Viewfinder: A Sampling of Lake Ridge Trails

Lake Ridge and Occoquan abound in trails, walkways, and hidden paths.  There are miles of natural beauty to discover in this area, which include a variety of fauna and flora.  Aside from ever-present squirrels, deer and fox are perhaps the most commonly sighted mammals.  Botanical treasures range from large fern specimens to modest buttercups. 

This week’s Viewfinder focuses on three local paths: Lake Ridge Marina, Smoketown Road, and Marquis Place.  The Lake Ridge Marina trail system extends from the adjacent golf course to Aegean Terrace, at the end of Hedges Run Drive.  The Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition proposes to extend this trail both east towards Occoquan and west towards the McCoart county government building for a total of eight miles.

On Smoketown Road, a wide sidewalk welcomes walkers and runners alike for roughly a half-mile of shaded pavement.  Continuing onto Russell Road and connecting to a trail that reaches the Chinn Recreation Center can further extend this path by more than one mile.

The entrance to a paved path that winds through Lake Ridge and Westridge neighborhoods is located before the convergence of Marquis Place and Knightsbridge Drive, near the Hawthorne at Lake Ridge subdivision.  Crossing streets is required to complete the full length of this one-mile trail, which follows a creek.

There are numerous other walkways in this region, including the County Connector Trail, a 60-mile trek through Fairfax County that reaches Great Falls.  The CCT can be accessed in Occoquan and is open to cyclists and pedestrians year-round.