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Sunset
Here is the thing almost every "best sunset in Alexandria" list gets wrong: our waterfront faces the wrong way.
Stand at Waterfront Park at seven in the evening and you are looking east, across the Potomac, at Maryland. The sun is behind you, going down over the West End. Old Town's riverbank is one of the finest sunrise perches in the region — and close to useless if what you want is to watch the sun actually drop.
So the good news, if you live west of Quaker Lane: the best sunsets in this city are in your backyard. Here is where to go.
Shooter's Hill
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial sits on the highest ground in Alexandria, and its west-facing terrace looks out over Cameron Run, the West End, and a long clean horizon with nothing tall enough to interrupt it. You do not need to go inside or take a tour to use the grounds and the front steps — they are open and free, and the view from the terrace alone is the best unobstructed western sightline in the city. Come up King Street or park in the lot off Callahan Drive.
Ben Brenman Park
Fifty-nine acres on the old Cameron Station grounds, and the reason it works is the pond. Open water plus open sky in a part of town with no tall buildings means you get the sunset twice — once overhead and once in the reflection. Benches ring the water. The West End Farmers Market runs here Sunday mornings if you want to make a whole day of it, and the southern trail has new fitness equipment as of this summer.
Fort Ward Park
The best-preserved of the Civil War forts that ringed Washington, and the elevation that made it useful in 1861 makes it useful now. The open lawns above the earthworks and the amphitheater bowl both catch the last light, and the park stays quiet on weekday evenings. Bring a blanket; there is more grass than bench.
The Woodrow Wilson Bridge pedestrian path
The single best compromise in Alexandria. You are elevated, you are over open water, and you have a clear line in both directions — sunset over the city to the west, and the sky above Maryland going pink to the east at the same time. Walk out from the Jones Point side. It is exposed, so skip it if there is weather coming.
Jones Point Park
Worth being precise about: Jones Point faces east and southeast, so you will not see the sun touch down here. What you will see is the sky. The park sits under the bridge with a wide-open ceiling, the 1855 lighthouse in silhouette, and very little light pollution for somewhere this close to the city. It is a sky park, not a sunset park, and on a night with good clouds that is the better ticket.
The reflected version
Do not write off the waterfront entirely. In the 20 minutes after the sun goes down behind the city, the light comes back around and hits Old Town's east-facing brick — the warehouse fronts along the Strand, the townhouse rows on Prince Street, the boats at the marina. Photographers call it the second sunset, and Founders Park, Windmill Hill Park and the foot of Roberdeau Park are all good places to be standing when it happens.
Timing
Sunset in Alexandria runs around 8:05 p.m. in mid-August, slipping to roughly 7:40 by the first of September and 7 by the end of it. Plan to arrive 20 minutes early — at Fort Ward and Ben Brenman the sun drops below the treeline well before it reaches the actual horizon.
