Difficult Run Stream Valley Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
406 acres4 mi of trail
Cross County TrailClarks CrossingWolftrap Creek Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Wolf Trap
Wolf Trap has 25 miles of mapped trails, 2.6 for every square mile of land
17% of Wolf Trap’s land is conserved, about 1,081 acres. 972 acres are parks and preserves, 61 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Difficult Run Stream Valley Park (4 mi), Clarks Crossing Park (3 mi), Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park (1.9 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #17 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
1,081 acres · of 9.8 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
2.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
972 ac
61 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.1 mi
0.9 mi lanes · 6.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Wolf Trap?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wolf Trap have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wolf Trap is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #17 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wolf Trap’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land61 acres of park per 1,000 residents (972 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home89% 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 96%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 94%
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 Difficult Run Stream Valley Park, with 4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Clarks Crossing Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
142 acres3 mi of trail
Clarks CrossingW&OD Bridle Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Clarks Crossing W&OD Trail Access
Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park
Managed by Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
31 acres1.9 mi of trail
W&OD Bridle Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Clarks Crossing W&OD Trail AccessWebsite ↗
Colvin Run Mill Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
58 acres1.3 mi of trail
Rails to River TrailColvin Forest Connector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
Managed by Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
94 acres1.2 mi of trail
Fred Packard Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Colvin Run Stream Valley Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
43 acres1 mi of trail
Rails to River Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lahey Lost Valley Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
24 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Eudora Park
Managed by Fairfax County Park Authority
14 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Difficult Run Stream Valley Park406 acres · 4 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsClarks Crossing Park142 acres · 3 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsWashington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park31 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
DirectionsColvin Run Mill Park58 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsMeadowlark Botanical Gardens94 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
DirectionsColvin Run Stream Valley Park43 acres · 1 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Lahey Lost Valley Park24 acres · 1 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Eudora Park14 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Wolf Trails Park11 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsTamarack Park20 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
Wolftrap Stream Valley Park58 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Fairfax County Park Authority
The Barns of Wolf Trap17 acres
DirectionsWaverly Park16 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsFoxstone Park15 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Symphony Hills Park6 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Ashgrove Historic Site Park2 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
DirectionsWho protects it
1,081 conserved acres
17% of Wolf Trap’s land. Who manages Wolf Trap’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County929 ac
National Park Service134 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land16 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1 ac
Not recorded915 ac
Local Park · 1,845 acSpecial Designation Area · 117 acOther Easement · 17 acConservation Easement · 16 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficult Run Stream Valley Park Local Park | Not recorded | 806 | Open |
| Clarks Crossing Park Local Park | County | 288 | Open |
| Meadowlark Gardens Regional Park Local Park | County | 191 | Open |
| Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 117 | Restricted |
| Colvin Run Mill City Park Local Park | Not recorded | 115 | Open |
| Wolftrap Stream Valley Local Park | Not recorded | 99 | Open |
| Colvin Run Stream Valley Local Park | County | 87 | Open |
| Washington and Old Dominion Trail Local Park | County | 56 | Open |
| Tamarack City Park Local Park | County | 41 | Open |
| Waverly City Park Local Park | County | 33 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Wolf Trap
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Wolf Trap
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Wolf Trap
Composer's Cottage Picnic Area
DirectionsFilene Center Lawns
DirectionsPlus 4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Wolf Trap
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 17.0 miHorses · 2.3 miUnpaved · 21.4 mi
Clarks Crossing3.3 mi
Cross County Trail2.6 mi
W&OD Bridle Trail2.2 mi
Rails to River Trail1.3 mi
Fred Packard Trail0.6 mi
Colvin Forest Connector0.4 mi
Wolftrap Creek Path0.2 mi
Wolf Trap Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Fairfax Cross County TrailBike route
2.8 miCourts & fields
22Tennis
8Basketball
4Soccer
2Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wolf Trap: April 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 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 46 | 55 | 66 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Wolf Trap →
Next door
Wolf Trap and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Great Falls47 miReston45 miMcLean43 miWolf Trap25 miDifficult Run22 miOakton18 miVienna3.7 miTysons2.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf Trap | 17% | 2.6 | 61 | 89% | A+ |
| Vienna | 6% | 0.8 | 11 | 99%+ | A− |
| Oakton | 10% | 1.9 | 17 | 97% | A |
| Tysons | 4% | 0.7 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Reston | 13% | 2.9 | 21 | 99%+ | A+ |
| McLean | 15% | 1.7 | 26 | 96% | A |
| Difficult Run | 11% | 2.6 | 64 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Great Falls | 14% | 1.8 | 88 | 58% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wolf Trap
Where can I hike in Wolf Trap?
The longest trail networks: Difficult Run Stream Valley Park, 4 miles; Clarks Crossing Park, 3 miles; Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, 1.9 miles; Colvin Run Mill Park, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wolf Trap is conserved land?
17% 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 Wolf Trap’s trails?
Difficult Run Stream Valley Park and Clarks Crossing Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wolf Trap?
7.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of painted or protected lanes and 6.2 of off-road paths. Named routes: Fairfax Cross County Trail.
Is there public land near Wolf Trap?
22,921 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wolf Trap or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 972 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wolf Trap have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #17 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 Wolf Trap 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 →