Explore the best rated trails in Lorton, VA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Meadowlark Connector Trail and Ox Road Sidepath. With more than 104 trails covering 4534 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Following the route of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Metropolitan Branch rail line, the Met Branch Trail is a busy urban rail-with-trail that shares a corridor with Metro's Red Line, MARC commuter...
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Prince George's County's Paint Branch Trail (not to be confused with Montgomery County's Paint Branch Trail farther north) runs for 3.5 miles between Lake Artemesia and Cherry Hill Neighborhood Park...
The Marvin Gaye Trail offers a paved pathway through the Deanwood, Burville, Lincoln Heights, and Hillbrook neighborhoods of Washington, DC. Just shy of 2 miles, it runs from Minnesota Avenue NE, near...
The Northeast Branch Trail follows the levee along theyou guessed itNortheast Branch of the Anacostia River from the Lake Artemesia Natural Area to Baltimore Avenue/US 1 (south of Hyattsville). The...
This paved sidepath runs parallel to Centreville Road/State Route 657, providing a safe route for alternative transportation along the busy suburban roadway in western Fairfax County. The trail runs...
The Holmes Run Trail offers a scenic pathway through the heart of a busy residential area in Alexandria and adjoining Fairfax County, both suburbs of Washington, D.C. The trail, which is divided into...
The Ox Road Sidepath is a paved trail that runs parallel to Ox Road/State Route 123 in Fairfax County. The trail runs from George Mason University's main Fairfax campus to just south of the former...
Running parallel to Beulah Street from Franconia to Fort Belvoir in southeast Fairfax County, the paved Beulah Street Sidepath provides a link to numerous neighborhoods along its route. A parallel...
The Rappahannock Canal Walk follows the old towpath along the disused canal just northwest of downtown Fredericksburg. The path follows a winding course past old suburban back yards and through a...
Maryland's Intercounty Connector Trail serves as an important commuting route across Montgomery County and Prince George's County. It gets its name from the Intercounty Connector (also known as State...
Between 1900 and 1935, the Chesapeake Beach Railway whisked vacationers from Washington, DC, to the grand hotels, beaches and boardwalk of the resort town of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. Now tourists...
The Vesper Trail, which opened in 2019, serves as a short but important connector between Tysons and northern Vienna. The pathway spans 0.4 miles between the Spring Hill Metro Station (on the Silver...
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The Cross County Trail is a multi-use trail that generally follows the various stream valleys in Fairfax County, Virginia. It is officially named the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail in recognition...
The Rappahannock River Heritage Trail offers a pleasant, paved route in the center of Fredericksburg with beautiful views of the Rappahannock River. Part of the trail winds through Old Mill Park,...
The West Ox Road Sidepath is a short paved trail along the west side of West Ox Road. The trail extends from the Oak Hill area of Fairfax County to southeastern Chantilly (near Fair Oaks Mall in...
The Burke Lake Loop Trail offers a nearly 5-mile route for a pleasant walk or bike, while enjoying the beautiful scenery around Burke Lake in Fairfax. Since the Burke Lake Loop Trail is within Burke...
The Savage Mill Trail in Savage Park travels along the rolling Patuxent River through the grounds of an old cotton mill. In the early 1800s, Savage was a major manufacturing center, harnessing power...
The West Campus Access Road Trail, the newest rail-trail in Washington, D.C., travels through the sprawling former campus of St. Elizabeths Hospital, now set to become the new home of the Department...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
The Sligo Creek Trail parallels the eponymous waterway from its confluence with the Northwest Branch in Hyattsville to just north of its origin in Wheaton in Montgomery County. Along the way, a number...
The Klingle Valley Trail spans just shy of a mile in a leafy, residential area of northwest Washington, DC. The trail opened in June 2017 and is accessible to the neighborhoods of Cleveland Park,...
The Rappahannock Canal Walk follows the old towpath along the disused canal just northwest of downtown Fredericksburg. The path follows a winding course past old suburban back yards and through a...
The Broadneck Peninsula Trail is 1.2 miles of asphalt walking and biking pathway in east Annapolis. The trail runs parallel to College Parkway, from Green Holly Drive to Old Cape St. Claire Road,...
