The Annandale Greenway
Connecting Parks and Communities
Walkthrough
The Annandale Greenway is a five-mile proposed trail linking seven parks from east to west. The trail runs roughly parallel to Little River Turnpike, with one end in Annandale Community Park and the other in Green Spring Gardens.
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Hidden Oaks Nature Center/Annandale Community Park
The Annandale Community Park is a 52-acre park with ball fields, basketball and tennis courts, a playground, and reservable picnic areas. The Hidden Oaks Nature Center features live animal displays, nature exhibits, a library, a pond, a garden, and trails. Public parking and bathrooms are available.
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Royce Court
Heading east from the park, a quiet residential street terminates in a cul-de-sac. A public path between two houses allows access to the Manassas Gap Railroad Park.
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Manassas Gap Railroad Park
This 13.3-acre park traverses a thickly wooded area where a railroad bed was constructed in the 1850s. The railbed was used by both the Confederacy and the Union to transport soldiers, food, and supplies during the Civil War, and some remnants of the railbed are still visible.
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Medford Drive
Medford Drive is a four-lane road partially separated by a grassy median. The Manassas Gap trail joins Medford Drive in a makeshift path to the north of the road, and trail users cross mid-block to reach the sidewalk on the south side.
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Annandale Road
This four-lane road leads to the Annandale Village Centre.
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Poplar Street
On intermittent sidewalks and paved roadway, trail users pass work trucks belonging to the small businesses located on the street.
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Eileen Garnett Civic Space
The Eileen Garnett Civic Space, named after a celebrated community activist, was inaugurated in October 2023. The park offers a grassy field, an open space with benches and tables, an educational garden, and regular pop-up community events.
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Columbia Pike
The Greenway continues along Columbia Pike, a four-lane road surrounded by Fairfax County buildings, shops, and parking. Bus shelters connect residents to WMATA and Fairfax Connector transit systems.
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Evergreen Lane
A bike lane begins on Evergreen Lane, providing access to Fairfax County's cycling network. There is also a pet relief station outside the local veterinarian office.
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Alpine Drive
Trail users share the road with cars along most of this residential street. A straight pathway through a wooded corridor connects two sections of the road.
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Roberts Avenue
Roberts Avenue ascends a large hill and provides multiple connections to Mason District Park.
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Mason District Park
Mason District Park is the largest park on the Greenway. It contains a grassy field, numerous forested trails, a pond, and marked historic sites. Its recreational amenities include basketball and tennis courts, a baseball field, playgrounds, picnic tables, a dog park, and an amphitheater where summer concerts are hosted.
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Sleepy Hollow Road
Sleepy Hollow Road is a quiet residential street with numerous flowering trees in the spring.
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Elmdale Road
Elmdale road runs parallel to the Pinecrest Golf Course, a nine-hole, par-35 public golf facility.
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Green Spring Gardens
Green Spring Gardens offers tours of its historic house, an extensive garden with greenhouses, a National Witch Hazel collection, plant shops, a horticulture library, and educational programs for gardeners.
Overview
The Greenway was proposed and is promoted by the Annandale Greenway Alliance. It was founded in 2021 and envisioned an east-west route that would connect Annandale's diverse communities and promote access to Annandale's great parks.
Connecting Communities
The trail stretches through a mix of neighborhoods and provides access to a range of demographic groups. Click/press the map below to learn more about the race/ethnicity makeup of these communities.
Annandale Greenway: Race/Ethnicity
Many households living near the Greenway do not own a vehicle. The Greenway can provide a safe and pleasant walking/biking connection to and through Annandale's core.
Annandale Greenway: Households with No Vehicles
Annandale's History
While walking along the Greenway, trail users can catch a glimpse of the town’s long history. Since the 1830s, Annandale has transformed from a plantation town to a diverse suburb. Many of the town’s farms have become public parks and some of the original manor houses remain, such as the John Moss House at Green Spring Gardens. In Mason District Park, signs point to Native artifacts from the area’s original inhabitants dating to 14,000 years ago. The Little White Church, whose original building once hosted injured Union soldiers during the Civil War, sits on Columbia Pike north of Evergreen Lane. Columbia Pike itself was originally constructed as a trade route in the early 1800s and has become a home to a variety of immigrant businesses.
