educate countless people on snapping turtles, whether it was their importance to their ecosystems, their amazing adaptations, or the ways we can protect them. We remember Shelby for the “WOW” she elicited from many visitors, her fondness for basking under her heat lamp, and (in the words of our staff) for being our “little dinosaur”. She will be missed.

Gotta identify them all! Our ever-popular Pokemon in Real Life program is back with another offering. Learn from a Natur...
05/19/2026

Gotta identify them all! Our ever-popular Pokemon in Real Life program is back with another offering. Learn from a Naturalist about how nature has influenced Pokémon, and imagine your very own Pokémon that could call the park home! Along the way you’ll explore the park, find a habitat for your Pokémon to live, identify a variety of species, complete challenges, and help collect citizen science data for our real life Pokédex, the iNaturalist app.

Event meets on May 27th from 2:30-3:30pm. $7 per participant for ages 5 and up. To learn more and register, follow the link here: https://www.novaparks.com/parks/potomac-overlook-regional-park/events/pok%C3%A9mon-in-real-life-5

Many animals have incredible abilities that seem almost super-human…have you ever wondered how your abilities would stac...
05/16/2026

Many animals have incredible abilities that seem almost super-human…have you ever wondered how your abilities would stack up? In our “Animal Olympics” program, participants will not only learn about what feats animals are capable of, but try these feats themselves! How far away can an owl hear something? What distance can a deer leap? How strong is an eagle’s grip? How do bats use smell to find their offspring? Play games and take part in active learning, and who knows…you may just earn an Olympic medal at the end!

Event meets on May 30th from 2-3pm. $10 per participant for ages 7 and up. To learn more and register, follow the link here: https://www.novaparks.com/parks/potomac-overlook-regional-park/events/animal-olympics

Hike on down to our Wildlife Walk program, and explore the park with a NOVA Parks Naturalist! You’ll discover the wildli...
05/14/2026

Hike on down to our Wildlife Walk program, and explore the park with a NOVA Parks Naturalist! You’ll discover the wildlife that calls the forest home, walk the trails, stop at several diverse locations, and even set out trail cameras to try and catch nocturnal wildlife! Binoculars will be provided for use during the program upon request.

Event meets on May 23rd from 10-11:30am. $10 per participant for ages 7 and up. To learn more and register, follow the link here: https://www.novaparks.com/parks/potomac-overlook-regional-park/events/wildlife-walk-0

Address

2845 Marcey Road
Arlington, VA
22207

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

(703) 528-5406

Website

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