Accotink Stream Valley Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
173 acres2.7 mi of trail
Creekside PathHeavy Stone Access TrailCCT Access TrailCCT-Brookfield Pond Tr.
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Springfield
Springfield has 10 miles of mapped trails, 1.3 for every square mile of land
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 9% of Springfield’s land is conserved, about 468 acres. The biggest trail networks: Accotink Stream Valley Park (2.7 mi), Franconia Park (1.9 mi), Brookfield Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #49 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
468 acres · of 7.8 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
470 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
16 mi
5.0 mi lanes · 10 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Springfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Springfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Springfield is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #49 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Springfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (470 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13BParks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · VA 76% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 87%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 81%
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 Accotink Stream Valley Park, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Franconia Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
63 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Brookfield Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
26 acres0.7 mi of trail
CCT-Brookfield Pond Tr.
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Monticello Woods Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
16 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lee High Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
23 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Springfield Forest Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
11 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
Accotink Stream Valley Park173 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsFranconia Park63 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsBrookfield Park26 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsDeerlick Park18 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMonticello Woods Park16 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Lee High Park23 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsSpringfield Forest Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Byron Avenue Park13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsLoisdale Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsSpringvale Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsTrailside Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Hooes Road Park21 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsBacklick Stream Valley Park11 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Lake Accotink Park9 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsLeewood Park8 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsEdsall Park3 acres
DirectionsNorth Springfield Park2 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsLynbrook Park2 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Who protects it
468 conserved acres
9% of Springfield’s land. Who manages Springfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County465 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits5 ac
Not recorded405 ac
Local Park · 870 acConservation Easement · 2 acOther Easement · 2 acUnknown Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 44 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accotink Stream Valley Park Local Park | Not recorded | 358 | Open |
| Franconia City Park Local Park | Not recorded | 126 | Open |
| Brookfield Park Park Local Park | County | 51 | Open |
| Lee High Local Park | County | 47 | Open |
| Hooes Road Local Park | County | 42 | Open |
| Lake Accotink Park Local Park | County | 40 | Open |
| Deerlick City Park Local Park | County | 38 | Open |
| Monticello Woods Local Park | County | 26 | Open |
| Springfield Forest Local Park | Not recorded | 22 | Open |
| Hooes Road School Site Local Park | County | 20 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Springfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Springfield
Edsall Park Swim Club
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Springfield
Crestwood Elementary Playground
DirectionsPlus 22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Springfield
1 scenic view 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 miUnpaved · 6.0 mi
Creekside Path0.6 mi
CCT-Brookfield Pond Tr.0.3 mi
Heavy Stone Access Trail0.2 mi
Grass Trail0.2 mi
CCT Access Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
16 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
10 mi
off-road bike paths
1.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
23Tennis
20Baseball
7Basketball
6Soccer
3Multi-sport
2Football
1Golf
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Springfield: 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 | 47 | 56 | 67 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 68 | 57 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 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 Springfield →
Next door
Springfield and its neighbors
Springfield has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Annandale14 miSpringfield10 miWest Springfield10 miKings Park9.6 miFranconia7.0 miLincolnia4.3 miNewington1.8 miNorth Springfield1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | 9% | 1.3 | 15 | 94% | A |
| West Springfield | 16% | 2.1 | 23 | 99%+ | A+ |
| North Springfield | 6% | 0.8 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
| Lincolnia | 13% | 0.9 | 21 | 99%+ | A |
| Franconia | 9% | 2.0 | 11 | 99% | A |
| Newington | 10% | 0.4 | 22 | 99%+ | A |
| Annandale | 7% | 1.8 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
| Kings Park | 30% | 7.4 | 60 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Springfield
Where can I hike in Springfield?
The longest trail networks: Accotink Stream Valley Park, 2.7 miles; Franconia Park, 1.9 miles; Brookfield Park, 0.7 miles; Deerlick Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Springfield is conserved land?
9% 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 Springfield’s trails?
Accotink Stream Valley Park and Franconia Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Springfield?
16 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.0 of painted or protected lanes, 10 of off-road paths and 1.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Springfield?
32,546 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Springfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 470 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Springfield have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #49 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 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 →