Wayfinding
Different surface types and many turns necessitate wayfinding to help trail users navigate. The map highlights those places in the trail where turns or intersecting paths mean directions are required.
Different segments of the Greenway are owned and maintained by different government jurisdictions. In particular, the residential and commercial areas are challenging due to complex signage regulations under the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Therefore, separate wayfinding techniques are recommended for the park areas and street areas.
Park Areas
Three kiosks with maps and information about the Greenway are planned for the Annandale Community Park, the Eileen Garnett Civic Space, and Green Spring Gardens.
Smaller navigational markers are also needed throughout the parks at trail intersections. Signs, benches, or natural posts with the Annandale Greenway logo could provide directions. Natural signs would introduce an opportunity to work with the community to build them, utilizing local woodworking classes or volunteers. Alternatively, milk paint, a non-toxic waterproof paint, could be used for trail blazing on the trees for a cheap and fast implementation.
Photo credits, clockwise from top left to bottom left: Chelsea Ballard/NPS, Little Forks Conservancy, Fairfax County Park Authority, Asbury Woods, Pannier Graphics, Friends of the North Pikes Creek Wetlands, Anthony Le/Rails to Trails Conservancy.
Street Areas
VDOT has extensive regulation requirements for permanent signs along their roads. With the support of the community, yard signs and storefront displays can provide a wayfinding alternative until permanent street signage can be installed. Path markings and "lily-pad" signage the sidewalks could also help direct users along the Greenway in a non-intrusive and aesthetically pleasing way.
Including links to a website with a map of the Greenway on signs can limit the number of signs needed and help provide on-the-go routing for users.
Photo credits, clockwise from top left to bottom left: Southeast Examiner, Annandale Greenway Alliance, Eli Pousson/Baltimore Heritage, Redlands Daily Facts, Masaki Omori/SF Parks Alliance, Denver Streets Partnership, WAFB 9.
Challenges
While the Annandale Greenway has numerous attractions, there are some safety challenges that need to be addressed. There are several places along the trail that are lacking sidewalks or crosswalks. There are also smaller hazards on the path that diminish the trail user's experience.
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In the long term, safety interventions such as signalized pedestrian crossings, curb cuts, handrails, bollards, and centerline striping may be considered at appropriate sections along the Greenway.
Potential Improvements
Along with wayfinding and improvements to safety, the Annandale Greenway could benefit from the addition of various beautification amenities such as benches, public art, and more landscaping along streets, especially along Columbia Pike. There are potential connections to other trails which could help connect the Greenway to the rest of the Fairfax County trail network.
Existing Plans
Many segments of the current Annandale Greenway are included or referenced in adopted county plans or park master plans. These plans propose updates that would improve accessibility for some of the more challenging sections of the trail.
Other Plans | Road Sections |
|---|---|
Manassas Gap Rail Line; Annandale Road; Poplar Street; Columbia Pike | |
Annandale Road; Poplar Street | |
Manassas Gap Rail Line; Medford Drive; Annadale Road; Columbia Pike; Evergreen Lane; Elmdale Road | |
Poplar Street |
Beautification
Placing more amenities, especially in the sections between parks, would establish greater continuity and add visual appeal along the trail. Additional trees along roadways would provide crucial shade and serve as a habitat for birds and other wildlife. Planter boxes can provide beautification and act as a wayfinding or promotional tool with the Greenway logo attached. Benches or simple seats made of repurposed fallen trees and pieces of wood from the parks along the trail are a relatively inexpensive way to provide seating. Public art pieces could be installed throughout the Greenway to provide additional attractions for users and encourage further community involvement.
Photo credits, clockwise from top left to bottom left: Fairfax County Government News Center, J. Keeler Johnson, Sprocket Murals/Local 21 News, New York City DOT.
Trail Connections
Connecting the Greenway to other trails would allow more integration with the rest of the county. One possible trail connection links the Annandale Community Park/Hidden Oaks Nature Center to Fairfax County’s Gerald Connolly Cross County Trail (CCT).
Contact
For further information on the Annandale Greenway or how you can get involved:
Annandale Greenway Alliance: Facebook page
Fairfax County Park Authority: Homepage
Annandale Chamber of Commerce: Homepage
Annandale Commercial Revitalization District: Homepage
Annandale Today: Homepage
