Description
With forested rolling hills and a 53-acre lake, this 239-acre county park offers an excellent location for year-round birding and wildlife viewing. Explore the park by foot on 3 miles of moderately difficult trails or by water via boat, kayak or canoe. The area is locally popular for bird watching, particularly on the lake itself, which hosts a diversity of waterfowl in the winter, some shorebirds in the spring, and common loons in spring and fall. The park is also popular for viewing migrating wood warblers, which are attracted to the park’s forests surrounding the lake during spring and fall. Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Cedar Waxwing, and a diversity of woodpeckers have been observed year-round. Summer birding opportunities include wading birds, flycatchers, swallows, and orioles. In addition to the birds, careful observers may spot American beaver, eastern painted turtles, and American toads. On warm summer days, a diversity of butterflies may be observed, including silvery checkerspots, eastern swallowtails, and pipevine swallowtails.
Wildlife Sightings
202 species have been reported at this site to date.
Birds Recently Seen at Chris Greene Lake:
- Canada Goose
- Common Merganser
- Killdeer
- Black Vulture
- Turkey Vulture
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Belted Kingfisher
- Downy Woodpecker
- Hairy Woodpecker
- American Crow
Recent Checklists:
| Date | # of Species | Submitted By |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Feb 2026 | 21 | Jennifer Jowdy |
| 28 Feb 2026 | 18 | Guy Babineau |
| 28 Feb 2026 | 18 | Susan Babineau |
| 25 Feb 2026 | 21 | Jennifer Jowdy |
| 25 Feb 2026 | 4 | Penelope Reighart |
Amenities & Accessibility
Amenities
- On-site Parking
- Restrooms
- Kayak/Canoe Launch
- Boat Ramp
- Birdability Report Available
Other Amenities: Hiking Trails, Paddlecraft Rentals, Beach
Accessibility Considerations

This location has a Birdability Site Review available
Learn more about Birdability’s efforts to map accessible outdoor spaces
Maps & Directions
Physical Address: 4748 Chris Greene Lake Road, Charlottesville, VA 22911
From Charlottesville, travel on US-29 North to Airport Road. Turn left onto Airport Road following signs for Charlottesville Albemarle Airport. In less than a mile, take a slight right turn at the traffic circle toward Dickerson Road/SR-606. Continue on Dickerson Road/SR-606 for just over a mile. Turn left onto Chris Greene Lake Road/SR-850 and continue for 0.4 miles. Follow signs for Chris Greene Lake.
Site Information
Access Requirements:
- Fee, Daily, 7am to dark
Contact Information:
- Phone: 434-296-5844
- Email: asmith@albemarle.org
- Visit Website
Sites, or portions of sites, can be closed periodically for management activities. Please always check the site’s website for additional information prior to visiting.

