Name: Burke Lake Trail
Rating: 4.2

“One of the best runs in Northern Virginia.”

— Peter Magnuson

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Fishing · Lake · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Overview

Another great Northern VA lake trail. This is mostly doubletrack with a couple of paved sections near both ends of the lake. It's well maintained and generally not too rocky or rooty. This trail can get extremely busy on a nice weekend so you need to watch for dogs, children and bikes. There is a fitness course along the route, too, if you want to challenge yourself a bit more.

Need to Know

This trail is pretty straight forward--a loop around the lake. In the summer months, there is a snack bar where you can grab a drink. It's near the mini-golf parking lot. This park does host high school cross country races during the season although they don't use the entire trail.

Runner Notes

This trail can be rocky and rooty in places. It is mostly doubletrack, but it is paved in a few places. No climbs make this a flat, quick run.

Description

This trail has it all: dirt sections, paved sections, a campground, boat launch and even a train! This is a popular trail in the area, so it does get crowded on nice weekends. The trail itself winds all the way around the lake. There is a main parking lot to the park, but you can also access the trail from the campground.