The following highlights took place along the Potomac Heritage NST during the 2021 calendar year:
Conserving Trail Lands and Boosting Climate Resilience
A mile of off-road trail was added to the Potomac National Scenic Trail in northern Virginia, connecting Belmont Bay to Veterans Park via Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. “We’re celebrating one mile, but it’s an important celebration, because open space and trails…help remind us of the beauty we live with, which, in our busy lives, we don’t often get to appreciate,” Congressman Gerry Connelly of Virginia said of the project while speaking to Inside NoVa News.
Other Highlights
The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (PHNST) celebrated the opening of a system of dedicated mountain biking trails at Locust Shade Park in Prince WIlliam County, Virginia in November 2021. The new trail system was the result of 5 years of collaboration between the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts and Prince William County’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism with funding from REI and the National Park Foundation and labor contributed by numerous volunteers. The mountain biking trails are distinct from the PHNST hiking trails. They include routes for beginning and advanced riders and are the first of their kind in northern Virginia, promising to bring a new crop of outdoor enthusiasts in the area to the PHNST.
