Photo Courtesy of Frank Raitai
LAKE FAIRFAX PARK
Reston, VA
LAKE FAIRFAX PARK
Set in Reston, VA, a very popular and growing business and population center, and walking distance from the Wiehle Rd Reston Metro station, the 476-acre Lake Fairfax Park serves thousands of people per day during its peak season. Boasting athletic fields, campgrounds, picnic shelters, a carousel, boat rentals, a skatepark, and the Water Mine Family Swimmin’ Hole surrounding a beautiful 20-acre lake, Lake Fairfax Park is an ideal setting for this 10+ mile mountain bike trail system and pump track.
MORE has been helping to maintain the trails in Lake Fairfax Park since the early 90s, when the park’s trail system consisted of a 2-mile section of the Rails to Rivers trail (often referred to as Colt’s Neck or the Difficult Run Trail). In 2009, with the Fairfax County Park Board’s approval, MORE and IMBA broke ground on a project to renovate the trail system and add 8 more miles of multi-use trail. Over the next 10 years, MORE, with significant contribution from The Bike Lane, the Capital Cross Classic cyclocross race, and hundreds of hours of volunteer efforts, have built some of the best mountain bike trails in the area. In 2016, MORE added the first public pump track in Northern Virginia in the middle of the park and the Lake Fairfax Bike Park was born.
The Lake Fairfax Bike Park trail system offers trails for just about every type of riding experience one could want. There are wide, flowy, family-friendly trails; challenging rocky sections; purpose-built flow trails with massive berms, rollers, and jumps; and good old tight, twisty old school singletrack. The trails have hosted various mountain bike races and events, including the Legend of Lake Fairfax and the NoVa Epic, and countless trail running races, but still retains a quiet, bucolic, natural feel that makes you forget that you’re a scant 1.5 miles from the booming Reston Town Center. And with The Bike Lane’s newest shop and microbrewery located adjacent to the southern trailhead, you’re never far from that tube, replacement part, or even pre- or post-ride hydration you might need to have an unforgettable riding experience.
GETTING THERE
Most rides begin from the parking lot behind SkateQuest along Michael Faraday Ct. and off the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail. Check with the ride leader or event coordinator prior to heading out for the correct location.
The address to that trailhead is:
1800 Michael Faraday Ct.
Reston, VA 20190
Watch a ride video of the Lake Fairfax trails and bike park by Sploosh MTB.
TAKE ACTION - DONATE NOW!
Donations made directly through this page go directly to the selected trails system and help MORE and its trail liaisons purchase materials, tools and hire the expertise necessary to help us maintain and sustain world class trails in the Washington DC Metropolitan region.
$10 Minimum Donation. Please change the quantity to increase your donation.
* When donating to a specific trail system MORE will endeavor to use your donation as it was designated, but under extenuating circumstances may assign the funds to other trails/projects in consultation with the appropriate trail liaison or project leader in such cases as, including but not limited to, the closure of the park, failure of the project to move forward, completion of the project under budget, extended periods of inactivity and/or other factors limiting the ability to apply the funds to the original intended designation.
The trails at Lake Fairfax Park are suitable for riders of ability levels. MORE subscribes to IMBA's trail difficulty ratings
MORE Volunteers donated 416 hours of their time during 2018 to help maintain the trails at Fountainhead Regional Park.
The Bike Lane
11150 Sunset Hills Rd #110
Reston, VA 20190
The Bike Lane
11150 Sunset Hills Rd #110
Reston, VA 20190
Recommended Route
TextThe Blue Loop (7.5 miles).
After entering from the Reston Ice Rink parking lot, take the first right and stay right at every intersection until you go past some new houses, then left onto the newest singletrack section of the Genberg trail and stay straight until you come to the gravel campground road. Follow this to a break in the woods just before the skatepark and take Trail 15, past a large bridge (don't cross it), up the rocky quarry trail, by the lake and follow this until you see a left turn that crosses a paved road onto Trail 13. Follow this until you get to a clearing and then take your second left at the fence-line where you'll pick up the Luge or Trail 14.
Ride the seven berms down to a creek crossing, right to another creek crossing and then up to your right and across onto Trail 19, Cliffhanger. Take this to the end and across a bridge, then turn right to cross the paved road and follow this trail back by the lake and down to the big bridge. This time, take the lower trail all the way, staying straight to cross Colvin Run and then left onto Trail 9.
At the next intersection take a left down and across a narrow bridge then across the main trail up to Trail 6, where you'll make a right, following this trail for a half mile to the next intersection where you'll make a right turn, down across the main trail again, across a small creek and then take your next left onto Trail 2 which brings you all the way back to your very first right turn. Another right at this point will bring you back to the ice rink parking lot.
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