Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park
Managed by Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
29 acres1.6 mi of trail
W&OD Bridle Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Herndon Municipal Parking LotWebsite ↗
Photo: Dion Hinchcliffe · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Herndon
6% of Herndon’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. 5.0 miles of mapped trail cross Herndon, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park (1.6 mi), Runnymede Park (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #75 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
159 acres · of 4.3 sq mi of land
Trails
5.0 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
167 ac
6.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.7 mi
1.2 mi lanes · 3.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Herndon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Herndon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Herndon is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #75 of 253 in Virginia. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Herndon’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land6.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (167 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13C+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 81%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 71%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Runnymede Park
Managed by Town of Herndon
55 acres1.1 mi of trail
Redbud PathWildflower PathMeadow PathEvergreen Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bruin Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
8 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park29 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
DirectionsRunnymede Park55 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Town of Herndon
DirectionsBruin Park8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsHaley M Smith Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsStanton Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Chandon Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsBready Park12 acres
DirectionsAlabama Drive Park10 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsTrailside Park6 acres
DirectionsCutter Mill Park5 acres · Town Of Herndon
DirectionsSpring Street Park1 acres · Town of Herndon
DirectionsHarding Park1 acres · Town of Herndon
Who protects it
159 conserved acres
6% of Herndon’s land. Who manages Herndon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County91 ac
Town or city83 ac
Not recorded144 ac
Local Park · 318 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runnymede Park Local Park | Not recorded | 112 | Open |
| Washington and Old Dominion Trail Local Park | County | 60 | Open |
| Alabama Drive City Park Local Park | Not recorded | 21 | Open |
| Stanton City Park Local Park | County | 19 | Open |
| Chandon Local Park | County | 16 | Open |
| Chandon (town of Herndon) Local Park | Not recorded | 16 | Open |
| Bruin (town of Herndon) City Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Bruin Local Park | County | 16 | Open |
| Bready Park Local Park | County | 14 | Open |
| Trailside Park Local Park | Not recorded | 12 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
40 places to go in Herndon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Herndon
Chandon Park PlaygroundIn Chandon Park
Directions38 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Herndon
Chandon Park Dog ParkIn Chandon Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.3 miHorses · 1.8 miUnpaved · 4.0 mi
W&OD Bridle Trail1.8 mi
Redbud Path0.2 mi
Wildflower Path0.1 mi
Meadow Path0.1 mi
Evergreen Path0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.2 mi
off-road bike paths
1.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
18Tennis
18Basketball
16Baseball
4Softball
4Soccer
2Volleyball
1Skate park
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Herndon: 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) | 42 | 46 | 55 | 66 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 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 May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Herndon →
Next door
Herndon and its neighbors
Herndon has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herndon | 6% | 1.2 | 7 | 99%+ | A− |
| Dranesville | 12% | 0.5 | 25 | 99%+ | A |
| McNair | 4% | 0.7 | 3 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Reston | 13% | 2.9 | 21 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Oak Grove | 1% | 0.6 | 4 | 99% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Herndon
Where can I hike in Herndon?
The longest trail networks: Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, 1.6 miles; Runnymede Park, 1.1 miles; Bruin Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Herndon is conserved land?
6% 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 Herndon’s trails?
Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park and Runnymede Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Herndon?
5.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of painted or protected lanes, 3.2 of off-road paths and 1.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Herndon?
19,428 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Herndon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 167 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Herndon have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #75 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 Herndon 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 →