The W&OD Trail From Reston and Herndon: A Mile-by-Mile Guide to All 45 Miles, and How to Ride It Into D.C.

The Washington & Old Dominion Trail runs 45 miles from Shirlington in Arlington to Purcellville in western Loudoun County, on the bed of a railroad that quit in 1968. Reston and Herndon hold the stretch from Hunter Mill Road at mile 14.7 to the Loudoun County line at mile 21.2. That position, about a third of the way out from Arlington, makes either town a starting point in both directions. Georgetown sits about 18 miles east of the Wiehle Avenue crossing. The end of the trail in Purcellville sits about 25 miles west of the Herndon Depot.

NOVA Parks, the regional park authority that owns the trail, opened the whole length from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. year-round in May. On Nov. 19, its board takes up a new set of trail rules that would ban the fastest class of e-bikes and require a permit for groups larger than 25.

The trail follows a railroad that ran from Alexandria to the Blue Ridge until 1968

The Washington & Old Dominion Railroad ran from Alexandria to Bluemont, at the foot of the Blue Ridge. It carried passengers until 1951 and freight until it shut down in 1968. The first piece of trail opened in Falls Church in 1974. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, now NOVA Parks, bought the right-of-way from the power company VEPCO in stages between 1977 and 1982, and the paved trail reached Purcellville in 1988. Dominion Energy’s transmission lines still run overhead for much of the route, which is why Dominion crews spent early 2026 removing hazard trees between the Hunter Mill substation and the Reston substation on Sunset Hills Road, FFXnow reported.

NOVA Parks describes the trail as 45 miles long. The mileposts run from 0 at Shirlington to 44.6 at the old Purcellville train station.

Reston and Herndon’s miles run from Hunter Mill Road to the Loudoun line

Mile 14.3 to 14.7, Difficult Run to Hunter Mill Road. The trail crosses Difficult Run on a bridge at mile 14.3. Just west of it, the Cross County Trail joins from Tamarack Park and shares the W&OD for a short stretch before splitting off near Hunter Mill Road, where a crushed-stone path runs alongside the asphalt. The Cross County Trail continues north to Lake Fairfax Park, where the Rails to River Trail ties it back to the W&OD. Our Reston trails guide covers the paved paths that feed in from Reston’s neighborhoods. The Hunter Mill Road crossing is at grade. NOVA Parks added push-button flashing beacons there in 2020, Reston Now reported. A small parking area sits across the road at Hunter Station Road. Hunter Station Road is also our pick for hill repeats: a quiet road with a good climb that starts right at the crossing.

Mile 15.8, Sunrise Valley Drive. The trail crosses Sunrise Valley Drive at grade near Robert Fulton Drive, a spot where county staff cited a history of bike crashes. Fairfax County has proposed high-visibility signs telling drivers to stop for people in the crosswalk at nine W&OD crossings, including Sunrise Valley, Michael Faraday Drive, Sunset Hills Road and Hunter Mill Road, FFXnow reported in June. The signs still need VDOT approval.

Mile 16.1 to 16.6, under the Toll Road to Michael Faraday Drive. The trail passes under the Dulles Toll Road and the airport access road at mile 16.1 and crosses Sunset Hills Road at grade at about mile 16.3. A little farther west, The Bike Lane sits just off the trail on Sunset Hills Road. It fixes and rents bikes, and it also pours its own beer and serves coffee, which makes it an easy stop in either direction. At Michael Faraday Drive, mountain bikers can leave the W&OD for the dirt trails in Lake Fairfax Park, which start at the back left corner of the SkateQuest parking lot.

Mile 16.8, Wiehle Avenue. At mile 16.8 the trail crosses Wiehle Avenue on a 143-foot bridge that opened in July 2024, replacing the old mid-block crossing. The county’s project page puts the cost at $12 million.

The Wiehle-Reston East Metro station is about a third of a mile away. Its county-owned garage holds 2,300 spaces at $4.95 a day on weekdays, according to Fairfax County, and Metro says parking at its garages is free on weekends and federal holidays for Metro riders. Bike commuters can rent space in the station’s secure bike room, which holds more than 200 bikes and costs $75 for the first year.

Mile 17.7, Old Reston Avenue. Reston’s railroad stop, Sunset Hills station, stood here. NOVA Parks points trail users to a paved lot beside the trail, reached by turning onto Old Reston Avenue from Sunset Hills Road at the 7-Eleven. A water fountain and a bike repair stand sit near the lot. A larger commuter lot farther along Sunset Hills Road fills up on weekdays.

