Lake Anna State Park: a visitor's guide
Lake Anna State Park is the lake's shared backyard: 3,127 acres and 10 miles of shoreline on the public side, about 25 miles southwest of Fredericksburg. It is the anchor of the lake's quiet end, and if you are staying anywhere nearby, at least one day of your trip belongs to it. Here is how to spend that day well.
The beach
The park's swim beach is a designated swimming area on a wide sweep of sand, open year-round. There are no lifeguards, so it is swim at your own risk and eyes-on-the-water parenting, but the entry is gentle and the setting does the rest. The one real strategy point: day-use parking near the beach fills fast on summer weekends. Arrive before ten or come for the late-afternoon shift, when the crowd thins and the light improves.
The trails
Eleven trails cover more than 15 miles, most of them rated easy, with 12 miles open to bikes and horses as well as boots. This is rolling Virginia hardwood forest with the water appearing and disappearing through the trees, which means the trails are shaded when July needs them to be and glowing in late October. Small kids handle most of them; ambitious kids can be handed a trail map and a title like Navigator.
The gold
This is the part first-time visitors do not expect. This stretch of Virginia ran real gold mines, and the park preserves the story of the Goodwin Gold Mine, which hit its peak in the 1880s. The park runs guided tours and gold panning programs in season, and there is no surer ten-year-old crowd-pleaser on the entire lake than panning for actual gold. Check the park's program schedule when you know your dates.
The fishing
There is a public boat ramp for trailered boats, and the lake's reputation for largemouth bass, crappie, and bream holds up inside the park. The detail worth knowing: a two-acre fishing pond is reserved for children and visitors with disabilities, which makes it one of the kindest first-fish venues anywhere. Anglers 16 and up need a Virginia freshwater license.
The practical part
The park runs dawn to dusk with a daily parking fee, and the office keeps 9 to 4 hours. A picnic shelter overlooking the water seats 50 and rents for $90 a day, worth knowing for reunions. The park also rents cabins, lodges, yurts, and campsites from March through December, and they book far ahead, which is the polite way of saying that if the yurts are gone, a house across the water sleeps you better anyway.
The view from the other shore
Lakewood sits directly across the water from the park, tucked into its own hardwoods with a private covered dock and kayaks provided. The park's shoreline is the view from the dock, and paddling toward it is the best warm-up lap on the lake. Check availability here.
