Meadowood Recreation Area
Managed by Bureau of Land Management
799 acres14.3 mi of trail
South Branch LoopThompson Creek Loop TrailMeadowood ConnectorWood Thrush Loop Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Jarek Tuszyński · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Mason Neck
More than half of Mason Neck’s land is conserved: 73%
73% of Mason Neck’s land is conserved, about 6,459 acres. 3,735 acres are parks and preserves, 1,832 per 1,000 residents. 38 miles of mapped trail cross Mason Neck, 2.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
73%
6,459 acres · of 13.9 sq mi of land
Trails
38 mi
2.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,735 ac
1,832 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.8 mi
6.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
1 beach · 8 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Mason Neck?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mason Neck have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mason Neck is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mason Neck’s overall grade.
Conserved land73% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (38 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land1,832 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,735 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home58% of residents within a half mile of a park · VA 76% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 97%
LessMore
Water is 31% of Mason Neck’s area (6 of 20 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 50%.
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 Meadowood Recreation Area, with 14.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pohick Bay Regional Park
Managed by Northern Virginia Park Authority
990 acres10.2 mi of trail
Red TrailBlue TrailRed Cutback TrailOrange Trail Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Mason Neck State Park
Managed by Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
1,815 acres7 mi of trail
Eagle Spur TrailMeadow View TrailKane's Creek TrailBay View Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
2,212 acres4 mi of trail
Woodmarsh TrailFern PassHickory Pass
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Woodmarsh TrailheadWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Meadowood Recreation Area799 acres · 14.3 mi of trail · Bureau of Land Management
DirectionsPohick Bay Regional Park990 acres · 10.2 mi of trail · Northern Virginia Park Authority
DirectionsMason Neck State Park1,815 acres · 7 mi of trail · Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
DirectionsMason Neck National Wildlife Refuge2,212 acres · 4 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsOld Colchester Park & Preserve130 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Mason Neck West Park18 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Belmont Park2 acres
Who protects it
6,459 conserved acres
73% of Mason Neck’s land. Water is left out: Mason Neck has 13.9 square miles of land and 6.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Mason Neck’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service2,920 ac
County1,945 ac
State conservation1,895 ac
Bureau of Land Management799 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government745 ac
Other state land430 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits89 ac
Local Park · 3,834 acState Park · 3,674 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 2,920 acNational Public Lands · 799 acState Other or Unknown · 373 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 104 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mason Neck State Park State Park | State conservation | 3,674 | Open |
| Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2,920 | Restricted |
| Pohick Bay Regional Park Local Park | County | 1,987 | Open |
| Meadowood Recreation Area Local Park | County | 800 | Open |
| Southeastern States District Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 799 | Open |
| Gunston Hall Museum Estate Not Designated | Other state land | 745 | Open |
| Mason Neck Regional Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 745 | Open |
| Old Colchester Preserve and Park Local Park | Not recorded | 265 | Open |
| Mason Neck West Local Park | County | 18 | Open |
| Mason Neck West Park Local Park | Not recorded | 18 | Open |
Things to do
24 places to go in Mason Neck
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Mason Neck
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Mason Neck
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Mason Neck
8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Mason Neck
Fisherman's PointIn Pohick Bay Regional Park
DirectionsScenic views in Mason Neck
6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Mason Neck
Enchanted Pond Picnic Areas (4)In Meadowood Recreation Area
DirectionsCampgrounds in Mason Neck
Campground site #133In Pohick Bay Regional Park
DirectionsCanoe-In CampgroundIn Mason Neck State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.6 miHorses · 5.8 miUnpaved · 36.2 mi
South Branch Loop4.1 mi
Red Trail3.5 mi
Woodmarsh Trail2.1 mi
Thompson Creek Loop Trail1.9 mi
Blue Trail1.7 mi
Meadowood Connector1.4 mi
Eagle Spur Trail1.2 mi
Wood Thrush Loop Trail1.1 mi
Meadow View Trail1.1 mi
Kane's Creek Trail0.9 mi
15 more trails
Bay View Trail
0.8 miRiver Trail
0.8 miDogue Trail
0.8 miMustang Loop Trail
0.8 miWhite Trail
0.8 miOrange Trail Loop
0.8 miRed Cutback Trail
0.7 miWilson Spring Trail
0.6 miRed & Blue Trails
0.5 miYellow Trail Loop
0.5 miWhitetail Ridge Trail
0.4 miSouth Branch Spur
0.4 miHidden Pond Trail
0.4 miPohick Bay Park Connector
0.4 miCampground to Pool (White)
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Equestrian
3Basketball
3Tennis
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Mason Neck: 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) | 45 | 49 | 57 | 68 | 76 | 85 | 89 | 87 | 80 | 69 | 58 | 49 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 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 89 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Mason Neck →
Next door
Mason Neck and its neighbors
Mason Neck has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason Neck | 73% | 2.7 | 1,832 | 58% | A+ |
| Lorton | 5% | 0.7 | 8 | 96% | B+ |
| Woodbridge | 20% | 1.2 | 5 | 75% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mason Neck
Where can I hike in Mason Neck?
The longest trail networks: Meadowood Recreation Area, 14.3 miles; Pohick Bay Regional Park, 10.2 miles; Mason Neck State Park, 7 miles; Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, 4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mason Neck is conserved land?
73% 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 Mason Neck’s trails?
Meadowood Recreation Area and Pohick Bay Regional Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mason Neck?
6.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mason Neck?
27,573 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mason Neck or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,537 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mason Neck have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Mason Neck 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 →