Running trails in Fairfax, VA
Fairfax has 11 trails in the directory — 3 paved and 1 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 loops that return to the trailhead, 5 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 10 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 2,470 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Van Dyck Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,036 reviews
A shaded walking trail, plus basketball, volleyball & tennis courts, fill this 20-acre park.
Royal Lake Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 458 reviews
Paved, dirt and gravel lakeside trail at a family-friendly park featuring basketball courts, tennis courts and playgrounds.
Draper Drive Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 311 reviews
This 16-acre recreational area contains a shaded jogging trail & 2 fields for soccer & other sports.
Rocky Run Stream Valley Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 211 reviews
Compact, urban green space offering picnic tables, 2 playgrounds & a lighted field.
Daniels Run Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 190 reviews
Woodland park with a small stream running through it, plus hiking trails & a little playground.
Fairfax Villa Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 96 reviews
This large wooded park in a residential area offers walking/biking/hiking trails & wildlife.
Long Branch Stream Valley Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 63 reviews
Park featuring a footbridge and trails that run along a creek, plus wildlife.
Sally Ormsby Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 50 reviews
Tranquil park featuring paved trails, woods, and a creek where kids can feed the fish.
East Blake Lane Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 42 reviews
Heavily wooded park offering a walking trail with a creek, footbridges & natural scenery.
Willow Pond
4.5 ★★★★★ 13 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Fairfax
- Match the surface to your legs. Fairfax gives you a choice: 5 mixed, 3 paved, and 1 natural surface. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More mixed trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 2 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Fairfax are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 10 of the 11 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 3 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 10 have trailhead parking and 3 have restrooms in Fairfax. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 5 shaded, 3 that runners describe as quiet, 2 dog-friendly, and 7 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Fairfax trails by type
Running trails near Fairfax
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.