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Courtesy of Times-Dispatch, June 1, 2008
© 2008 Times-Dispatch
Fountainhead Awaits Not Far From Urban Sprawl
By Andy Thompson
Driving through Northern Virginia and Washington can be like running a marathon: You just want to put your head down and get the miles over with. In both cases, that's often easier said than done. Getting stuck in the area's infamous traffic snarls is not unlike hitting the "the wall" late in a 26.2-miler.
Should you ever find yourself sitting on I-95 in the Lorton/Woodbridge area, do yourself a favor and jump off on Route 123 and head to Fountainhead Regional Park. I did this about a year ago and have been going back ever since.
I'd heard about Fountainhead's mountain bike trail from friends and had my bike with me as I sat on I-95 near Lorton going nowhere fast. I figured why not give the traffic a chance to clear out and get in a ride on this trail that has drawn rave reviews? It turned out to be a pleasant surprise on a number of fronts. Not only was the 8-mile bike loop as fun and challenging as I had hoped, but I discovered mountain biking is just a sliver of what Fountainhead has to offer.
Located in southern Fairfax County, the park sits on a rise overlooking the Occoquan Reservoir. It's the middle in a string of five connected parks that run southeast/northwest along the Occoquan River and Bull Run from Woodbridge to Manassas. Occoquan, Sandy Run and Fountainhead regional parks are situated on the Occoquan River and Reservoir and Hemlock Overlook and Bull Run regional parks border Bull Run.
The 12-mile corridor of parks, managed by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, offers something truly unusual in that part of the state: a mostly unbroken swath of greenspace full of outdoor recreational opportunities. It's the kind of place most of the rest of Virginia would be surprised to know exists in America's capital of sprawl.
For my money, Fountainhead is the jewel of the park system because it offers the most options. In addition to the beautifully maintained MTB trail (thanks to the D.C.-area Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts mountain bike group), there are miles of hiking and equestrian trails as well. There's a boat ramp and canoe, kayak and jon boat rentals available. Anglers will find largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, perch and bluegill in the reservoir. There are picnic shelters available for rent, a marina with a snack bar and a tackle shop.
The options mean there's a little something for everyone at Fountainhead, but, despite its popularity, the park is big and wild enough to spend a day getting lost in. And even if you're not a serious mountain biker, the bike trail might be the best way to do that.
The loop starts at the parking lot and weaves in and out of the many small spits of land formed when the Occoquan River was dammed. It's steep and rocky in places, but the climbs aren't brutally long, and most of them reward the effort with stunning views of the reservoir.
Serious fat-tire lovers will pound through the course in a little over an hour, but there's plenty of incentive to take your time on the trail if you're in no hurry. The hardwood forest canopy is thick and offers plenty of shade. In the middle of the course, at a place called "Skinny Hollow," picnic tables have been placed near a creek. This is a perfect place to take a break, enjoy the sights and sounds of impending summer, and feast on a well-earned lunch.
(Should you choose this option, you might regale your ride mate with this bit of trivia: The Dogue Indians inhabited this area as late as the early 1600s. The Dogues are long gone, but their word for the region remains - "Occoquan" is Dogue for "end of the water.")
The mountain bike trail at Fountainhead gives you a true sense of how large and varied the park is. Fountainhead is diverse enough to hold bass fishing tournaments, adventure races, trail runs and orienteering challenges. It's big enough that you can spend many lazy days exploring the woods and water and never quite see it all. It's also big enough that even after a few hours, you may forget all about the traffic waiting for you back in civilization.
Published at: www.inrich.com/cva/ric/sports/outdoors.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-06-01-0096.html
Contact Andy Thompson at (804) 649-6579 or outdoors@timesdispatch.com.