Trailhead for the Mary Bird Branch Trail in Prince William Forest Park

Length: .5-mile, one way
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: mainly easy, with one strenuous hill

The Mary Bird Branch Trail is an out-and-back trail that runs between Scenic Drive at Parking Lot E and Old Black Top Road, one of the many gravel fire roads in Prince William Forest Park that is open to both hikers and bikers. For those wanting a longer hike, you can continue on the High Meadows Trail, the Little Run Loop Trail, or the Turkey Run Ridge Trail.

The trailhead for the Mary Bird Branch Trail is on the opposite side of the road from the parking lot and about fifty yards to the north. The trail starts off on what appears to be a well-worn gully, most likely a result of thousands of people walking on it over the years. It passes through a thick forest with a floor that is cluttered with vegetation and debris.

Well worn path at the start of the Mary Bird Branch Trail in Prince William Forest Park

The trail is perfectly flat for the first .3 mile, then it heads down a steep hill for another tenth of a mile before reaching Mary Bird Branch, a small creek. Here the ecosystem changes from the thick forest to a lush, open forest with plenty of ferns and other greenery. It is so pleasant at the creek that I wish somebody had put a bench so I could sit there forever.

If you are lucky, you might spot a beaver. By the end of the 1700s, beavers had become extinct in Virginia due to hunting. In fact, they were wiped out completely in the lower 48 states by the end of the 1800s. In the early 1950s, they were re-introduced to Prince William Forest Park, with the first pair being let go right here at Mary Bird Branch. Today, beavers can be found throughout the park at many of the creeks and streams.

Mary Bird Branch in Prince William Forest Park

Creeks tend to be at the bottom of a ravine or valley, which explains the steep descent from the road above. Likewise, when you hike away from a creek you often find yourself heading back up the other side of the valley, which is the case here. You have a .1-mile uphill climb to Old Black Top Road, though this hill is not as steep as the one coming down from Scenic Drive.

If your goal is to simply hike the Mary Bird Branch Trail, once you arrive at Old Black Top Road you can turn around and head back the way you came. However, I can’t see any reason at all to hike this trail unless it is part of a longer hike.

Old Black Top Road near the Turkey Run Education Center at Prince William Forest Park

I hiked the Mary Bird Branch Trail as part of an 8-mile loop hike that starts at Parking Lot E on Scenic Drive. For those who want to tackle a highly interesting hike, when you reach Old Black Top Road, turn right and head towards the Turkey Run Ridge Group Campground. Find the Turkey Run Ridge Trail and hike south until it ends at South Valley Trail. Take a left on South Valley and hike north until you get to North Orenda Road, at which point you must jog to the right for a quarter mile in order to reconnect with the South Valley Trail. South Valley comes to a final end at Pyrite Mine Road. Take a right over the bridge and the road naturally becomes the North Valley Trail. North Valley passes through the ruins of the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine and eventually comes to the eastern terminus of the Quantico Cascades Trail. Take this back to the parking lot. For more information on any of the trails mentioned above, click the links to read a detailed trail review.

Loop Hike Map (click to enlarge)

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