Laurel Hill Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
910 acres15.5 mi of trail
Workhouse TrailGiles Run Meadow LoopDairy Barn LoopPasture Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: User:AlbertHerring · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Laurel Hill
46% of Laurel Hill’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. 18 miles of mapped trail cross Laurel Hill, 4.1 per square mile of land. 46% of Laurel Hill’s land is conserved, about 1,310 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #1 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
46%
1,310 acres · of 4.4 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
4.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,325 ac
178 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
15 mi
4.2 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Laurel Hill?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Laurel Hill have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Laurel Hill is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs put Laurel Hill near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Laurel Hill’s overall grade.
Conserved land46% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails4.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land178 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,325 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13AParks 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)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)#1 of 253
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 Laurel Hill Park, with 15.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Occoquan Regional Park
Managed by Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
430 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
1,310 conserved acres
46% of Laurel Hill’s land. Who manages Laurel Hill’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,313 ac
Local Park · 1,313 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Hill Local Park | County | 884 | Open |
| Occoquan Regional Park Local Park | County | 426 | Open |
| Laurel Hill Park Local Park | County | 3 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in Laurel Hill
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Laurel Hill
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Laurel Hill
Occoquan Regional Park Boat LaunchFee · In Occoquan Regional Park
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Laurel Hill
Sheperd PointIn Occoquan Regional Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Laurel Hill
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Laurel Hill
Giles Run MeadowIn Laurel Hill Park
DirectionsGiles Run MeadowIn Laurel Hill Park
DirectionsGiles Run MeadowIn Laurel Hill Park
DirectionsGiles Run MeadowIn Laurel Hill Park
DirectionsGiles Run MeadowIn Laurel Hill Park
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.8 miHorses · 2.2 miUnpaved · 9.8 mi
Workhouse Trail1.6 mi
Giles Run Meadow Loop1.5 mi
Dairy Barn Loop1.2 mi
Pasture Loop1.0 mi
Power Station Loop0.6 mi
Slaughterhouse Loop Trail0.6 mi
Biking & sports
15 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Golf
9Tennis
7Basketball
3Baseball
1Softball
1Football
1Soccer
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). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
D.C. Workhouse and Reformatory Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2006
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Laurel Hill: April and May
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 | 88 | 87 | 80 | 69 | 58 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Laurel Hill →
Next door
Laurel Hill and its neighbors
Laurel Hill 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Hill | 46% | 4.1 | 178 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Newington Forest | 32% | 0.9 | 57 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Lorton | 5% | 0.7 | 8 | 96% | B+ |
| Crosspointe | 3% | 2.4 | 9 | 88% | A− |
| Occoquan | 1% | 0.6 | 2 | 99%+ | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Laurel Hill
Where can I hike in Laurel Hill?
The longest trail networks: Laurel Hill Park, 15.5 miles; Occoquan Regional Park, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Laurel Hill is conserved land?
46% 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 Laurel Hill’s trails?
Laurel Hill Park and Occoquan Regional Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Laurel Hill?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.2 of painted or protected lanes and 11 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Laurel Hill?
28,865 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Laurel Hill or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,325 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Laurel Hill have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #1 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 Laurel Hill 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 →