Kim Bartenfelder/Fourth Estate

With the summer coming to an end, visit Burke Lake Park for your favorite last-minute summer activities

BY KIM BARTENFELDER, STAFF WRITER

With the beginning of a new semester comes new responsibilities, more dedication to our studies and the sad reality that summer is coming to a close. It’s easy to forget about the bliss felt from the previous three months away from school. We still walk to class in the blistering heat that mimics summer, but it is not quite the same.

Well, have no fear. Even in Fairfax, it is possible to hold onto that feeling for as long as possible with a visit to Burke Lake Park. Only a twelve-minute drive or Uber ride down Virginia. State Route 123, Burke Lake Park has plenty of activities to help you live out the last best days of summer.

Burke Lake Park has a variety of accommodations to appeal to different people, from those who take pleasure in the tranquility of nature to those who are more athletic.

Throughout the park, four-sand volleyball courts await your bump, set and spikes, while the disc golf and mini golf courses are eager to test your skills, or lack thereof.

For the sightseers and easy-minded, don’t fret. Burke Lake Park has numerous trails, including the 4.7 mile lake trail, on top of tour boats, fishing and camping sites.

And for those in between, you haven’t been forgotten. There’s plenty for you as well. Picnic tables scatter the park’s 888 acres for friends and family to gather for the day or the weekend. The park also has a stop and shop ice cream parlor, camp store and clubhouse.The biggest hot spot is the marina. Not only an escape from dry land, the marina is a sight for sore eyes.

So as you finish out the last days of summer, go visit Burke Lake Park and see for yourself what it has to offer. Whether you’re at the park to relax away from campus and other obligations or you’re looking to compete with friends, Burke Lake Park is worth the trip. Do it quick — the park facilities are only open weekends to the general public until Oct. 26, with the last night to camp under the stars being Nov. 11.