I've been in the area for awhile, but, between work and general life stuff I haven't had any luck finding a good place to fly/buggy and my kites have been mostly gathering dust for the past 5 years.

When I first moved to the area I tried some spots out in Manassas and Fairfax that had the space, but between the trees and the hills, the wind was shifting direction constantly making it more challenge then fun. (nothing like having a kite "safely" parked at the edge of the window, suddenly power up as the wind shifts 90 degrees)

I am hoping to get back into it. Does anyone have any recommendations for kite/buggy friendly areas in Northern Virginia?

I'm in Falls Church

Thanks

Hey there slothart. Check out the dc area riders thread on the meet up section there are plenty of guys in that area. You gotta come to WW in a few weeks most of them will be there. Welcome to the forum.

Thanks.. I'll check it out.

You might also want to check out the "Places We Fly Kites" page on the Wings Over Washington kite club's website:
http://www.wowkiteclub.com/fields.htm

It includes fields in VA, MD and DC.

Garcelon's a nice field, but they were doing a lot of reseeding last time I was there and on some of the fields you have to watch out for the light poles.

ATB,
Sam

Did you try Bull Run Regional Park?
I used to work there when I lived in NOVA, and there were fields there that would be big enough.

I never tried Bull Run (the tree line seemed close to me when I went and checked it out after I first moved up here), but I did try some of the Mannassas battlefields that are just up the road from Bull Run and an Elementary school near Bull Run that has large sports fields in the back. I had the same problem in each place... gusty, swirly winds.

The last time I tried, i hiked out to a large field that had a nice high plateau that I was hoping would get me up and out of the swirling wind. I was doing pretty good with my Bego 400 and thought I had finally found a spot, when the wind direction suddenly shifted 90 degrees, and took me and my "safely" parked bego for a wild super man ride. I'm 6'5" and 250lbs... having a 4m kite do that to me pretty much ended my experiments of using the battlefields (plus, I found out later, that kite flying is prohibited in most of the civil war parks... not sure if Bull Run is included in that ban, though)

shifty winds is basically all there is in northern Virginia. you either have to wait till the wind is going in the right direction so that the wind wont be as shift or get used to the shifty winds. I just got used to the shifty winds(mostly). where are you located? I usually fly at a park down the street from my house called Muddy hole but I also fly at Grist Mill park, Fort Hunt and the Monument grounds in DC. I like fort Hunt because the Fields there are huge. We should try to meet up and fly.

i'm in Falls Church