This sector of the road through Claude Moore Park closely resembles how it appeared in the area's early history. The road ran from the port city of Alexandria, Virginia, through Vestal's Gap of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It began as an animal trail, was adopted by Native Americans in this region as their path, and later was used by settlers moving from tidewater Virginia to the colony's western frontier. Because of its association with people and events important in American history, a notable historian regarded it as one of the most historic roads in the United States.