Lake Anna State Park
Lake Anna is the second largest lake in Virginia located entirely in Virginia. Lake Anna State Park is located in Spotsylvania, Virginia. My husband and I had attempted to look for it in the pre-GPS, pre-Mapquest days and never found it. So Lake Anna State Park has remained on my local bucket list … until last Saturday when we found the park!
Since it is my goal to walk at least 7K steps a day, 50K steps a week, I like to look for interesting places to walk. Lake Anna State Park also gave my husband a chance to check out a potential fishing hole. Unfortunately, no one was catching anything in the Old Pond or Lake Anna itself, but they certainly make it comfortable for fishermen by providing a wooden platform and stool. In the upper left of the picture on the right, you can also see shelter provided for the fishermen. The building on the right is the Visitor Center.
There are 11 trails at the park and they are all marked as “easy,” except for three of them. We took the Railroad Ford Trail (1.5 miles) and the Old Pond Trail (0.3 miles). The latter is very easy — a totally paved path and excellent for a wheelchair. Over half of the Railroad Ford Trail bordered Lake Anna. It was a lovely walk and it reminded me of Eckhart Tolle and being in the moment.
Being aware of each moment sharpened the senses. The sound of the little waves on the shore, jet skis and motor boats, crickets, birds, children having fun, and other sounds I could not identify. Scenes of fishermen along the shoreline, people sitting and enjoying the peace of the lake, gnats coming up to annoy me and spiderwebs in my way were some of my views in the forest. It was a hot and humid summer day, but not overly so.
Although it was a relatively easy trail, there were still several inclines and many roots of trees to walk over. It was a great senior activity, but I was still thankful that being in good shape paid off and could really enjoy the walk. (Several previous posts talk about the benefits of being in shape. Click here for Exercise is a 4 Letter Word, click here for Fitness Required, click here for Heart Palpitations and Stroke).


















