Bull Run Regional Park
Managed by Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
1,141 acres7.4 mi of trail
Bull Run-Occoquan TrailYellow TrailWhite TrailBluebell Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Manassas National Battlefield Park · Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bull Run
43% of Bull Run’s land is conserved: 3,934 acres
3,544 acres are parks and preserves, 453 per 1,000 residents. 25 miles of mapped trail cross Bull Run, 1.7 per square mile of land. 94% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #6 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
43%
3,934 acres · of 14.4 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,544 ac
453 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.8 mi
1.3 mi lanes · 2.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Bull Run?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bull Run have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bull Run is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #6 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bull Run’s overall grade.
Conserved land43% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land453 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,544 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13AParks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · VA 76% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 98%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Bull Run Regional Park, with 7.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Managed by National Park Service
434 acres5.9 mi of trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the trailhead
Elklick Woodlands Natural Area Preserve
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
1,616 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Pleasant Hill Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Bull Run Regional Park1,141 acres · 7.4 mi of trail · Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
DirectionsManassas National Battlefield Park434 acres · 5.9 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsElklick Woodlands Natural Area Preserve1,616 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsFlatlick Stream Valley Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Lane's Mill Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Pleasant Hill Park11 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
James McDonnell Recreation Center4 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,934 conserved acres
43% of Bull Run’s land. Who manages Bull Run’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County3,756 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits863 ac
National Park Service62 ac
Not recorded3,152 ac
Local Park · 6,909 acOther Easement · 540 acConservation Easement · 323 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 62 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 117 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 36 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elklick Preserve Local Park | Not recorded | 2,804 | Open |
| Bull Run Regional Park Local Park | Not recorded | 2,445 | Open |
| Poplar Ford Local Park | County | 555 | Open |
| Halifax Point District Park Local Park | County | 316 | Open |
| Sappigton Park Local Park | County | 286 | Open |
| Cub Run Stream Valley Park Local Park | County | 261 | Open |
| Hickory Forest Local Park | County | 193 | Open |
| Manassas National Battlefield Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 62 | Restricted |
| Pleasant Hill City Park Local Park | County | 23 | Open |
| Flatlick Stream Valley Park Local Park | Not recorded | 19 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Bull Run
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bull Run
Boats
DirectionsBull Run Elementary School Playground
DirectionsFun Tunnel
DirectionsKiddie Zone
DirectionsVirginia Run Elementary School Playground
DirectionsVirginia Run Elementary School Playground
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Bull Run
Shelter #1In Bull Run Regional Park
DirectionsShelter #11In Bull Run Regional Park
DirectionsShelter #2In Bull Run Regional Park
DirectionsShelter #3In Bull Run Regional Park
DirectionsShelter #5In Bull Run Regional Park
DirectionsShelter #6In Bull Run Regional Park
DirectionsShelter #7In Bull Run Regional Park
DirectionsShelter #9In Bull Run Regional Park
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Bull Run
Bull Run Regional Park CampgroundFee · In Bull Run Regional Park · NOVA Parks
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.7 miHorses · 12.1 miUnpaved · 19.3 mi
Bull Run-Occoquan Trail2.5 mi
Yellow Trail1.6 mi
White Trail1.1 mi
Bluebell Trail0.8 mi
Bluebell & White Trail0.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Soccer
6Pickleball
5Baseball
5Tennis
4Basketball
1Equestrian
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bull Run: April and August
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) | 43 | 47 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 83 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 68 | 57 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.2 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bull Run →
Next door
Bull Run and its neighbors
Bull Run has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bull Run | 43% | 1.7 | 453 | 94% | A+ |
| Centreville | 12% | 1.2 | 13 | 97% | A |
| Yorkshire | 3% | 0.4 | 4 | 99%+ | B |
| Sudley | 13% | 1.8 | 14 | 97% | A |
| Chantilly | 21% | 1.1 | 68 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bull Run
Where can I hike in Bull Run?
The longest trail networks: Bull Run Regional Park, 7.4 miles; Manassas National Battlefield Park, 5.9 miles; Elklick Woodlands Natural Area Preserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bull Run is conserved land?
43% 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 Bull Run’s trails?
Bull Run Regional Park and Manassas National Battlefield Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bull Run?
3.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of painted or protected lanes and 2.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bull Run?
22,154 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bull Run or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,544 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bull Run have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #6 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 Bull Run 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 →