North Orenda Road in Prince William Forest Park
Length: 1.9 miles, one way
Difficulty: Strenuous
North Orenda Road is one of the many gravel fire roads within Prince William Forest Park that is open to both hikers and bikers. Access is from Parking Lot D on Scenic Drive. The road runs southeast for 1.3 miles to the South Valley Trail, and from there it is easy to access South Orenda Road, another fire road that allows you to get a little extra mileage out of your bike ride.
As with all fire roads in the park, North Orenda Road has its share of hills. It starts out level, but soon begins a nearly non-stop downhill trajectory to the end. You don’t even have to peddle for nearly a mile of the trail. The hills aren’t the steepest in the park, but I still dreaded the return trip. On some of the other dirt roads within the park I had to push my bike back up, but I was able to ride all the way back to the parking lot on North Orenda Road.
Rain has left its mark on the road, forming gullies and washing away the topsoil to expose fist-size rocks. In addition, park maintenance vehicles that use the road leave deep tire tracks in some of the muddy areas, and these form more ruts when the mud dries. All of these obstacles can be dangerous to bikers traveling at high speeds, so look far ahead and be on alert for such terrain.
Ruts along North Orenda Road in Prince William Forest Park
A muddy spot on North Orenda Road in Prince William Forest Park
There is an old cemetery about .6 mile down the road on the left. However, when traveling downhill at high speed you must keep a keen eye on the road and are likely to pass right by it, so you’ll have an easier time spotting it on the way back. Look for a metal gate resting against a tree. There are only two tombstones that still have readable inscriptions; the rest of the graves are marked by fieldstones. Fieldstones are literally the stones removed from the top layer of a field so that a plow won’t get damaged. They were used in the construction of houses and stone walls back in the 1800s, and were commonly used to mark graves in situations where the family of the deceased either had no money or had no opportunity to purchase a carved tombstone. On occasion they might have a name and date scratched into them, but most were left blank. The alternative was a wooden cross.
Old cemetery on North Orenda Road in Prince William Forest Park
Grave of Catherine Johnson (1891-1931) in the cemetery on North Orenda Road in Prince William Forest Park
Grave of Jane Lewis ( died 1824) in the cemetery on North Orenda Road in Prince William Forest Park
Fieldstone marks a forgotten grave in the cemetery on North Orenda Road in Prince William Forest Park
The trail flattens out just before reaching a footbridge at the South Valley Trail. If you plan to bike South Orenda Road, you must cross the bridge and access it via the Laurel Loop Trail. This is a hiking trail and thus off limits to bikes, so you must walk across.
Bridge connects the South Valley Trail to the Laurel Loop Trail at Prince William Forest Park
Follow the sign that points the way to South Orenda Road, which actually parallels the Laurel Loop Trail at this point (you can see it on your right). There are at least two short connectors between the trails—a social trail that was created by hikers and bikers and the official connector trail, which is marked with a sign.
Connector between the Laurel Loop Trail and South Orenda Road in Prince William Forest Park
South Orenda Road comes out at the Pine Grove Picnic Area, just .6 mile ahead. The road leaves behind South Fork Quantico Creek, the low point of the valley, so expect an uphill journey for about a third of a mile. This is an exceptionally steep hill, and I had to stand up and peddle so that I could put some “umph” into the effort. When the road reaches the intersection with the gravel road that leads up to Cabin Camp 3, it levels out and becomes much smoother.
South Orenda Road ends at the Piedmont Forest Nature Trail, but you have an option to continue on to the parking lot for the Pine Grove Picnic Area. A sign warns bikers that this is a STEEP HILL with a SHARP TURN. Unless you are a glutton for punishment or need to get to the picnic area, I suggest turning around and heading back to Parking Lot D. If you prefer to make a loop out of the adventure, you can ride back on the main park road. If this is your plan, then you must continue on to the parking lot to connect with the road.
Warning sign at the end of South Orenda Road in Prince William Forest Park
Steep hill down to the Pine Grove Picnic Area parking lot in Prince William Forest Park
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Last updated on April 11, 2024
