By URIAH KISER
WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Woodbridge now has a boardwalk, but it doesn’t have fancy shops, restaurants or an ocean view.
On June 2, 44 volunteers with the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition laid some $2,500 in materials along a one-mile portion of the Potomac Heritage Scenic Trail, creating a flat boardwalk that connects the Metz Wetlands area and Leesylvania State Park in Woodbridge.
As much of the area is muddy, the boardwalk now allows hikers to park at the Metz Wetlands and walk full circle through Leesylvania, down Powell’s Creek, to a sidewalk on U.S. 1 north where they can return to a parking lot at Metz.
MORE TO THE STORY: View a map of the trail and see where the new boardwalk was laid
“There have been three major trail building workdays (as well as several minor ones) on the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail right in this area over the last year: PWTSC completed the connection between the existing trails in Metz Wetland and Leesylvania State Park on National Trails Day in 2011, and the connection between the existing trails in Leesylvania State Park and the Powell’s Landing community in September of last year,” said PWTSC President Zoe Vitter.
The organization partnered with the Prince William County Park Authority, REI, and the Potomac Heritage Trail Association to get the job done. The boardwalk accounts for only a small portion of the trail, as much of the trail is natural surface, and that means maintenance cost for the boardwalk will be minimal, said Vitter.
In addition to holding monthly clean ups in various portions of Prince William County, PWTSC will once again hold a volunteer workday on the Potomac Heritage Scenic Trail in November.
The Potomac Heritage Scenic Trail is part of the National Park Service and links Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, allowing hikers to explore the same areas George Washington did in his lifetime.
