Review Date
March 5, 2012

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 2 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: Erikmtb ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I came about this trail on various sites, and didn't even know it existed even though I've lived 5 minutes away since '94. I go to school in the Shenandoah Valley, so I'm used to things being a little more technical, and a lot more vertical than this park. That being said, the "Orange Trail" as it's being called, offered up some surprisingly solid technical obstacles, and it's a step in the right direction for this place. I think with a dedicated MTB community centered around an lbs (Haymarket Bikes), we could do some dedicated trail work to get this place into shape as a mountain bike mecca for this area. Also, the trails don't drain well, they were trashed after yesterday's rain.

Review Date
December 27, 2011

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 2 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 2 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: jmacovei ,  Downhiller

Summary:
5 min from my house and not too difficult. the place lurks with freaks hanging out in their cars smoking and who knows what else. other than that, this little trail system is awesome. you can challenge yourself by going faster if the trails are too flat. the orange loop always gives the typical beginner a challenge as it requires some fitness and basic skills. overall, i prefer to ride here rather than drive to fountainhead, or lake fairfax and wakefield. those trails are more fun and challenging but given the distance, this trail is just fine. P.S. try not to wear any troy lee gear while riding here.

Recommended Route:
Orange loop

Review Date
March 8, 2011

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 2 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 2 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Reviewed by: lov2mtb ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
This is an ok place if you're close. Go to the back (north) part of the park and ride the orange trail-it has some good flow, nice rock gardens, and a switch back or two. Beware the mud after a storm. The "area under surveillance" signs wierded me out. So did the dude in the suv who pealed out when I switched out my dress shirt for my bike sweater...don't see that every day.

Its kinda hard to get a good workout here. Gets to be boring riding and re-riding the few good trails. And the other activity that's reported to take place here-I'll find somewhere else to ride next time.

Recommended Route:
Like an earlier poster said, drive right past this park and keep moving

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Every other possible trail

Review Date
December 23, 2010

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 1 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 2 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: BianchiBOSS ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Very nice!

Purists would point out the many flaws this park has:

-Not much single track (although the "orange loop" was very good) and has lots of potential
-No drainage, couldn’t/shouldn’t be ridden w/in 3-4 days after a really good storm
-Permit
-"Area Under Surveillance” see previous posts
-Pancake flat (I only used my middle ring)

However, this park is in NoVA, elevation is at a premium, and Wakefield shouldn’t be used for comparison. Many pros though:

-Accessible, right off 29 in Gainesville
-Well thought-out, nice skill building rock gardens, good flow
-Optional obstacles, logs, rock formation (orange loop), teeter-totter
-Great ride for roadies, or crossers, in the off season
-Pretty, should be super shady in the summer (no wind at all, even in Dec.)
-You can easily do 10mi. without getting bored
-Great for an off-day, or if you wanna go fast
-Great for getting someone into mt. biking, especially a spouse or young one (most trail is double track widths)
-Quiet, you can almost forget you are in NoVa (especially compared to Wakefield)
-Spacious, you will see others easily and total trail amount could be doubled (great work to those who maintain this area!)

Very well worth it. Will be back anytime in the Gainesville area.

Recommended Route:
It's easy to cover all the trails in an hour and a half. Doesn't matter the direction you ride. Make sure to ride the Orange loop...shouldn't see the horses or hikers back there.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Fairfax County Connector...but Conway is much more organized, doesn’t have the sewage smell or car traffic to deal with…much more rideable than the Connector

Review Date
September 6, 2010

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Reviewed by: KDub17 ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Park has improved greatly since last summer. Trails are clearer, better maintained, etc. Some of the man-made obstacles are gone, but there are a lot of natural obstacles that make it technical. Great place to increase technique while still getting a great workout. The only downside is the puddles that appear when it rains. Tends to take a while to clear up and can slow down the ride.

Recommended Route:
Go to the back side of the park and take the "moderate technical" path down the hill. It's a lot more fun than the main path that runs in circles. More speed, more technical, overall more fun.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Wakefield tends to have more berms and jumps, but it's too hilly and you don't get to keep up your speed.