Dirt or gravel running trails? (Arlington, Burke: neighborhood, maintenance, design)

[arlingtonChris]

I'm training for my first marathon in March and need to find some long (between 5 and 20 miles) dirt or gravel running trails close to Arlington, Fairfax County, or DC. (my old legs can't take too much pounding on pavement anymore). Anyone know of any? The only thing I've been able to find so far is the tow path along the canal in DC.

[bmwguydc]

The path that circles Burke Lake is mostly dirt/gravel, save for the section that's paved to allow for accessible fishing. I think it's about 5 miles around the lake on the main trail, though there is an off-shoot trail that heads toward the South Run neighborhood that adds about a mile.

Burke Lake Trail Map

[arlingtonChris]

Thanks bmwguydc! Looks like running a couple of loops around that trail will work nicely.

[springfieldva]

Accotink Lake has a 3-4 mile dirt/gravel trail. I believe it's closed during the week right now for dam maintenance but it is open on the weekends.

[goozer]

The W&OD Trail is paved, but there are many streches, particularly between Falls Church and Herndon, where "off road runners" have blazed a dirt path right alongside the paved trail.

As an aside, I hear you on the desire to run on a softer surface to minimize the impact on your knees, etc. But you might be just as well off if you invest in a good well-cushioned running shoe. Asics makes some good shoes that are designed to cushion impact for runners in the 200+ category, and most other companies have at least one or two shoes with good cushioning in mind. Good luck on the marathon training.

[bornindc]

Originally Posted by springfieldva

Accotink Lake has a 3-4 mile dirt/gravel trail. I believe it's closed during the week right now for dam maintenance but it is open on the weekends.

The Accotink trail is fully open Fri-Sun. You can also start at the parking lot, run around the lake to the closed section by the parking lot, then run back and that'll give you close to 8 miles. It also has about 3/4 mile of pavement FYI if you do the loop around the lake. But the loop trail also connects up to Wakefield Park which has a lot of dirt trails too, you could definitely get a good workout between Accotink and Wakefield. There are also hiking/biking trails south of Lake Accotink which are all packed dirt, a lot of up and down (this is where I prefer to run, it's a better workout than the mostly flat loop around the lake). The trails are pretty much all packed dirt or gravel at Accotink & Wakefield so that should fit your needs. Burke Lake as another poster mentioned would also fit your needs but it is further out than Accotink/Wakefield.

[Caladium]

Friday I went over to the Manasses Battlefield Park and it struck me as a very nice place to go for a run. Park near the stone bridge and you don't have to pay admission. What I like is there are lots and lots of trails, so you can easily go running without worrying about other people. You see other people from time to time but not a LOT of people. The trails seem to be mostly mulch and digitized granite. There are a lot of rolling hills, and the trails run through both wooded areas and meadows. I'm not a runner, myself, so I'm not sure if that's what runners consider ideal, but it looked like a nice place to run to me.

[stuntmonkey]

I ran a marathon on the NCR Trail in Baltimore. Not in DC, but it's a really nice trail and totally gravel.

(I trained on the WOD, and the gravel during the marathon was not kind to my feet, which were only used to the nice smooth WOD, so good for you for training on dirt and gravel. I wish I had...)

[normie]

Three times around Burke Lake seems like a nice way to go, to me.

[HereinVA]

Originally Posted by Caladium

Friday I went over to the Manasses Battlefield Park and it struck me as a very nice place to go for a run. Park near the stone bridge and you don't have to pay admission.

You ARE supposed to pay admission, even if you park near the stone bridge. Now, there is no one there to take your money, but there are signs telling you that you are supposed to go to the visitors center and pay. It's only $3 for a 3 day pass--or better yet, $80 will get you a year long interagency pass that you can use at all the National Parks (incuding Great Falls, Shenandoah, Prince William, etc.)! We get one each year and it's always the best $80 we spend all year!