Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve
Nature preserve
276 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: User:AlbertHerring · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Belle Haven
35% of Belle Haven’s land is conserved: 447 acres
98% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.7 miles of mapped trail cross Belle Haven, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #20 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
35%
447 acres · of 2.0 sq mi of land
Trails
1.7 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
141 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.0 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 2.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Belle Haven?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Belle Haven have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Belle Haven is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #20 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Belle Haven’s overall grade.
Conserved land35% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (141 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · VA 76% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 92%
Water is 31% of Belle Haven’s area (1 of 3 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 25%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Belle Haven Park
Managed by National Park Service
117 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lot
Westgrove Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
20 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fort Willard Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
2 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Who protects it
447 conserved acres
35% of Belle Haven’s land. Water is left out: Belle Haven has 2.0 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Belle Haven’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service818 ac
County38 ac
Not recorded22 ac
National Park · 409 acSpecial Designation Area · 409 acLocal Park · 60 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington Memorial Parkway Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 818 | Restricted |
| Westgrove Local Park | Not recorded | 41 | Open |
| Belle Haven Park Local Park | County | 16 | Open |
| Fort Willard Circle Park Local Park | Not recorded | 4 | Open |
Things to do
13 places to go in Belle Haven
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Belle Haven
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Belle Haven
Westgrove Dog ParkIn Westgrove Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Belle Haven
Belle Haven Boat LaunchIn Belle Haven Park
DirectionsBelle Haven boat launchFee · In Belle Haven Park
DirectionsScenic views in Belle Haven
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.2 mi
Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve0.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.4 mi
off-road bike paths
0.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
19Golf
16Tennis
4Soccer
4Basketball
3Baseball
2Pickleball
2Tracks
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Mount Vernon Memorial HighwayStructure · listed 1981
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Belle Haven: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 44 | 48 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 84 | 89 | 87 | 80 | 69 | 58 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Belle Haven →
Next door
Belle Haven and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Haven | 35% | 0.9 | 21 | 98% | A |
| Fort Hunt | 24% | 0.7 | 25 | 99% | A |
| Groveton | 54% | 2.2 | 110 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Huntington | 7% | 1.2 | 4 | 99%+ | A− |
| Alexandria | 11% | 1.7 | 7 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Belle Haven
Where can I hike in Belle Haven?
The longest trail networks: Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, 0.8 miles; Belle Haven Park, 0.1 miles; Fort Willard Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Belle Haven is conserved land?
35% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Virginia town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Belle Haven’s trails?
Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve and Belle Haven Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Belle Haven?
5.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes, 2.4 of off-road paths and 0.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Belle Haven?
22,659 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Belle Haven or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 141 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Belle Haven have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #20 of 253 in Virginia. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Belle Haven neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →