"Frank, that's a lot of money."
That was Kristen Umstattd's answer as mayor, when former Town Council member Frank Buttery told the council he was negotiating with a landowner for a riverfront parcel on the northeastern edge of town. Umstattd, who now represents Leesburg on the Board of Supervisors, told the story at the September 30 ribbon-cutting for Veterans Park at Balls Bluff. She said she and the rest of the council voted with him anyway.
The Town bought its 86 acres in 2001 for $2 million and then held the land for more than two decades until money for construction came through. Loudoun County put in $4 million of the $4.2 million project cost, and construction took 16 months. In its October 2 announcement, the Town calls the result Leesburg's first park with direct access to the Potomac River.
The park opened in the last weeks of the 7 p.m. closing time. On November 1 the gates start closing at 5 p.m., and those hours run through March. So for most of its first half-year, Leesburg's new river access is somewhere you go in the daytime, and that changes where the rest of a fall Saturday ends up.
What Is Actually Down There
The main piece of the first phase is a three-quarter-mile, two-lane access road. It starts at the Potomac Crossing neighborhood on Balls Bluff Road and runs the length of the park to the river. At the bottom is a boat launch for non-gas-powered watercraft, with parking split between two areas. One serves the launch and the other serves the historic silos, and trailheads start from both.
The trails are where the park connects to land Leesburg already knew. Primitive paths link to a segment of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, blazed in blue. A new white-blazed trail is a shorter, more direct route toward the water. The park borders NOVA Parks' 223-acre Balls Bluff Battlefield Regional Park, and trails cross between the two properties. Loudoun Now's coverage of the opening reports that Parks and Recreation Director Rich Williams tied the land to the Civil War battle when he spoke at the ceremony.
The opening ceremony also showed what the launch is for. After the ribbon was cut, Mayor Kelly Burk and Supervisor Umstattd paddled canoes across to Harrison's Island and back. In the Town's release, Burk listed the uses she has in mind: picnics, fishing along the river, launching a canoe or kayak, and hiking past the native plants.
The posted rules are short and specific.
- Dogs must be leashed, restrained and curbed at all times.
- No alcohol and no weapons.
- No gas-powered vessels, and no swimming or loitering at the launch ramp.
- No parking on the roadways and no trailer parking. Unauthorized vehicles are towed at the owner's expense.
- No lifeguard or lifesaving equipment is provided. The Town says to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved flotation device and check weather and water conditions first.
The no-trailer rule means anyone launching has to carry the boat on the car or haul it by hand.
The Clock Changes on November 1
The Town's park page lists four seasonal schedules. It also says no trespassing or loitering is allowed outside operating hours.
| Months | Hours | Daily open time |
|---|---|---|
| May–August | 6 a.m.–9 p.m. | 15 hours |
| September–October | 7 a.m.–7 p.m. | 12 hours |
| November–March | 7 a.m.–5 p.m. | 10 hours |
| April | 7 a.m.–8 p.m. | 13 hours |
Count from the September 30 opening and the 7 p.m. schedule lasts about a month. The 5 p.m. schedule then runs five months, from November through March. A late-afternoon paddle that works this week won't fit in a few weeks. The access road is three-quarters of a mile, so plan to be back at the car before the gate time, not just off the water.
Some of the park is still to come, and the Town's own documents don't agree on when. The October 2 release says the picnic pavilion, which shares the second parking area with trail access, "will open in the spring." The capital project page puts the pavilion in phase two with roadway upgrades, more parking, silo work and trail improvements, all with an estimated completion of Fall 2029. Loudoun Now also describes a second phase in 2029 that includes more parking and a pavilion. Until the Town says otherwise, a covered picnic spot by the river is a maybe for next year, not a sure thing.
Downtown's Fall Openings Are All Small Treats
The park closes earlier, but the rest of the day still happens, and this fall's new downtown businesses are the kind of places you can visit in half an hour. All three opened within three weeks of each other.
Kilwins, 17 S. King St. The county's first Kilwins opened Sunday, September 13, in the space Rouge used to occupy. Owner Nancy Carter told Loudoun Now she had been watching the storefront for some time. "I just loved the stone front and the big windows and the historic proximity to the courthouse," she said. A second Loudoun location is being built in Brambleton, and Carter described the Leesburg shop as the nostalgic one of the two.
The Chocolate Palette, 212A Loudoun St. SE. Chocolatier Cheryl June opened her shop in mid-September after years of farmers markets and seasonal pop-ups. Those included the Purcellville farmers market and four winter seasons in Gruto's Main Street space while that ice cream shop was closed. The menu has fresh-to-order European sipping chocolates, Danish pancakes with sweet or savory toppings, and handmade desserts. Her landlord is Avis Renshaw, owner of Mom's Apple Pie. June told Loudoun Now that the sipping chocolates started as a Christmastime treat among military families stationed overseas.
Every Little Something, 1 Loudoun St. SW. Nicole and Fred Ferguson opened their second stationery shop on a Thursday, according to a Loudoun Now story dated October 2. The first opened in Middleburg in 2024. Nicole's custom stationery is the core of the business, and the shop also carries pens, notebooks, cards, children's toys and family games. None of the toys need batteries or screens.
Two of the three are on Loudoun Street. The Town's Donaldson Cabin is at 14 Loudoun St. SW, a few doors from Every Little Something, and it hosts the Town's First Friday programs.
Five Weeks Built Around the Early Gate
November 1 is the day the park's hours change, and it is also the busiest stretch of the Town's fall calendar.
- Sunday, Oct. 25, 2 p.m. Downtown trick-or-treating, on the Town's October calendar.
- Wednesday, Oct. 28, 6:30–8 p.m. The Kiwanis Halloween Parade on downtown streets.
- Sunday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Leesburg's first Pumpkin Smash at Tuscarora Creek Park, 425 Solitude Ct. SE. Carved pumpkins go to composting, and a drop-off stays open through Sunday, Nov. 8. That same day the river park starts closing at 5 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 6, 5–7 p.m. First Friday at Donaldson Cabin, with an exhibit on cemeteries and genealogy. It starts right when the river park closes.
After that the calendar moves to the holidays. The tree lighting is Saturday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. on the Town Green at 25 W. Market St. The Christmas and Holiday Parade is Saturday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. It runs from Ida Lee Park to the Safeway parking lot on King Street, with a rain date of Dec. 13.
Downtown has one more change coming. Construction started after a July 30 groundbreaking on the McLister at King & Royal project at 2 Royal St., where a non-historic barn is being replaced with retail, office and apartment space. Loudoun Now reported that completion is expected in about a year.
Veterans Park took 25 years to buy, fund and build. Its first winter starts November 1, with the gate at the end of the access road closing at 5 p.m. through March.
If the new river access has you thinking about how Leesburg's edges are changing, The Shively Team follows these openings closely across Loudoun and Northern Virginia. When you're ready to see how a change like this fits your own plans, start with a complimentary home valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
