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Home > Entertainment > Discover the W&OD Trail
A bicyclist rides on the W&OD Trail Aug. 8 near Catoctin Drive in Leesburg. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/ Raymond Thompson  

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Discover the W&OD Trail

Entertainment
By Elizabeth Coe
Source: Loudoun Times-Mirror
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18 2009

History of the trail

The W&OD Trail takes its name from the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, which ran trains along the right of way from 1859 until 1968.

When the railroad ceased operations, the Virginia Electric and Power Co. (now Dominion Power) bought the right of way for its electric power transmission lines.

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority tried for years to acquire the use of the railroad right of way, and an agreement was finally reached in 1977 for NVRPA to purchase the trail in stages.

The first segment of the W&OD Trail was a mile and a half in length and opened in 1974 in the City of Falls Church.

The first segment was built as the result of a special agreement with the Virginia Electric and Power Company under which the park authority was allowed to judge whether a trail of this sort would prove to be popular. It did, and so after the property was purchased, the trail was built in sections until its completion to Purcellville in 1988.

As the sun casts shadows on the paved W&OD Trail in Leesburg, several bikers and skateboarders pass by, enjoying the summer afternoon.

"It's convenient for exercise," said Tom LePore, 66, of Herndon, who bikes the trail almost every day year-round. "I bike a lot for recreation. I take it all the way to Leesburg or Purcellville."

The 100-foot wide Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park is one of the skinniest parks in Virginia. It stretches from Falls Church to Purcellville and offers 45 miles of asphalt trail and 32.5 miles of crushed stone and dirt bridle paths.

Two other bikers on the trail on a recent August day, Leslie McEntire, of Purcellville, and Elizabeth Wessel, of Leesburg, said they enjoy riding on the trail.

"I like it because it's a good place to work out in the summer," McEntire said. "It's shady, and you're moving. You don't even feel like you're exercising."

She and her husband also frequently rollerblade along the trail, she said.

The W&OD Trail is owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. The Friends of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, a nonprofit dedicated to the trail, describes it as “the most popular rail-trail in the United States.”

In Loudoun, the trail winds through Sterling, Ashburn, Leesburg, Hamilton and ends in Purcellville. It touches many neighborhood parks and connecting trails.

The last 11-mile stretch of the trail from southeast of Leesburg to Purcellville is heavily wooded with a large tree canopy that shelters much of the trail. This portion of the trail is home to native plants and wildlife such as groundhogs, black rat snakes and many species of birds.

With few hills and many places to park, it is well suited for walking, jogging and biking. In-line skating, skateboarding and horseback riding are also popular.

Matt White, 14, and Jesse Barnum, 15, both of Leesburg, said they like to skateboard along the trail.

"I skate almost every day in the summer and when it's nice out," Jesse said. "It's a good way to get around since I'm not old enough to drive yet."

Contact the reporter at ecoe@timespapers.com



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