Local Discoveries | New Places 2 Run

Even after four years in the Northern Virginia area, I’m still finding NP2R…some even near my house. This area still amazes me for the number of trail running opportunities you can find in places of high urban and residential density.

A few weeks ago I wanted to get a quick trail run on a weekend morning, so I parked at Wakefield Park and went south from the parking lot. I was already familiar with the northern loop thru Wakefield Park. What I discovered on the southern side was that the trail connects to another favorite location of mine, Lake Accotink Park. These two parks are part of the Fairfax County Park Authority and the connecting trail is part of the Cross Country Trail, a 40 mile route that spans the entire Fairfax County.

A view of the old (closed) railroad trestle from across the icy lake.

The route was a pleasant, gently rolling mix of paved and dirt trails with scenic views of Lake Accotink (still with some ice on that day in January) and the dam and old, closed railroad trestle on the southern side. Find a nice description of the history of Accotink here.

I’ll post a map of my run of a following page, but you can also access the black and white county map here.

How I learned that Ground Hogs = Woodchucks = Whistle Pigs:

Paved trail on the left, dirt trail on the right. Power lines overhead.

Yesterday I had time to kill while my car was repaired. While I should have been recounting my Japan runs on this blog, I decided instead to find a NP2R. The dealership is located near the W&OD trail (officially known as the Washington & Old Dominion Regional Railway Park) in Sterling, Virginia, so I took a 12 mile (6 miles out and back) run. The W&OD is a regional treasure, a great place for an easy run, bike or hike in the Northern Virginia (NOVA) area. If you’re a visitor to NOVA, you can find a number of easy access points to this 40+ mile trail.

As I always prefer to run on dirt, I was pleasantly surprised to find a dirt and gravel side trail that paralleled the main paved trail. Lined with trees for most of the way, the dirt trail is pleasantly isolated and often runs lower or higher than the main trail.

Along the way:

The many data farms in NOVA that are a mainstay of the new economy.

Under a old electrical transmission line that brings the cheap electricity to keep the data farms powered.

The infrastructure that keeps the Nation’s data centers humming.

Under the IAD flight path (only for a mile or so, interesting more than bothersome).

Was hoping for an A380, but this is what crossed my path on the run.

Past a tiny rural church now surrounded by large home developments and big schools.

Past “posted keep out” signs. Past sports fields and a golf course. Past a craft brewery and a bbq shop.

Nice trail map at Carolina Brothers BBQ…I need to try this place.

On the dirt trail on this part of the W&OD, I didn’t have the fear of being run over by cyclists as I often do on the trail closer to my home.

As I approached Ashburn, I could tell by the increasing frequency of piles to avoid that I had entered horse country…but I did not encounter any horses on the trail during my afternoon run.

My turnaround point was at a quarry operation that I had always been curious about…the trail offers a superb vantage point (with benches) to see what’s going on.

Nice view of the Quarry, standing on top of the benches at the overlook. I always wondered what this place looked like before this run.

At the turnaround I crossed over Goose Creek (more scenic than the quarry) and finished at Two Creeks Trail area which I did not have time to explore.