Burma Road in Prince William Forest Park
Length: 1.5 mile, one-way
Difficulty: Strenuous
Burma Road is one of the many gravel fire roads in Prince William Forest Park that is open to both hikers and bikers. It runs from Scenic Drive (main loop road through the park) down to Cabin Camps 1 and 4, two of the five cabin camps available for rental at the park. The road is located between Parking Lot E and F, and it is a one-mile ride or walk from either parking lot just to get to its start. From there it is another 1.5 miles to the entrance of the Cabin Camps. There’s not much reason to bike the road unless you are staying at one of the cabins and want to ride your bike (or walk) to the main area of the park.
Burma Road is punctuated with extreme ups and downs like a rollercoaster, complete with massive drops. While these are fun to ride down, don’t forget that the road is out-and-back, so you have a very strenuous ride on the way back. If biking Burma Road from the entrance at Scenic Drive, the first hill starts right out of the gate. It’s nearly a half-mile straight down and ends at a bridge spanning Quantico Creek. This is the location of the northern terminus of the North Valley Trail. I hiked much of this trail starting at the southern terminus, but I ended at Lake One Road a little farther south. By the way, both the North Valley Trail and Burma Road are part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.
Quantico Creek at the North Valley Trail on Burma Road in Prince William Forest Park
The road splits about a quarter mile after the bridge. Stay to the right, for keeping straight will take you out of the park and onto Highway 234 / Dumfries Road. It is at this point that the hills start again, with the first one being too steep for me to bike, so I walked to the top—there is no shame in it. From the top you’ll have a couple more hills in front of you, and if you go fast enough down the hills you’ll get up enough speed to nearly make it to the tops without having to put in too much effort.
Near the camp entrance is the intersection with another road that leads out to Highway 234. This is the road that people staying at the cabins arrive on. Also located down this road is the Prince William Forest RV Campground. Stay straight to get to the cabins.
The road into the cabin complex is gated, and this is the end of the bike ride unless you are staying at one of the cabins, for nobody other than registered guests is allowed in the area. As I mentioned earlier, there is no real reason to bike this road if you are not staying at the cabins.
Gated entrance to Cabin Camps 1 and 4 at Prince William Forest Park
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Last updated on April 10, 2024
