Jogging through the streets around this park, I took a mental journey through time to the olden days. Jim Bowie! Merriwether Lewis! Exploration through the hinterlands of the emerging American frontier. There may have been a time where such conditions existed here, but it's more likely that the subdivision developer wanted a theme for the neighborhood plat and had watched one too many Bonanza! episodes at the time.
(Hey, it's better than the Christmas-themed neighborhood around Decatur, Georgia...which, given its proximity to an Orthodox temple, is now heavily settled with Jewish families. It's more than a little ironic that folks are having Seder dinners in houses off Santa Claus Lane. But I digress.)
So, come with me to the lawless frontier between Trailside Park and Monticello Woods Park, and cast your imagination back to the Wild West days on the Franconian frontier. Smell the saddle leather and sagebrush! Hear the ghostly jingle of spurs on the wind and the lowing of the cattle.
Well. Not that last one, here. But you'll have to see for yourself.
I couldn't find boundaries between Trailside Park and Monticello Woods Park, so I'm not sure which one this is hidden in. Either way, both parks are open dawn to dusk, and both are on the list of Fairfax County parks that do not require prior approval for geocaches.
If you're feeling adventurous, you can bushwhack in from Trailside Park, like I did, but there's no good path from the ball fields, even if Open Street Maps and the geocaching map claim ther is. Free parking available at the additional waypoint, which is a Monticello Woods Park entrance - hang a left on the dirt trail. If the creek is up, head north to the I-495 retaining wall - there is a creek crossing above the culvert.
You might get some significant signal bounce thanks to the giant wall, so the hint is pretty specific. If you don't want a specific hint, consider this your warning not to look at it.