Two pieces of Reston history stand on either side of Old Reston Avenue. Looking north from the trail, the brick building on the right at 1875 Old Reston Avenue is the old Bowman Distillery. It went up in 1892 as the town hall of Wiehle, the community C. A. Max Wiehle laid out here decades before Reston, and it is now for sale. Our post on the distillery covers its history. On the left, an office complex surrounds Bowman Manor, the Bowman family’s hilltop house. EYA plans to replace the offices with 57 townhomes and keep the manor, and the county approved the plan in July. Our post on the EYA plan has the details.

Mile 17.9 to 18.3, Reston Parkway and Town Center. The trail passes under Reston Parkway through an arched concrete underpass dedicated in 1999. At mile 18.2 a spur leads to Reston Town Center, and since November 2024 a pedestrian bridge from Bluemont Way to Progress Street has carried people over the trail to the Reston Town Center Metro station, with a ramp down to the trail itself, FFXnow reported. Heading west, RTC Next, the newest section of Reston Town Center, fills the left side of the trail near the station. Paris Baguette is open there, and Grazie Nonna and Grazie Grazie are on the way, with more restaurants due to follow. At mile 18.3 a connector reaches the Fairfax County Parkway trail, and the W&OD crosses the parkway on a bridge built in 2001.

Mile 18.9 to 19.5, Sugarland Run and Herndon Parkway. The Sugarland Run Valley Stream Trail, extended to meet the W&OD in 2005, heads north from mile 18.9 along the stream. The W&OD then crosses Herndon Parkway twice on bridges finished in 1989 and 1997.

Mile 19.5 to 20.0, downtown Herndon. Lights line three stretches of trail downtown, between Ferndale Avenue and Center Street, Center and Station streets, and Elden and Van Buren streets. The Herndon Depot Museum at 717 Lynn Street sits at mile 19.9. The Herndon Historical Society opens the 1857 depot on Sundays from noon to 3 p.m., March through mid-December, and holds a model train show and caboose open house, usually on the second weekend of December. The red caboose at mile 20.0 is a Norfolk & Western car placed beside the depot in 1989.

NOVA Parks recommends the large town lot at the end of Station Street for trail parking. The Municipal Center next to it is closed for renovation through early January, so check for fencing before you count on every space. Green Lizard Cycling sits across Lynn Street from the depot. Aslin Beer Company and its restaurant partner IZZI fill 767 Elden Street, and Old Town Coffee shares 315 Spring Street with Moo Thru ice cream.

Mile 20.9 to 21.2, Crestview Drive to the county line. The trail crosses Crestview Drive at grade near Old Heights Road, where crashes in 2021 and 2025 led the town to install its first rectangular rapid flashing beacon, FFXnow reported. Bready Park has two entrances from the trail and seasonal restrooms, and the playground at Trailside Park sits beside the path. Herndon Centennial Golf Course runs alongside the trail. The Fairfax-Loudoun line crosses the trail at mile 21.2.

East from Reston, the W&OD reaches Arlington and three trails into Washington

The W&OD itself never enters the District. It ends at Shirlington, and three connecting trails carry riders the rest of the way.

Vienna, miles 10.4 to 13.2. Vienna sits about five miles east of Wiehle Avenue. The trail crosses Maple Avenue at mile 11.5 and passes the Freeman Store and Museum at 11.6, the red caboose at 11.7 and the restored Vienna depot at 11.8. The Town of Vienna opens the caboose and depot from 1 to 5 p.m. on the third Saturday of most months. Caboose Tavern sits directly off the trail near mile 12.

Falls Church, miles 5 to 7. Falls Church has separate paths, an 11-foot lane for bikes beside an 8-foot path for people on foot, from Little Falls Street to North West Street. The segment opened in October 2021, the Tysons Reporter noted. The East Falls Church Metro station sits near mile 5.0, and its Silver Line trains run straight back to Wiehle-Reston East, Reston Town Center and Herndon.

Arlington, mile 3.9: the Custis Trail to Georgetown. The Custis Trail leaves the W&OD at mile 3.9 and follows Interstate 66 to Rosslyn, about five hilly miles. At North Lynn Street it meets the Key Bridge, which crosses the Potomac into Georgetown. From the D.C. end of the bridge, a path drops to the C&O Canal towpath, which runs 184.5 miles to Cumberland, Md., and the Capital Crescent Trail, which starts at the west end of Water Street and runs to Bethesda.

Arlington, mile 3.3: Bluemont Junction to Ballston. The Bluemont Junction Trail runs 1.3 miles from the W&OD to Ballston.

