Skip to content
Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, Arlington, VA

Photo: DwayneP, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor AdventureLocal Gem

Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park

Bike, run or skate the paved 45-mile W&OD Trail on an old railroad bed from Arlington out to the farm country around Purcellville.

Shirlington trailhead, South Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington, VA · Arlington, VA

About Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park

This NOVA Parks property is a park only about 100 feet wide that follows the bed of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, which closed in 1968. Its paved trail runs 45 miles from Shirlington in Arlington through Falls Church, Vienna, Reston, Herndon and Leesburg to Purcellville, and a 32-mile gravel path alongside is open to horses. Mile markers and signs explain the railroad history along the way. Many parking areas let you join for a short stretch, such as the lots at Vienna Community Center or Herndon's old station.

  • #rail trail
  • #cycling
  • #running
  • #horseback riding
  • #railroad history

What's around here?

The closest stops to Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Stay
    Family Favorite

    Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel

    $50+

    A 419-room high-rise hotel in Pentagon City with D.C. skyline views and courtesy shuttles to Reagan National Airport and the Metro.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Shopping
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Fashion Centre at Pentagon City

    No admission fee

    Shop department stores and 140-plus specialty shops in an enclosed mall wired straight into the Pentagon City Metro station.

    2.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    United States Air Force Memorial

    No admission fee

    Stand under three steel spires soaring up to 270 feet on a hill beside Arlington Cemetery, with views over the Pentagon to the Washington skyline.

    2.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Lady Bird Johnson Park

    No admission fee

    An island park in the Potomac River near the Pentagon, honoring Lady Bird Johnson and featuring spring bulbs, memorials, and river views.

    3.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Lacey Woods Park

    Check prices

    A 14-acre Arlington neighborhood park with basketball, picnic areas, a playground, and nature trails.

    3.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    East Potomac Park

    No admission fee

    Bike, run or fish along the Ohio Drive loop around a 330-acre island park lined with cherry trees, out to Hains Point.

    3.8 mi awayMore like this

Near Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park

More of the same kind

Keep exploring