Bull Run Still Stands
The famed Bull Run battlefields of the Civil War lie only twenty-six miles outside of Washington DC, yet few DC or Virginia residents know that they offer nearly five thousand acres of gorgeous forest and a eighteen-mile hiking trail. In 1861, General Irvin McDowell marched 35,000 Union troops twenty-six miles out of Washington, D.C., in an effort to capture an important railroad junction at Manassas on the banks of the Bull Run in Virginia. The battle was expected to put a quick end to the Southern confederacy that had shot its opening salvo only months before. Instead, it became one of the greatest battles of the Civil War.
Hiking Trail History
The Taux and Doag tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy originally inhabited the Bull Run-Occoquan stream valley. These original settlers were quickly evicted during the early years of European settlement. During this time, the Run (an old English word for large stream) served as a highway for westbound pioneers and surveyors.
The Bull Run-Occoquan trail that now exists in the valley is so surprising because it is located in the middle of Virginia's Fairfax County, one of the most densely populated suburbs in the country. The parklands are five thousand acres of unadulterated wilderness somehow hidden from the suburban sprawl.
A Well-Kept Hiking Secret
Today, the Bull Run is one of the best kept secret hiking trails. The trail starts in Fairfax County's Fountainhead Regional Park and extends east to west for eighteen miles, passing through other parks such as the Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, Bull Run Marina and Bull Run Regional Park.
During the first part of the trail, the Occuquan River (as Bull Run is called in that part of the trail) is actually a reservoir, so the hiking experience feels like walking along a lake. The terrain is flat with oak forests and the odd open field. In the summer, canoeing and fishing is common.
As you proceed on the hike, the river narrows and becomes Bull Run. Here the hiking becomes a little trickier as you track the stream up the Bull Run battle site.
Take a Long Hike, Or a Short One
As a long one-way hike, a car shuttle is recommended. But there are many points of entry along the eighteen miles. Hikers with only one vehicle can opt to do an "in and out" by retracing their steps back to their car.
Hikers will be treated to wildflowers and flowering mountain laurel in the spring and plenty of birds and other waterfowl on the reservoir section. You might even scare up a whitetail deer or two along the way.
Hiking History
Even those who live in Virginia's Fairfax County will be surprised. This is what the area looked like before the development rush of recent decades.
Happily, local government put the Bull Run river banks under special five-acre lot zoning restrictions, which has kept the land remarkably undeveloped. Who knew the past was so easy to find?
About the Author
Alex Russel is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, NY. Lucky enough to grow up in Europe with family all over the world, he has been a consummate traveler his whole life. Since graduating from Syracuse University he has worked at many different media companies in fields as diverse as film, TV, advertising, and journalism. He holds a dual bachelor's degree in English and History.
