The Washington And Old Dominion Trail
The Washington and Old Dominion Trail, otherwise known as the W&OD Trail, is a Northern Virginian favorite for avid bikers, walkers, skaters, or you can even ride horseback on much of the trail.
The trail extends 45 miles from Arlington to Purcellville, VA. There are many stops along the way for a quick bite or restrooms through great towns like Arlington, Vienna, Reston, Herndon, Ashburn, Leesburg, Hamilton, and Purcellville. If you are not up for the whole trip, there are many parking and access points throughout the trail.
A Breif History…
The path takes it’s name from the rail road built and traveled between 1859 to 1968. The track was almost completely destroyed within a decade. It was rebuilt but ceased operations in 1968. The Virginia Electric Power Company (now known as Dominion Power) then purchased the rights for their electric power lines. The Northern VA Regional Park Authority in 1982 completed the purchase for the rights of the trail. The W&OD trail was designated a national recreational trail by the US Department of the interior.
For much more information regarding the trail, access points, maps, and history visit… www.wodfriends.org
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Nice to hear about Washington…The Washington and Old Dominion Trail, otherwise known as the W&OD Trail, is a Northern Virginian favorite for avid bikers, walkers, skaters, or you can even ride horseback on much of the trail…Very interesting to hear and it is really true about it…
The Sycolin Creek bridge bears the only remaining span that once carried trains of the W&OD Railroad…. Most of the landscaping in the park is left in a natural state to preserve green space and to provide wildlife habitat….
The W&OD Trail is one of the few remaining sanctuaries where you can escape the over-development, traffic jams and encroaching sprawl that we live amidst in Northern Virginia. The Trail has been providing us with a wonderful place to walk, run, bike or ride horses in a serene and inspiring environment for 30 years. With your help, it will do so for many years to come. The Trail threads its way through new developments and crosses highways but always returns to the woods where it is meant to be.
nice country and The W&OD Railroad Regional Park is indeed a treasure for Northern Virginia. While it’s beauty is flawed from the lack of tree cover–due to the greenway’s other role as utility corridor that includes a major high-power electric transmission line–Northern Virginia would be a much less desirable place to live, work, play, and visit without this outstanding community and regional resource. Allen Muchnick, President Virginia Bicycling Federation……hats to Washington
Most users claimed that recreation and fitness was the main reason for their use of the trail… Among users, biking , walking, and jogging were the main observed activities..Among the benefits received by users, health, a safe place to recreate, and nature were the most highly ranked… A place to take pets was the lowest ranked benefit..The most important concerns listed by users were maintenance, safety, and crossings..
Really nice post.. Thank you for information about The Washington and Old Dominion Trail.. I thing it is really the place to enjoy with family members and also thank you for mention the history about the place.. Really nice post and also please update your blog with some of the pictures of this place..