The Town of Brentwood is tucked between Mt Rainier & Hyattsville in Prince George's County, Maryland. This short stretch of paved trail sits on the crest of a levee along the south bank of the...
The Mount Airy Rail-Trail will one day span nearly 4 miles across the town of Mount Airy and through a scenic, wooded area. The first completed section of the trail covers a half mile and is surfaced...
Nestled amongst the trees of St. Mary's River State Park, trail-goers will find an 8-mile path that loops around St. Mary's Lake, offering beautiful natural scenery and the chance to catch a glimpse...
The Lone Wolf Trail is a 1-mile trail in Anne Arundel County Maryland. The trail is connected to two already existing trails: The Strawberry Lake Way Bicycle Path, and the WB&A Trail. Although the...
The #8 Streetcar Path runs just a short distance (0.33 mile) along part of the route of the former streetcar system that once ran between Catonsville and Ellicott City. The streetcar operated from...
The Sligo Creek Trail parallels the eponymous waterway from its confluence with the Northwest Branch in Hyattsville to just north of its origin in Wheaton in Montgomery County. Along the way, a number...
The Four Mile Run Trail traverses the Four Mile Run stream valley and has many twists and turns, not to mention steep sections (mercifully short). The trail more or less parallels the popular W&OD...
The Anacostia Tributary Trail System includes a number of trails linked together and managed by the National Park Service. The trail include: the Anacostia River Trail, the Northwest Branch Trail, the...
Although less than two miles long, the Meadowlark Connector Trail provides a terrific link between the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens and the popular W&OD Trail. The trail meets the W&OD in Vienna;...
If you are looking to augment your physical workout with some intellectual exercise, look no further than the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail. The scenic, paved, 13-mile community trail is brimming with...
The Ox Road Sidepath is a paved trail that runs parallel to Ox Road/State Route 123 in Fairfax County. The trail runs from George Mason University's main Fairfax campus to just south of the former...
Southern Maryland's Three Notch Trail is a work-in-progress under the guidance of St. Mary's County and other stakeholders. When complete, the recreational trail will extend 28 miles along an...
Tucked in the meandering, wooded hills of the sprawling yet understated multimillion-dollar estates of Great Falls, just outside Washington, D.C., is the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic...
Situated midway between the nation’s capital and the Virginia capital of Richmond, the Virginia Central Railway Trail will one day offer more than 30 miles of trail from downtown Fredericksburg west...
The Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) traverses a scenic forested landscape abounding with wildlife in Virginia's Northern Neck. The rail-trail, which was designated as a National Recreation...
The Braddock Road Sidepath parallels Braddock Road and New Braddock Road (State Route 620) between Centreville and Burke, two bedroom communities in Northern Virginia's Fairfax County. The trail...
The Patuxent Branch Trail is part of a 20-mile trail system over and around the rolling hills of Howard County that follows a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line along the Patuxent River. The...
The Ox Road Sidepath is a paved trail that runs parallel to Ox Road/State Route 123 in Fairfax County. The trail runs from George Mason University's main Fairfax campus to just south of the former...
The Sligo Creek Trail parallels the eponymous waterway from its confluence with the Northwest Branch in Hyattsville to just north of its origin in Wheaton in Montgomery County. Along the way, a number...
The 3-mile separated multi-use path along Middletown Road allows for safe recreation and transportation along the western side of Waldorf, Maryland. The trail begins just south of State Route 228 and...
The Cub Run Stream Valley Trail offers a paved route meandering through Cub Run Stream Valley Park in the Northern Virginia suburb of Centreville. Though it's surrounded by residential neighborhoods,...
The Blake Lane Sidepath runs for 3 miles, linking Oak Marr Park and Recreation Center with neighborhoods, Oakton High School and other parks. Most of the trail is concrete and the width of a standard...
The Broadneck Peninsula Trail is 1.2 miles of asphalt walking and biking pathway in east Annapolis. The trail runs parallel to College Parkway, from Green Holly Drive to Old Cape St. Claire Road,...
