Meadowood Recreation Area - West Section

Meadowood celebrates another year of National Trails Day with a full day of action: nature hikes, light trail maintenance, and new trail construction.

Meadowood Recreation Area sign

New to the Mason Neck Peninsula neighborhood, Meadowood Recreation Area is making a splash in the Northern Virginia outdoor community - and that's despite its landlocked location! About eight years ago (in 2001), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) acquired the Meadowood property from a private landowner. Wasting no time in its new digs, the BLM set up an office - officially called the Lower Potomac Field Station - and published an Integrated Activity Management Plan. The Plan outlined their vision of Meadowood as an outdoor recreation destination for hikers and mountain bikers. Developing the trail potential of the western portion of the park, also known as "Meadowood West," is a key component of this vision.

Meadowood West Trails - Now

The original farm access road to Meadowood West still exists on the property and is now branded as the Meadowood Trail. Recognizing the preferences of hiking and biking types for a narrower and more sustainable trail, the BLM team created a much-improved alternate Meadowood Trail running roughly parallel to the original. This new incarnation of the Meadowood Trail conveniently links to three other recently developed trails: Holly Ridge, Sapling, and Red Fox. Though lacking in serious mileage, this trio of well-marked forested trails offer a peaceful hiking experience with excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. As of now, the Meadowood West trails are not open to mountain bikers, but that policy is set to change.

Meadowood West Trails - Future

Turtle at Meadowood Recreation Area

With trail building experts joining the staff, the future is bright for Meadowood as a Fairfax County outdoor recreation hot spot. The work agenda includes building a three mile perimeter trail that will effectively double the trail mileage of Meadowood West. Local hiking and mountain biking organizations (including MORE and the PATC) are working with the Meadowood staff to design and develop the new trails.

Although not as well-known as its more established neighbors (Pohick Bay Regional Park, Mason Neck State Park, and Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge), Meadowood Recreation Area is clearly a recreation destination on-the-rise.

Park & Trail Stats: Approximately 800 acres (total), 350 acres (Meadowood West); three miles of natural surface trails (Meadowood West)
Trail Map: http://ow.ly/nR24
How to Get Here: Map
Administration: Bureau of Land Management - Lower Potomac Field Station