Lake Accotink Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
43 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: self · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in North Springfield
6% of North Springfield’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. The biggest trail networks: Lake Accotink Park (0.8 mi). 1.2 miles of mapped trail cross North Springfield, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #71 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
61 acres · of 1.5 sq mi of land
Trails
1.2 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
73 ac
10 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.7 mi
0.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is North Springfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Springfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Springfield is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #71 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 North Springfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land10 acres of park per 1,000 residents (73 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13B−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 82%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 72%
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 Lake Accotink Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
North Springfield Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Flag Run Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Backlick Stream Valley Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Lake Accotink Park43 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsNorth Springfield Park9 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Flag Run Park8 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Backlick Stream Valley Park5 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Leewood Park1 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Who protects it
61 conserved acres
6% of North Springfield’s land. Who manages North Springfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County61 ac
Not recorded17 ac
Local Park · 78 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Accotink Park Local Park | County | 44 | Open |
| Flag Run City Park Local Park | Not recorded | 17 | Open |
| North Springfield City Park Local Park | County | 8 | Open |
| Backlick Stream Valley Park Local Park | County | 7 | Open |
| Leewood City Park Local Park | County | 3 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in North Springfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in North Springfield
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in North Springfield
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in North Springfield
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in North Springfield
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Basketball
2Tennis
1Volleyball
1Field hockey
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in North Springfield: April, May 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) | 43 | 47 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 83 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 68 | 57 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in North Springfield →
Next door
North Springfield and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Annandale14 miSpringfield10 miWest Springfield10 miKings Park9.6 miNorth Springfield1.2 miRavensworth0.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Springfield | 6% | 0.8 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
| Springfield | 9% | 1.3 | 15 | 94% | A |
| Ravensworth | 30% | 1.0 | 69 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Annandale | 7% | 1.8 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
| Kings Park | 30% | 7.4 | 60 | 99%+ | A+ |
| West Springfield | 16% | 2.1 | 23 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Springfield
Where can I hike in North Springfield?
The longest trail networks: Lake Accotink Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Springfield 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 North Springfield’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Lake Accotink Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Springfield?
0.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near North Springfield?
26,261 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Springfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 73 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Springfield have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #71 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 North Springfield 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 →