After 15 Years, Guided Boat Tours Are Back on Burke Lake

It was more than 15 years ago that tour boats guided guests around Burke Lake, a 218-acre body of water that offers wonderful opportunities for fishing. These guided tours allowed Fairfax County Park Authority staff to share with park patrons the beautiful shoreline, information about wildlife and native fauna, as well as panoramic vistas from the water. This weekend, the tours start anew.

On Saturday, Sept, 5, tours will run from noon until 6 p.m. These 30-minute tours can accommodate 24 people and run at the top of every hour. The last run will be at 6 p.m. Visitors can purchase tickets at the Bait House. Tickets are $2 for adults and $1.50 for children age 12 and under. Tours will run on weekends until the end of October. In the future, staff envisions chartered sunset tours, fishing charters as well as special request charters.

Burke Lake Park offers boating, rowboat rental, camping, a miniature train, a carousel, outdoor volleyball courts, open fields, an 18-hole par 3 golf course, a clubhouse with snack bar and driving range, disk golf, horseshoe pits, an ice cream parlor, picnic areas with grills, three playgrounds, trails, an amphitheater, and miniature golf course. (Swimming, paddleboarding and windsurfing are prohibited.) The lake is owned by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), the surrounding park land comprising Burke Lake Park is owned by the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA).

Burke Lake Park is located at 7315 Ox Road in Fairfax Station. For more information please call 703-323-6600 or visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/burkelakepark/.