The Bull Run-Occoquan Trail (BROT) is a

hiking trail A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. " ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Designated in 2006 as a

National Recreation Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

,2006 NRT designations
National Recreation Trails. U.S. Department of Interior. Accessed 2012-03-15. the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail invites hikers and horseback riders to discover more than 4,000 acres of scenic woodlands.

Description

The approximately 20 mile trail runs along Bull Run from

Bull Run Regional Park Bull Run Regional Park is a multi-use facility located in Centreville, Virginia, owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. The park is situated near Interstate 66, in the Bull Run / Occoquan Stream valley. It features ...

down through Hemlock Overlook Regional Park to Fountainhead Regional Park.trail brochure at https://www.novaparks.com/sites/default/files/BROTmapVertical.pdf access date 2016-07-23 East of the Bull Run Marina, the stream becomes the

Occoquan Reservoir Occoquan Reservoir is a reservoir in northeast Virginia, southwest of Washington, D.C., straddling part of the boundary between Fairfax and Prince William Counties, west of Alexandria. It is formed by the Occoquan Dam on the Occoquan River . M ...

, which (with filtration) currently provides drinking water for approximately half of

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 census, it is the most populous county in Virginia, the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington ...

. In the other direction, the trail rises over steep wooded hillsides, winds through deep ravines and crosses numerous streams and flood plains and becomes fairly level west of Route 28. Much of the trail is mixed-use with equestrians and mountain bikes (which are restricted to the segments nearer the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

, east of the Bull Run Marina). Hiking may be considered moderately strenuous, and trail users are encouraged to carry ample water and wear appropriate foot and ankle support. Many parks along the trail are open seasonally and should not be regarded as reliable sources of food, water or emergency care. During the early years of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the Bull Run/Occoquan River formed the boundary of the "Alexandria Line", which Confederate forces established to protect their capitol from Union advances before the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

. A skirmish occurred near Blackburn's Ford along the upper part of this trail on July 18, 1861. Between Blackburn's Ford and Union Mills, the former Southern Railway trestle over Pope's Head Creek is visible; the upper structure was burned several times during the multi-year conflict. An earthen fort constructed to protect another ford can still be seen at Little Rocky Run. Lands surrounding the trail are now subject to 5-acre zoning, so the roads to the five major trailheads (Bull Run Regional Park, Route 28, Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, Bull Run Marina and Fountainhead Regional Park) retain a semi-rural character. This blue-blazed trail is one of many trails maintained by the

Potomac Appalachian Trail Club The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) is a volunteer organization that works to maintain hiking trails in the Washington, D.C. area of the United States. PATC was founded in 1927 to protect and develop the local section of the then new Appal ...

Bluebell Trail

The middle of April is when the

bluebell Bluebell, Bluebells, or Bluebelle may refer to: Plants * genus ''Hyacinthoides'' ** Common bluebell ('' H. non-scripta'') ** Spanish bluebell ('' H. hispanica'') ** Italian bluebell ('' H. italica'') * genus ''Muscari'' (perhaps more commonly kn ...

flowers are in bloom, along with over 25 varieties of wildflowers found on this part of the trail. The 1.5-mile loop within Bull Run Regional Park has the highest concentration of Bluebells; however, the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail has these and other flowers throughout.

Bull Run Run

The first Bull Run Run was held by the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club in April 1993. It is a 50-mile footrace following the course of the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail in an out-and-back format. From the year 2006 through 2011, there were 310 to 340 runners annually who started the race and 80% to 95% of them finished before the 13-hour cutoff. The overall course record is 6 hours, 8 minutes and 14 seconds, set by Matt Woods (31) in 2011.

References

{{VirginiaTrails Hiking trails in Virginia Horse trails Tourist attractions in Prince William County, Virginia Tourist attractions in Fairfax County, Virginia