How to Hike Eleanor Lawrence County Park in Fairfax, Virginia
The founder of "U.S. News and World Report" once owned several acres of rich Virginia countryside. His property is located a few miles east of Manassas and approximately 30 miles west of Washington D.C. After his death, the estate willed the property to Fairfax County, Virginia, in an effort to preserve the home, outbuildings and the well-forested countryside. The county park has been named in honor of the wife, Ellanor C. Lawrence Park.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Map of northern Virginia Map of Fairfax County Good walking shoes Water Insect repellent Sunscreen Camera
Instructions
-
-
1
Reserve lodging accommodations at any of the several franchise motels located along the Interstate 66 corridor. From Manassas into Arlington, lodging is more plentiful as you approach Washington D.C. Plan to visit any time of the year but winter. Weather is unpredictable in northern Virginia then. The autumn foliage is second only to New England in beauty.
-
2
Locate the park on either map. The park is a few miles south of Dulles International Airport on State Highway 28. Follow directional signs to Walney Road and park at the Walney Visitor Center, located on the basement level of the original home.
-
-
3
Locate any one of the several trails that enter the interior woodland area of the park. The trails all connect in a figure eight design through the park. The hike is considered easy, on mostly level ground, and any loop is less than a mile in length.
-
4
Take the northern trails and walk through a primeval forest covered in briars and thickets. The trails are wide throughout most of the park. Small wooden bridges traverse ravines and runs (streams and small rivers are sometimes called runs in the eastern states, as in Battle of Bull Run).
-
5
Connect with the trail to Walney Pond, located south of the Visitor Center and adjacent to Walney Road. The trail follows the run that flows into the pond. A footbridge separates the pond from a marsh, heavily laden with mosquitoes. The pond also has two decks for viewing wildlife. Note the lily pads and the cattails. Evening brings out several beavers as well as humorous croaking frogs.
-
6
Cross Walney Road and explore Cabell's Mill, almost 300 years old. The mill is not open to the public, but there are many places where you can peak through the windows.
-
7
Loop around the pond and return to the Visitor Center. Another trail traverses a ridge above the run. This trail offers minimal climbing through heavy woods where several families of deer roam. Once at the Visitor Center, explore the grounds and the outbuildings. The dairy, smokehouse and icehouse are of particular interest.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Visit the Manassas/Bull Run Civil War Battlefield, only a few miles east. Visit Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum, home to the Enola Gay, only a few miles north.