Mile 0: Four Mile Run to the Mount Vernon Trail and the National Mall. At Shirlington, the Four Mile Run Trail continues east to the Mount Vernon Trail near Reagan National Airport. The Mount Vernon Trail runs about 18 miles along the river from George Washington’s estate to Theodore Roosevelt Island. Riders cross into Washington on the 14th Street bridge, which lands near the Jefferson Memorial, or on Memorial Bridge, which leads straight to the Lincoln Memorial. The W&OD, Four Mile Run, Mount Vernon and Custis trails together form the 16-mile Arlington Loop.

Distances from the Wiehle Avenue bridge:

• Vienna’s caboose: about 5 miles
• East Falls Church Metro: about 12 miles
• Rosslyn by way of the Custis Trail: about 17.5 to 18 miles
• Georgetown, across Key Bridge: about 18 miles
• Lincoln Memorial, by way of the Mount Vernon Trail and Memorial Bridge: about 19 to 20 miles

West from Herndon, the trail climbs to Purcellville

Sterling, miles 21.2 to 25. Loudoun County broke ground on April 20 on a $13.3 million trail bridge over Sterling Boulevard at mile 22.4, a crossing that sees about 2,000 trail users a day, according to the county. The trail stays open during construction, and NOVA Parks warns of intermittent delays through spring 2028. The W&OD already crosses Route 28 at mile 23.9 and Loudoun County Parkway at mile 24.8 on bridges.

Ashburn, miles 25 to 30. NOVA Parks headquarters sits beside the trail at mile 25.7. Farther west, an overlook at mile 29.7 looks into the Luck Stone quarry, and the trail crosses Goose Creek at mile 30.1.

Leesburg, miles 31 to 35.5. The trail reaches downtown Leesburg at Harrison Street, mile 34.3, and King Street, mile 34.4, just past a 19th-century lime kiln. Visit Loudoun suggests leaving bikes at Raflo Park on Harrison Street, steps from Tuscarora Mill and Fire Works Pizza. The trail crosses over Route 7 on a bridge at mile 35.5.

Clarke’s Gap to Purcellville, miles 38 to 44.6. The trail tops out at Clarke’s Gap, mile 38.4, about 600 feet above sea level. Purcellville sits about 440 feet higher than Shirlington, so the westbound ride gains elevation and the return runs mostly downhill. The route passes the relocated Clarks Gap passenger shelter in Paeonian Springs at mile 39.2 and the Hamilton station at mile 40.9 before ending at the restored 1904 Purcellville Train Station on North 21st Street, a short walk from Catoctin Creek Distillery and Monk’s BBQ. For the westernmost 32 miles, a gravel horse trail runs beside the pavement.

Five day trips start at the Herndon Depot or the Wiehle Avenue bridge

• Wiehle Avenue to Vienna and back, about 10 miles. The caboose and Caboose Tavern mark the turnaround.
• Herndon Depot to Vienna and back, about 16 miles. The same turnaround from Herndon, passing near both of Reston’s Metro stations.
• Wiehle Avenue to Georgetown, about 18 miles one way. Ride east on the W&OD and the Custis Trail, cross Key Bridge, and take the Silver Line home from Rosslyn. Metro allows bikes on trains at any hour, up to four per car, through the end doors, and can restrict them during special events.
• Herndon Depot to downtown Leesburg and back, about 29 miles. Lunch on King Street splits the ride in half.
• Herndon Depot to Purcellville, about 25 miles one way. The western end of the trail, uphill on the way out. Plan a pickup or a second car, or ride back.

Trail hours run 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and new rules come up for a vote Nov. 19

Hours. The NOVA Parks board set 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, year-round, for the full 45 miles in May. Before that, the section from Herndon to Purcellville closed at dusk.

E-bikes. NOVA Parks allows pedal-assist and throttle e-bikes with a top powered speed of 20 mph, known as Class 1 and Class 2.

Proposed Regulation No. 2.0. The draft regulation the board considers on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. would:

• Write the 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. hours into the rules
• Require leashes no longer than six feet
• Require a written permit for gatherings of more than 25 people
• Ban Class 3 e-bikes, which assist up to 28 mph, along with motors over 750 watts, one-wheel devices and motorized vehicles without pedals, other than scooters and skateboards
• Make reckless riding and other violations a Class 4 misdemeanor, the lowest misdemeanor class in Virginia, which carries a fine and no jail time

Water. Trail fountains are typically shut off from mid-November to late March, according to the Reston Bicycle Club. Winter riders should carry their own.

What comes next. NOVA Parks lists Reston and Herndon among the possible sites for a regional program to widen the trail, add separate bike and walking paths, and rebuild crossings, through the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. We found no Reston or Herndon segment with funding or a schedule.

See something missing or wrong? Email us at [email protected] and we will check it and update the post.