The Claude Moore Park and Recreation Sportsplex has something for everyone. With outdoor activities, educational opportunities, and natural areas, the park provides plenty of opportunities to spend the day exploring and having fun. Park entrances sit on Old Vestal’s Gap Road, which leads to the visitor’s center, and Loudoun Park Lane, which leads to the Sportsplex and Community Center. Once you are in, these are some of the ways to have a fun day at the park.
Hiking
The park features 11 miles of hiking trails, with several different hikes to choose from. The Scout Trail wraps around the park and runs for over 3 miles, and is dedicated to the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts and their service projects that make the park a better place. There are also several shorter hikes, each with their own colored markers to help you find your way. You can get a trail map at the visitor’s center or online.
The Nature Area
The Nature Area at Claude Moor Park includes the Lanesville Heritage Area and the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, along with covered pavilions and an amphitheater. It is also where you’ll find the visitor’s center and the Education Center.
Fishing
Bring your fishing pole when you visit the park. There are two fishing ponds stocked with channel catfish, largemouth bass, and bluegill. Make sure you have a Virginia fishing license if you are 16 or older, and remember that kids 12 and under need to have adult supervision while they fish.
Sports
The Sportsplex is where to head to watch or play sports. There are four lighted baseball fields and three lighted softball fields along with a lit football field so the kids can experience playing under the lights. An unlit practice field is also available for many other sports including soccer, lacrosse, and flag football. The Sportsplex area also has a two-story building for the concession stand which houses two restrooms and a meeting space.
Lanesville Heritage Area
Take a walk along Vestal’s Gap Road, which was once used by American Indians, and see many historic sights along the way. The heritage area is home to the Lanesville House, an 1870 Schoolhouse built for farm children, and the Frogshackle Nature Center. This is an 1860s log cabin that was once located on a farm in Ashburn and is now the nature center at the park with hands-on activities for visitors. The area also has an outhouse that served the schoolchildren and farm tenants and the tenant house where the farmhands lived.
Indoor Fun
The Community Center at the park houses a swimming pool, basketball court, and a climbing wall. There is a leisure pool with a huge waterslide, an aerobics studio, and an elevated jogging track. A multipurpose room offers space for birthday parties, and there is even a teen room for the younger adults to gather.
Claude Moore Park and Recreation Sportsplex has both indoor and outdoor activities for the whole family. Head here on a nice day for hiking and fishing, or on a rainy day for indoor swimming and basketball.
Image “Grayson Highlands State Park” by Gamma Man, used under CC BY 2.0
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