Little Difficult Run Stream Valley Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
390 acres8.5 mi of trail
J. Dickey TrailCross County TrailTwin Mill LoopStuart Mill Road CCT Connector Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Vale School-Community House · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Difficult Run
11% of Difficult Run’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 22 miles of mapped trail cross Difficult Run, 2.6 per square mile of land. 631 acres are parks and preserves, 64 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #9 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
614 acres · of 8.4 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
2.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
631 ac
64 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.5 mi
0.6 mi lanes · 0.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Difficult Run?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Difficult Run have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Difficult Run is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #9 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Difficult Run’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land64 acres of park per 1,000 residents (631 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · VA 76% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 97%
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 Little Difficult Run Stream Valley Park, with 8.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Difficult Run Stream Valley Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
121 acres3 mi of trail
Cross County Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fred Crabtree Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
21 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Garnchayne Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
21 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wayland Street Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
17 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park
Managed by Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
W&OD Bridle Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Little Difficult Run Stream Valley Park390 acres · 8.5 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsDifficult Run Stream Valley Park121 acres · 3 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsFred Crabtree Park21 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Garnchayne Park21 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Wayland Street Park17 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
DirectionsFoxvale Park24 acres
Clarke's Landing Park13 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Navy Vale Park1 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Who protects it
614 conserved acres
11% of Difficult Run’s land. Who manages Difficult Run’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County612 ac
Not recorded615 ac
Local Park · 1,227 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Difficult Run Stream Valley Park Local Park | County | 764 | Open |
| Difficult Run Stream Valley Park Local Park | Not recorded | 248 | Open |
| Foxvale City Park Local Park | County | 48 | Open |
| Wayland Street Park Local Park | Not recorded | 43 | Open |
| Garnchayne City Park Local Park | Not recorded | 43 | Open |
| Fred Crabtree Local Park | County | 43 | Open |
| Clarkes Landing City Park Local Park | County | 27 | Open |
| Washington and Old Dominion Trail Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Navy Vale City Park Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Difficult Run
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Difficult Run
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Difficult Run
Oak Pool
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.7 miUnpaved · 18.4 mi
Cross County Trail2.0 mi
Twin Mill Loop1.2 mi
J. Dickey Trail0.9 mi
Folkstone Forest Nature Trail0.6 mi
W&OD Bridle Trail0.4 mi
Southfield HOA Connector Trail0.3 mi
Stuart Mill Road CCT Connector Trail0.2 mi
BushWackTr.0.1 mi
CCT to Fox Mill Road Connector0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.7 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Fairfax Cross County TrailBike route
2.4 miCourts & fields
15Tennis
5Pickleball
2Equestrian
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).
Vale School-Community HouseBuilding · listed 2011
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Difficult 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 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 46 | 55 | 66 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.3 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Difficult Run →
Next door
Difficult Run 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Difficult Run | 11% | 2.6 | 64 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Oakton | 10% | 1.9 | 17 | 97% | A |
| Reston | 13% | 2.9 | 21 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Fair Oaks | 4% | 0.6 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Franklin Farm | 2% | 0.4 | 6 | 99% | B |
| Wolf Trap | 17% | 2.6 | 61 | 89% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Difficult Run
Where can I hike in Difficult Run?
The longest trail networks: Little Difficult Run Stream Valley Park, 8.5 miles; Difficult Run Stream Valley Park, 3 miles; Fred Crabtree Park, 1.2 miles; Garnchayne Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Difficult Run is conserved land?
11% 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 Difficult Run’s trails?
Little Difficult Run Stream Valley Park and Difficult Run Stream Valley Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Difficult Run?
1.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of painted or protected lanes, 0.7 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Fairfax Cross County Trail.
Is there public land near Difficult Run?
28,521 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Difficult Run or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 631 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Difficult Run have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #9 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 Difficult 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 →