The developing South Shore Trail will one day stretch 14 miles between Annapolis and Odenton. It's also part of the larger East Coast Greenway, a widespread network connecting trails from Maine to...
This short rail-with-trail is short but makes some pretty significant connections: it links the King Street and Braddock Road metro stations. It also connects to the Potomac Yard Trail, helping to...
The Lake Mercer Loop Trail wraps around Lake Mercer in Fairfax and is slightly over five miles in length. From the Lake Mercer Loop Trail you can hop on to the South Run Trail, or the Burke Lake Loop...
The 11-mile Capital Crescent Trail follows the former route of the Georgetown Branch rail line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. It begins in Silver Spring, Maryland, east of the Rock Creek Trestle,...
The Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trail provides a superb link between Alexandria, VA, and Maryland's National Harbor over the Potomac River. This well-used trail crosses on the up-river side of the bridge...
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The Washington & Old Dominion Trail (W&OD) is one of suburban Washington, D.C.'s most popular rail-trails. The heavily used trail is frequented by commuters and recreationists alike, and is a...
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The Long Branch Trail is a neighborhood trail tracing the Long Branch Creek beginning at its confluence with Sligo Creek in Takoma Park, to Piney Branch Road in Long Branch. The trail is an easy ride:...
The Matthew Henson Trail runs along a paved surface (rough in places from tree roots) through a narrow band of forested green space between the Rock Creek Trail just south of Veirs Road and Alderton...
A winding line of asphalt meanders between Glenn Dale Park in Lanham to Annapolis Road. The trail is sheltered amongst the riparian woodland of Folly Branch. At the north end of the trail can be...
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Rock Creek Trail forms a winding path, at times narrow, through the urban greenway of Rock Creek Regional Park. The trail extends between Needwood Lake northeast of Rockville, MD, and the Washington,...
The first thing you may notice about the Trolley Line #9 Trail is the boardwalk that curves between the bluffs of massive rock. The granite was hand cut in the 1890s when the electric streetcar rails...
Situated midway between the nation’s capital and the Virginia capital of Richmond, the Virginia Central Railway Trail will one day offer more than 30 miles of trail from downtown Fredericksburg west...
Tucked in the meandering, wooded hills of the sprawling yet understated multimillion-dollar estates of Great Falls, just outside Washington, D.C., is the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic...
The Lake Artemesia Trailone component of the larger Anacostia Tributary Trail Systemcompletely encircles its scenic eponymous lake in Prince George's County, Maryland. The trail is also a great...
I took my bike and started up this trail from its terminus at the Occoquan Marine Park near Lorton, VA. For the 1st mile, it was obvious, a nice paved trail heading inland slightly up hill. After a mile, I encountered a cross-walk. There was NO marker on the other side, but I assumed the trail continued there. It then went into and around the side of the old Lorton Prison, which is now called the Workhouse complex. Within the complex, the trail ... just came to a stop at a parking lot. No signs, no arrows ... no anything. The map which Traillink provides showed no clear detail of where to go next. I asked 3 people, none of whom had any idea. I biked around all the buildings, went out onto the street, found nothing, and got ready to quit. Then, I talked to a biker who said to find the trail, I had to go out onto a main road (Workhouse Rd.), turn right, and I'd eventually find some signs. I biked over a mile, went into another park and biked around, and found nothing. Finally, I saw what looked like the trail, going UNDER the main road through a tunnel. Biked back up Workhouse Rd, eventually found a small branch off the road with a small GT trail sign in the back, followed its paved trail, only to find it dead-ending. Backtracked and discovered I had to branch off the paving onto a dirt trail to keep on the GT trail. Took it for 1/2 mile, came to a fork in the trail, but again, no sign as to which fork to take. I then gave up in disgust, and biked back to my car.
This trail markers are very poor. Fairfax Cty is a major well-maintained municipality. One would think its major cross-county trail would be reasonably marked. Its not. Thoroughly disgusted!!!
As you ride out to Mount Vernon, you feel like you are far away from NoVA/DC. Beautiful views across the river. Just be aware of the many roots that are cracking through the trail - not a smooth ride, but a great trail location.
