You're looking for a quick hike, a close hike, or an interesting hike near the DMV. Virginia's Manassas Battlefield is one of the best places for local hikes with well-maintained, wide, and accessible trails.
We've written about a few of these trails in previous blog posts and continue to love this National Park. Beautiful, easy to access, and immaculately maintained.
Manassas Battlefield Hiking Loops
Most of the trails that we're going to call out here are further away from the crowds (except one, Henry Hill Visitor Center is busy on the weekends), but not very much further of a drive from the main areas of the park. Overall, we should divide the park into a few areas to outline how hikes will varies.
The majority of the traffic in the park is centered around the Henry Hill Visitor Center and the Stone Hour at the corner of Lee Highway and Sudley Road.
We've talked about this one before and we love it. Typically this is a less populated trail and parking at the trailhead is limited to 2 spots.
Example Map: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=14.9/-77.5574/38.8131&pubLink=RiClFemDrPZwRHH1r7Z6ZlyE&trackId=44d20f8150cc67526e20a50fc0b44379
Length: 3.5 mi.
Ascent: 154 ft
Alternatively, you can access this same route from Brawner Farm Interpretive Center (Manassas National Battlefield Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)).
The Cundiff Pond Loop starts at the horse parking area for the Battlefield which is also a picnic area. This loop can be extended by going another 1-2 miles further into the park toward I-66 as you can see on the map below. This is a lower-trafficked trail and the parking lot rarely has many cars. This is the hidden gem of this particular park.
Example Map: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=9.6/-77.7238/39.0207&pubLink=2M6yXbKTj0VcwH3luKz8KpKR&trackId=2d240109e6772c71237d7f58d3fd9100
Length: 2.3 mi.
Ascent: 137 ft
This lower-traffic loop is in the center of the National Park and offers all the same scenery that you'd see throughout. A little longer in length with a section that requires some walking on the road, it's a great trek.
Example Map: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=9.6/-77.7238/39.0207&pubLink=xC3XX8g7a50Rt2s06WmIBKou&trackId=e8d8b3dc-d44d-4dcd-aea4-b741e323ac7c
Length: 2.76 mi.
Ascent: 212 ft
The Matthews Hill loop is probably the more traveled area of the park for horseback riders. In fact, there are some horse training facilities that border the park on the north side as you trek through this area. About halfway down the trail to the north is a great field for Fido to enjoy birds and nature in an open space.
Example Map: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=9.6/-77.7238/39.0207&pubLink=8oSwWHF58sBvtGrmSkU2x7Eo&trackId=6c2438dd-91db-42da-a9a7-6423c75ed944
Length: 1.56 mi.
Ascent: 109 ft
The Henry Hill Visitor center is usually packed on the weekends. Families enjoying the park, dogs running around, and the occasional horseback rider.
This loop takes you through the heart of the battlefield and while the more known trail across Lee Highway to the north is more traveled, you'll still see a lot of hikers in this area. The scenery is fantastic and worth the extra crowd.
Example Map: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=15.1/-77.5163/38.8143&pubLink=dSBJYED8kiSYiw46F9g96dY2&trackId=7996aa00-9b79-4d0f-8aa8-9c95f45ffbf6
Length: 2.22 mi.
Ascent: 195 ft
These are our personal favorite hikes in the Manassas Battlefield and we hope you'll love them too. Get outside and enjoy them. Happy Hiking!