Riverbend Park

A Romp through our Regional Park - 3 Mile Walk – Revised August 2009

Jeffrey Road, off Riverbend Rd., Great Falls, VA

3 Mile Walk

Measured: 2.9 mile

View: Start Location / Street Map / Satellite Map

Directions:

1. Walk toward the river going across the grassy area between the visitor's center and the river. Turn left onto dirt path going into the woods. There are 2 paths, but they soon merge into one.
2. Continue straight on the path with the river on your right.Ignore the path to the left marked with a Nature Center sign.
3. Follow the trail left, away from the river, over a bridge, and uphill (stairs provided).
4. The trail continues uphill with several left and right S curves.
5. Pass the signpost that says "return to river in 300 yards."
6. Follow the trail downhill. At a fork, go left to continue downhill to a pond, which may be covered with green algae." Ugh!
7. At the pond, turn left to take the wide gravel trail/road going uphill.
8. Turn left at the sign indicating no bicycles or horses. The trail is a boardwalk and crosses a wooden bridge before it becomes natural surface.
9. Ignore path to parking lot on the right and then turn right onto asphalt path, passing "dogs on leash" sign on right.
10. At the front of the nature center, turn left to follow the sidewalk extending from the doorway. Turn left onto the asphalt path next to the outdoor display where the sidewalk curves to the right.
11. Turn right onto the first intersecting trail, which begins with wooden steps just before "no horses" and "no bikes" signs.
12. Turn right onto the next trail at sign with an arrow, but don't follow arrow.The trail curves left and soon ends in a clearing.Turn right to follow old, wide gravel trail
13. When the wide trail intersects a service road, turn left onto the service road.
14. Turn right onto the path in front of the Upland Trail sign. If the next several instructions sound confusing, just follow Upland Trail signs until you get to the river.
15. When the trail passes a display case in a field, continue to the right of the case.
16. At a sign indicating "horses go left", walkers go straight, down steps.
17. When the trail meets the paved park entrance road, cross the road diagonally to the right to continue on Upland Trail (go between two Upland Trail signs).
18. Cross a short bridge at the bottom of a hill and climb up a hill.
19. At the next trail intersection turn right.(Don't follow the 5-mile runners.) After a few feet turn left at Upland Trail sign.
20. Turn right at the next trail intersection.
21. Turn left onto the intersecting trail.
22. After the trail crosses a bridge, turn left onto the intersecting trail.
23. Turn right at the next trail marker.The trail goes up a hill and logs are placed across it.
24. Follow trail left at Upland Trail sign.
25. The trail intersects with a service road with many signs. Go straight across the service road onto an old asphalt driveway.
26. After a few feet turn right at Upland Trail marker onto the natural-surface trail.
27. Turn left at the next trail marker. Follow the trail downhill.
28. When the trail nears the river, turn left to follow the Heritage Trail with the river on your right.(Upland Trail markers end here.)
29. When the trail splits, stay left to take the higher trail.The two trails meet and split again, but the lower trail is sometimes blocked and eventually has a "Trail Closed" sign.
30. The trail enters a grassy meadow with a display case on the left.Continue along the trail until it enters a parking area near the beginning of the walk.

Notes:

Liz O'Toole found this course description at www.restonpaths.com. The site, maintained by one of Liz's neighbors, Doug Pew, provides not only a map but several pictures that correspond with the directions. Until we get a map of our own, you may want to refer to the Reston Paths map of the Riverbend Park trails.

Dennis Hays' directions to Riverbend Park from Reston:

1. Take Baron Cameron (Rt 606) and turn right on Route 7.
2. Go .6 mile and turn left on Colvin Run
3. Go .4 mile and turn left on Walker Road
4. Go 2.5 miles and turn right on Arnon Chapel Road (go past Old Georgetown Pike (rt. 193) and turn at first stop sign)
5. Go 1.4 miles and turn left on Riverbend Road.
6. Go .1 mile and turn right on Jeffery Road
7. Go .8 mile and turn right into park on Potomac Hills Street.
8. Go .5 mile and park either to the left (Visitors Center) or right.

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