Most of the recent reviews are spot on. If you are used to crushed limestone or asphalt the bulk of this trail is bumpy and full of exposed rocks, ruts and tree roots. The downside is you have to keep your eyes front and center most of the time. The Paw Paw Tunnel detour is a real challenge. I only had two panniers that were not full and it was a struggle. Can’t imagine how the fully loaded bike packers did it. (But I’ve also not done any mtb, so that could affect how easy/hard it was.) But the amount of history and really cool places to stop and explore make it worth it. Beautiful aqueducts and lock houses as w.landmarks makes up fo me the trail conditions.
***ATTENTION***
The Paw Paw detour due to the tunnel being closed which with talking to the construction crew, will remain closed for another 18 months (Spring ’23) but when reopened, it will have a new riding surface.
The marked detour is not like any other that I have ever experienced on a trail which normally is a divert to local roads until you can rejoin the trail. Eastbound is best described as a mountain bike trail which is narrow in sections and at a 10 to 15 percent grade with exposed roots, rock gardens (rocks vertically embedded in the trail surface) and other obstacles. With a bike loaded down with gear, it is extremely strenuous to make it to the top and over the tunnel. Just pushing your bike up and over East bound is a challenge also.
Westbound is a trail that is a large enough for a vehicle but also has 10 to 15 percent grades but has a loose surface for a majority of it.
From Cumberland to Paw Paw, the trail is need of maintenance as there is numerous hazards to include mud holes that are deep (10” to 12”), segments of large branches and this time of the year with leaves falling, they hide some of the obstacles. You must keep your eyes on the trail and not sightsee for this section of C&O.
Also, confirm your dining options along the trail as even if sites on the internet say they will be open during your visit, you may be disappointed and going hungry due to the lack of staffing.
The rest of the trail is in great condition to DC and be aware as you approach the Capitol and it is on a weekend that there will be plenty of trail traffic as they enjoy this gem in their backyard!
Here's a note I received on 10/5/2021 from the Trail Development Program Manager for the Prince Georges County Department of Parks and Recreation.
Dawn Thomas is the Anne Arundel (AA) County Recreation and Parks point person for the project.
PG Parks is a partner in the project.
The latest news from AA County is that a Pre-Bid meeting was held by the Dept. of Public Works (AAC).
Contractors will be preparing bids for construction in October.
Contractor selection will happen in Nov-Dec. timeframe, and then a contract will need to be signed by the appropriate parties.
Depending on weather and the contractor’s planned schedule for construction activities, work will start in early 2022.
A planned construction schedule won’t be available until early 2022. In general, it will take at least 12 months, however weather will play a huge role in determining the actual timeframe.
My aunt and I took a quick walk on this path. It’s a peaceful walk on a paved path with a burbling creek nearby. A lovely step into nature in the Cleveland Park area.
It was alright - the trail didn’t give much view of the lake itself and also didn’t circumnavigate it. You just kind of end up in a neighborhood. That said it was wide and well maintained and easy to navigate.
I started out planning to ride the entire trail, beginning at the trailhead on Bloombury Rd. I made it to Mile Marker 4, which is another trailhead, and decided I’d had enough for one day. The scenery is absolutely beautiful, but some have mentioned the rocks. At this end of the trail, there is only gravel. My problem, for which there’s no real solution, was the roots that crisscross the trail. They’re not the huge roots that can take you down, but they’re unavoidable, and there are a lot of them, and they make for pretty rough riding. I agree with those who recommend fat tires/mountain bikes.
Some parts are fine, parts very bumpy, and some sections have very thick, large stones that are difficult to maneuver through.
Seems like a great path but horribly marked. I started at the Occoquan end and made it maybe five miles before getting frustrated and lost several times. There are intersecting trails, neighborhood paths, etc. that all look the same but no signage to tell you which way to go. Halfway through I started using this app for the trail map and still got off the trail several times.
Came from MI. To Baltimore, MD. to ride with my son. Awesome paved trail. Lots is things like the old ranger station to stop and see.
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