New off-road trails at Locust Shade will connect to Prince William Forest Park

TRIANGLE — A mountain bicycling club is helping bring new trails to Locust Shade Park.

A new trail system to be built at the park will provide off-road connections with nearby Prince William National Forest Park. Funding for the trails is coming from a combination of a $24,000 federal grant. and from funds raised by the organization building the trails, The Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts, Inc., or MORE.

As part of the grant’s stipulations, MORE must provide an equal match the amount with money and labor.  The match includes volunteer labor, building materials, professional services provided by the county and additional monies through fundraising and donations

“The project is part of a larger [National Park Service]  program to improve trails along the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail corridor in the area. Locust Shade sits along the corridor. We see this as an opportunity to bring more trails and trail users to this part of the county as access is fairly limited especially for off-road cyclists,” states MORE Executive Director Steve DonTigny in an email.

DonTigny said the Prince William County Parks and Recreation Department has had a plan in place for over a year now but have lacked the funds to initiate any new trails or rehabilitation of existing trails.

MORE’s work wouldn’t be possible without the help of volunteers.

“The work MORE’s volunteers are undertaking within Locust Shade addresses deficiencies in both the sustainability and mountain bike users’ experience with the existing trails. The need for this work was documented by our staff in 2016 and it is being made possible by MORE’s volunteer and fundraising capabilities,” states Prince William County Parks and Recreation spokesman Brent Heavner in an email.

“Once this particular project is completed, MORE will continue to provide trail maintenance in the park through agreements with the county Parks office and improvement projects if needed,” DonTigny said.

“This is very exciting for us as the county is committed to expanding trails and riding opportunities. This project and the new master plan for PWNF will allow MORE the chance to have a bigger impact in the county,” DonTigny said.

To volunteer for this project, visit www.more-mtb.org/calendar to see their schedule of events.

Locust Shade Park is located at 4701 Locust Shade Drive in Triangle, off Route 1 near the National Museum of the Marine Corps. It is open to the public from 7 a.m. to dusk year-round.

The park offers boat rentals, has eight pavilions, playgrounds, tennis courts, volleyball courts, and more than 3 miles of scenic nature trails. The park also features a 15-station fitness trail, batting cages, a 25-station golf driving range, and an 18-hole miniature golf course.

There is also an eight-acre pond and marina for boat rentals that is open year-round for fishing and a 400-seat outdoor amphitheater that runs entertainment programs from May through August.