Laurel Hill Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
210 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Newington Forest
32% of Newington Forest’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. 32% of Newington Forest’s land is conserved, about 683 acres. 705 acres are parks and preserves, 57 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #11 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
683 acres · of 3.3 sq mi of land
Trails
2.9 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
705 ac
57 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
1.9 mi lanes · 9.2 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Newington Forest?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Newington Forest have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Newington Forest is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #11 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Newington Forest’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land57 acres of park per 1,000 residents (705 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 96%
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Middle Run Stream Valley Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
93 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pohick Stream Valley Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
92 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Newington Heights Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
85 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Middle Run Stream Valley Park93 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Pohick Stream Valley Park92 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Laurel Hill Park210 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsNewington Heights Park85 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsNewington Commons Park8 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsChapel Acres Park1 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Who protects it
683 conserved acres
32% of Newington Forest’s land. Who manages Newington Forest’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County683 ac
Not recorded381 ac
Local Park · 1,064 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Run Stream Valley Park Local Park | Not recorded | 423 | Open |
| Laurel Hill Local Park | County | 210 | Open |
| Pohick Stream Valley Park Local Park | Not recorded | 185 | Open |
| Newington Heights City Park Local Park | Not recorded | 137 | Open |
| Middle Run Stream Valley Park Local Park | County | 91 | Open |
| Newington Commons City Park Local Park | County | 17 | Open |
| Chapel Acres City Park Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Newington Forest
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Newington Forest
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.9 mi
PowerLine Trail0.4 mi
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
9.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
3Basketball
2Pickleball
1Baseball
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).
Silverbook Methodist ChurchBuilding · listed 2004
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Newington Forest: April to June 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) | 44 | 48 | 56 | 67 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 68 | 57 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 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 Newington Forest →
Next door
Newington Forest 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newington Forest | 32% | 0.9 | 57 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Laurel Hill | 46% | 4.1 | 178 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Newington | 10% | 0.4 | 22 | 99%+ | A |
| Burke | 12% | 1.5 | 15 | 98% | A |
| Crosspointe | 3% | 2.4 | 9 | 88% | A− |
| South Run | 29% | 3.3 | 73 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Newington Forest
Where can I hike in Newington Forest?
The longest trail networks: Middle Run Stream Valley Park, 0.1 miles; Pohick Stream Valley Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Newington Forest is conserved land?
32% 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 Newington Forest’s trails?
Laurel Hill Park and Middle Run Stream Valley Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Newington Forest?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of painted or protected lanes and 9.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Newington Forest?
28,936 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Newington Forest or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 705 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Newington Forest have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #11 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 Newington Forest 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 →