Arlington's Forgotten Trails: Natural Surface Trails are for Transportation Too!

Level of Effort: 10 minutes, at home in your PJs

Deadline: Thu 2/22 11:59pm

Arlington's Paved Trail network - including the Custis, the W&OD, the Bluemont Junction, and the Mt Vernon Trail are critical pieces in the County's sustainable transportation network. At long last, the other trails - the unpaved trails - are getting some attention from the County.

These often forgotten trails, in addition to being a pleasant way to experience nature, can also be important pieces of transportation infrastructure - going places that paved trails can't, due to topography, expense, or demand. Speak-up today & help Arlington County remember that natural surface trails aren't just recreation (though hiking and mountain biking are awesome), they can be critical transportation links as well.

Suggested Feedback

Here are some suggested talking points for a couple of the open answer questions:

What type of trail experiences would you like in the future?

The most used trails are useful trails - that get people from one place to another. This is the source of many of Arlington's "unplanned social trails". Also please consider adding or designating certain trails for mountain biking - a popular recreational activity that is basically banned in Arlington right now.

Did we miss anything? Please use the space below to share any additional thoughts on the Inventory and Assessment Data you may have.

We need more natural surface trails, especially ones that connect between neighborhoods across our larger linear parks like Glencarlyn Park and Bluemont Park. Please consider that many of Arlington's parks, though awesome, are also barriers to walking unless there are trails connecting through them. Natural Surface trails can be an important tool for these connections as they can go places that paved trails can't due to topography, expense, or environmental impact. Natural Surface Trails are used by kids to get to school (especially Oakridge, Gunston, Kenmore, and Carlin Springs) and need to be designed accordingly!

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