The Loop Around the Visitor’s Center, Prince William Forest Park, Triangle, VA

This page may contain an affiliate ad banner and/or text link. If one clicks/taps on this link and then makes a purchase, I sometimes receive a small commission. Please patronize our advertisers.

This 2.5 mile loop hike took place on Thursday, January 22, 2016. It was only me on this one.

In the dead of winter you don’t get very many days over fifty degrees and sunny. When you do, you have to get out and hike. So that’s what I did today.

I got to Prince William Forest near Triangle, VA around 11:00 AM. The Visitor Center was open so I went in and poked around. Then I started the loop that consisted of the Williams Ballfield Trail, which is not an official trail but is about .2 miles. I crossed the park road and then started on The Crossing Trail. It was blazed green and was .5 miles. It had some ups and downs and the blazing could have been better on the northern portion. I had the entire woods to my self on this stretch.

When I got to the intersection of The Crossing Trail and the Laurel Loop Trail, I could have turned left and made it back to my vehicle in a few tenths of a mile. But since I was feeling OK, I turned right and did the entire Laurel Loop Trail. I passed two ladies and three kids on this stretch. I passed them at the Visitor Centor when I started this hike so I said hello again. This yellow blazed trail had some ups & downs, then turned left and went along partially frozen Quantico Creek South Branch for about .3 miles.

At around the 2 mile mark I saw a man, a woman and a dog. However, they turned onto South Orenda RD so I didn’t get to say hi to them. I was amazed that there were not more people out on the trail today. So I turned left and started the .5 mile up to a former baseball field, walked across it, walked along the parking area and got to my vehicle and around the halfway point of this parking area. It was 57 degrees when I left PWFP around 1:00 PM.

I was very happy that I got to do a hike today. I’m not looking forward to the snow, ice and cold weather predicted for this weekend and next week. Spring cannot come soon enough.

Mike C

P.S.- There is a error within The Crossing sign image on the right. The Birch Bluff Trail did at one time start where the left spur on the Crossing Trail is. But it was changed at one point to start further north along the Laurel Loop Trail.