Bull Run – Occoquan Trail by the Northern Virginia Regional Parks

Bull Run Regional Park is located in western Fairfax County, Virginia. This park was the first of the nineteen parks acquired by NVRPA in the 1960's in an effort to preserve and protect riparian lands and drinking water resources for the region and to provide the public access to these lands for recreational enjoyment and use. It is the northernmost in a series of adjacent park properties now comprising approximately 5,000 acres along the Fairfax County shoreline of Bull Run and the Occoquan River.
Bull Run Regional Park also functions as part of a larger greenway that extends more than 25 miles, from the upper reaches of the Cub Run Stream Valley to the Town of Occoquan, where it joins the Potomac River. Consisting primarily of expansive, undeveloped areas of forest, field and wetland habitat, the park makes a significant contribution to the largest and most extensive biological corridor within Fairfax County.
The 995-acre study site, bounded by Route 66 on the north and by Ordway Road to the southeast is characterized by nearly flat to gently rolling terrain. The study site is predominantly wooded, dominated by second and third growth forest with a number of cleared areas, encompassing a "core" of recreational facility development and park infrastructure, including primary and secondary park access roads. Cultural resources within Bull Run Regional Park include a number of prehistoric and historic sites, including a portion of the Centreville Military Railroad, the world's first exclusively military rail line.
Bull Run's spacious fields accommodate groups by the hundreds, even thousands, for picnics, camping or special events. Bull Run's scenic woodland and trails offer miles of hiking and solitude. In springtime, acres of bluebells and other wildflowers bloom beside a picturesque, meandering stream. A large outdoor pool is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Disc golf is open year round. A public shooting center, which includes sporting clays, skeet, trap, wobble trap and indoor archery, is open year-round.