Washington and Old Dominion Trail

The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, known as the W and OD Trail, includes a 45-mile asphalt trail for walking, running, skating, bicycling, and other activities, along with a 33-mile parallel gravel bridle path for horseback riding and biking. It crosses the Piedmont between the Potomac River and the Blue Ridge Mountains, forming a recreation corridor from Arlington to the farming areas of western Loudoun County. The trail takes its name from the railroad that used this right-of-way from 1859 until 1968; never very successful, that railroad declined more quickly as roads improved and motor vehicles became more common. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority bought the land in sections from 1978 through 1982 from VEPCO/Virginia Power, which had earlier acquired the right-of-way from the railroad, and with funding from federal agencies and local jurisdictions created the 45-mile paved trail by 1988. Organized under state legislation in 1959, the authority represents Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, and Fairfax, preserving more than 11,000 acres of Northern Virginia open space and promoting recreation, education, and conservation of regional natural and cultural resources.

Arlington, Virginia · United States