Lake Fairfax Park Trail Run

Lake Fairfax Park

18 Mile Trail Run

Measured: 18 miles

View: Start Location / Street Map / Satellite Map

Directions:

1. Head down the hill away from the park entrance toward picnic areas.
2. Left at bottom of hill at rest rooms along gravel road.
3. Pick up the trail heading into the woods (leftish) and across Hunter Mill Road. Note the trail is marked with white posts with horse shoes.
4. The trail (dirt, in the trees) will continue with no real options to get off until Route 7 (water stop).
5. Cross Route 7 and take the 1st road to the RIGHT
6. Follow the road a short distance until it turns into a trail (following posts with horse shoes on them).
7. Cross Difficult Run on the fair-weather crossing, continue through muddy sections
8. Cross Leigh Mill Road (sometimes there's water there), continuing to follow white posts. More mud.
9. Left to cross Difficult Run when it gets quite close to the trail and there are obvious signs of a trail heading into the stream. The main trail will continue forward (which is another parallel option).  It will be ankle-height at certain points, thigh-height at others. Note white post at far side.
10. At other side of stream, go right on the trail.
11. Cross Difficult Run again, this time on concrete ford (shoe-deep). Note: VERY SLIPPERY, be careful.
12. Cross Difficult Run again (ankle-deep) and go up steep hill on far side to small parking lot off Georgetown Pike.
13. Go right to follow trail.
14. Cross under Georgetown Pike, trail rises up to wide gravel road.
15. For aerobic option, take a left up VERY STEEP hill about 100 yards past the road. You've gone too far if you reach trash cans on your left. Wimps may continue forward on wide gravel road, joining the real runners farther down the trail.
16. STEEP HILL option levels off and intersects with gravel road.
17. Left on gravel road for short distance.
18. Right on gravel road heading downhill. This wide road will take you to Great Falls Park in about a mile. There are bathrooms, picnic tables, falls.
19. To continue on to RIVERBEND PARK (for long long runs), follow the obvious trail along the Potomac. Riverbend is another mile or so, then the trail continues another mile or two. There are hilly options on the left away from the river.

Notes:

This is an out-and-back run, so run by time. There are a variety of parallel options if you want to explore.

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