Around mid-April every year, thousands of visitors come to Bull Run Regional Park to celebrate the arrival of Mertensia virginica, the Virginia bluebell! Named the “Wildflower of the Year” in 1989, by the Virginia Native Plant Society, this azure blue ephemeral has a devoted following of all ages.

Orienteering is a fun and exciting sport for everyone, regardless of age or experience.  From the start point, participants try to find a series of markers located throughout Fountainhead Regional Park. Participants will use navigation and map reading skills to choose routes — both on and off trail — to find all the markers and get back to the finish point.

Orienteering is typically a racing event, in which participants compete against each other to finish a course in the fastest time.  However, anyone just looking to get out and enjoy the forest at a leisurely pace may also use these courses, as a sort of guided walk.

Have you ever wanted to know more about our local flora and learn how to ID them? Experience a self-guided hike through our park and see over 20 different species of native trees! Each featured tree on the hike will be labeled with its species name and a QR code that, once scanned with your mobile device, will provide the natural history of that tree and identifying characteristics. Click the link below to download the map of the hike and see what species are featured.

Host your next 5k race, team-building session, corporate event or fundraiser at the Occoquan Brickyard 5k race course! Located at Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, this paved, pedestrian-dedicated track is perfect for any race, large or small, and offers varying terrain with beautiful views of nature and the Occoquan River. 

Tour the grounds of Mt. Defiance on a walking path that explores the property and provides several historic markers detailing the events here. 

Visit the historic civil war-era buildings still standing at Mt. Defiance, including a blacksmith's shop and cottage, both of which were actually on site during the battle and played a roll in forces taking cover. Guests are not permitted inside the structures but are free to walk the grounds surrounding. 

The park features a number of walking and hiking trails, which allows visitors to explore the land and understand where the various facets of its history occurred. The primary trail travels roughly a half mile to Route 50, including a trip over the old stone bridge. 

Algonkian Regional Park boasts a variety of trails within the park, including accessible, paved trails, hiking trails, and the "Dr. Ira Gabrielson” trail, where horses are welcome.The official start to the Ira Gabrielson Trail can be found near the middle of the park itself, just beyond the open picnic shelter area before the park’s Riverfront Cottages. 

The Bull Run Occoquan Trail offers a variety of trail users the opportunity to explore this challenging and historic trail. Equestrian riders can access a large majority of the trail while on horseback. All trails are natural surface featuring: rocks, roots, logs, loose sand, ledges, steep climbs/descents and narrow bridges. Riders should also note the presence of hikers, as well as mountain bike riders, who have limited access stretching from Fountainhead to Bull Run Marina.

Located along the Occoquan Reservoir in Fairfax County, the Bull Run Occoquan Trail invites hikers and horseback riders to discover more than 4,000 acres of scenic woodlands. The 17-mile trail rises over steep wooded hillsides, winds through deep ravines and crosses numerous streams and flood plains.