Hike Lake Accotink from Wakefield Park, VA

Come along on a beginner friendly hike in Fairfax County, Virginia from Wakefield Park to beautiful Lake Accotink Park. Flora and fauna abound in the parks and along the wooded trails, where we might glimpse bald eagles, great blue herons, white-tailed deer, and wildflowers in bloom.

This 6-mile hike is considered relatively easy, with 292 feet of elevation gain at a pace of 2.5 mph along the paved, dirt and gravel paths of the Gerald Connolly Cross County Trail and the Lake Accotink Trail.

Meet at the entrance to Audrey Moore Recreation Center in Wakefield Park. The Rec Center parking lot is 0.5 miles from Braddock Rd, beyond the first set of parking lots at the baseball fields. Plan to arrive at 9:45 a.m. to allow time to sign in and make introductions before starting the hike at 10:00. Well behaved, leashed dogs are welcome.

From the Wakefield Park Recreation Center building we will hike to the Gerald Connolly Cross County Trail and continue south until we reach the Lake Accotink marina. We will stop there for a restroom break and a snack. Then we will continue on the Lake Accotink Trail below the dam, up an elevated pedestrian walkway, and follow a natural-surface trail along the lake for another 1.2 miles. We then turn onto Danbury Forest Drive, head 0.5 miles to the Cross County Trail, and follow it back to our cars at Wakefield Park. The moving pace will be 2.5 mph, with stops to regroup at several trail junctions.

Bring: Hiking boots, layered clothing as appropriate for the weather, 1-2 quarts of water, trail snacks, hiking poles if you use them, insect repellent, sunscreen, and hat. Be mindful of both the weather and the predicted temperature changes throughout the day, and adjust the amount of water to bring along as appropriate.

Cost: Sierra Club Potomac Region Outings requests a modest $2 donation per person to help defray expenses of our all-volunteer program.

Carpool: Participants can post carpool requests/offers to arrange with other participants in the Meetup Comments section.