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Hit The Trail! National Park Service Plans To Expand Trails At Prince William Forest Park

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By NPT Staff - June 3rd, 2019
hiking, prince williams, forest

Hikers at Prince William Forest Park/NPS.

Whether you enjoy exploring Prince William Forest Park on foot, two wheels, or horseback, the National Park Service is taking steps to improve trails and trail access. The National Park Service has approved a plan to create new trails, adjust trail routes, and expand recreation opportunities at Prince William Forest Park, while protecting park wildlife, plants, streams, and archaeological sites.

“This is the first comprehensive expansion of the park’s trail system in more than 60 years,” Superintendent Tanya Gossett said.  “We look forward to improving access to park trails, especially along Rt. 234, and to providing visitors with new and varied trail experiences as they explore the forest.”  

The plan allows for the following improvements:

  • Create approximately 13 miles of new trails, adding new trail links and multiple loop options.  

  • Construct up to four miles of new trails that meet the Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standards standards.

  • Increase the number of trail segments suitable for horseback riding and mountain biking.

  • Adjust the routes of more than 29 miles of existing trails to improve trail connectivity and to protect streams, plants, and archaeological sites.

  • Establish better connections with local and regional trail systems beyond the national park.

  • Expand parking at four existing trailheads in the park, and add new trailhead parking along the park’s northern boundary.

Park managers plan to implement these actions incrementally as funding becomes available through a combination of appropriated funds and partnerships. The park also plans to establish cooperative agreements with a number of partners for the long-term maintenance of the improved trails.

The National Park Service analyzed two alternatives and completed an Environmental Assessment (EA) before selecting the proposed plan. In completing the plan and EA, the National Park Service reviewed more than 200 comments and incorporated feedback from visitors and stakeholders.

A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was signed on May 28, 2019 by acting National Capital Regional Director Lisa Mendelson for the Comprehensive Trails Plan and Environmental Assessment (Plan/EA) for Prince William Forest Park. The FONSI is the decision-making document for the project, and it determined that the project will have no significant impacts. The FONSI and the Plan/EA can be found at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/prwitrailplan.

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