Trail History

The W&OD Trail is a 45-mile multi-use rail-trail that is owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA). The first phase of the W&OD Trail's construction was a mile-and-a-half in length and was an experiment. In 1974, the NVRPA, in partnership with the City of Falls Church and Virginia Electric and Power Company (now Dominion Virginia Power (DVP)), sought to gauge public reaction to the conversion of a railway line into a long and narrow park. This type of park is now widely known as a rail-trail. Reaction was overwhelmingly positive and this prompted the NVRPA to purchase the W&OD Railroad line from DVP in 1978. A decade later the entire 45-mile stretch of the trail had been built. It is described by the Park Authority as, “the most popular rail-trail in the U.S.”

The W&OD Trail cost the Park Authority $3.6 million. The Park Authority bought additional parcels for another $463,584 and spent 9.1 million to develop the full 45 miles. The Park Authority received 1.8 million in federal funding through a Rails to Trails grant from the Department of the Interior.

As part of the sale of the 45 mile stretch of property from DVP to the Park Authority, DVP retained an easement on the property. This easement has allowed DVP to place towers carrying overhead transmission lines along the trail in Ashburn, Fairfax County and to the east.  DVP now seeks to continue placing its towers and overhead transmission lines to the west to Purcellville and continue to take advantage of its easement.  However, 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 wildlife and native plants and has been widely described as the “crown jewel” of the W&OD Trail, the most popular rail-trail in the U.S.