December Greetings from the Friends of the Dahlgren Trail!

We'd like to wish everyone a happy and healthy winter and holiday season! We look forward to the coming year with high expectations for enjoyable events, meaningful partnerships, and lasting memories on the trail!

In case you didn’t know, our goal for the Dahlgren Trail is to become part of Caledon State Park and the Virginia State Park system. But we still often talk with trail users who are surprised and amazed that it’s not already a public park. We are often asked why we want the trail to be part of the Virginia State Park system. There are two primary answers: the first is to protect the trail in perpetuity; the second is to bring the trail under professional management. There is technical expertise and guidance in the state park system that will be of immense help to us as volunteer friends of the Dahlgren Trail.

One of the common questions that we are often asked is how to get from the Dahlgren Trail to Caledon. At this time, there only one route to connect these areas, which includes walking on the road. While it is legal to walk or bike on the roads, we don’t publicize or encourage these routes for safety reasons. Like most rural roads, there are no shoulders and there are some blind curves; if you do decide to travel between the Dahlgren Trail and Caledon, do with with utmost caution. On the bright side, we are working with the county and the state as well as private landowners to develop off-road routes. Thanks for your patience as we continue to work on these partnerships.

According to the book “Virginia Rail Trails: Crossing the Commonwealth,” by Joe Tennis, the Dahlgren Trail would become the seventh railroad trail in the state park system. Two of the existing ones are complete parks: High Bridge and New River. The others are railroad trails that are housed within a state park. The Dahlgren Trail will fall in that latter category, and will double the total length of the trail system at Caledon.

Another interesting aspect of the Dahlgren Trail is that it will become the only trail in the park system that started as a military railroad. The railroad, then called the Dahlgren Junction Line, was built by the U. S. Navy in 1942 to support the war effort at the Naval Base at Dahlgren (at the time known as the Naval Proving Grounds). Remnants of the Navy railroad still exist in the form of concrete boundary markers along the railroad right of way. These are marked with an embossed “USN” at the top of the markers. The western part of the line is still an active spur providing service to the King George Industrial Park and Gateway Shopping Center.

Have a great winter season! See you on the trail!

~Jim Lynch, President of the Friends of the Dahlgren Trail

Welcome to the Dahlgren Trail November Newsletter!

We'd like to begin our newsletter with a special acknowledgement and thanks to the owner of the Dahlgren Trail, Mr. David Brickley. in addition to his work with the Dahlgren Trail, he has been working for 20 years to lead an effort to create a trail system linking all three September 11 sites: The National September 11 Memorial in New York City, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood, the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA., and the 9/11 National Pentagon Memorial. That work culminated last month when President Joe Biden signed legislation to designate the “September 11th National Memorial Trail,” linking the the sites with a trail of remembrance. Learn more about David's amazing accomplishments on our website, here.

In case you didn’t know, our goal for the Dahlgren Trail is to become part of Caledon State Park and the Virginia State Park system. But we still see trail users who are surprised amazed that it’s not already a public park. These things seem to move at a snail’s pace, but we are encouraged by the acceptance by the public for the trail, and we are so grateful for the many expressions of appreciation for the trail.

There are two Friends groups who advocate for our goal: Friends of the Dahlgren Trail and Friends of Caledon State Park. There are many wonderful people who serve on both groups work cooperatively on many projects. One of those projects was an event which was hosted couple of weekends ago: the Caledon Art & Wine Festival. This festival is one of the premier events in King George. Friends of the Dahlgren Trail was delighted that the Friends of Caledon asked us to host a table at the event to showcase the Dahlgren Trail. At the event, we have the opportunity to talk with hundreds of people about the trail.
In addition to our website, many trail users have discovered us through these great websites and information sources:

All Trails: AllTrails is a website deigned to foster happy, healthy communities by connecting people to the outdoors and to each other. The Dahlgren Trail is featured within their site, and users give the DRHT a 4.1 rating out of 5. Here’s a recent comment: “I really liked the trail. I took my pups for a walk. It’s a long, flat gravely trail, perfect for taking a walk. If you start on the west entry point off of Bloomsbury Rd, you'll see the train and tracks for maybe 1.5 miles, after that it's gravel and pebbles. You need a permit to go on this trail, they have a QR code posted to make it easy to complete. It a beautiful place.”

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is all about building a nation connected by trails. They reimagine public spaces to create safe ways for everyone to walk, bike and be active outdoors. On their website, the Dahlgren Trail is listed as one of the top ten trails in Virginia. To quote their website, “The rustic route stretches almost across King George County on the former Dahlgren Branch Line—an important rail line during World War II—showcasing the wildlife and natural beauty of the region along the way.”

Mid-Atlantic Gravel, Travel and Dirt: A group of dedicated bikers who created an awesome video about traveling the trail by bike. Their website explains, “In March 2019 the team at Gravel Travel & Dirt took off to the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail in King George, VA. It’s safe to say that over here at GT&D we love a good rail trail. And when that trail is natural surface it’s all the better. Natural surface trails tend to have a character and history that is all their own. The Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail in King George, VA first came on our radar several years ago. We were not disappointed.  The trail is managed by a group of dedicated, hard-working volunteers with a vision for something great.” 

We continue to try to expand parking for our trail community. The latest parking news comes from our friends at Little Ark Baptist Church. They have generously offered to allow trail users park in the back of their parking lot; from there it’s a short walk to the trail along an access driveway (about 100 yards).  The address is 15681 Owens Drive, King George VA. There are two driveways side by side; the left-hand driveway belongs to Little Ark Baptist Church, and the right side is a private residence driveway. Please do not park at the church overnight nor trespass in the private drive.
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Thank you so much for reading!

Welcome to the Dahlgren Trail October News!

Fall is coming in strong on the Dahlgren Trail! We have really have enjoyed some great events on the trail this past month, including the annual Big WOW and the King George Fall Festival 5K and 1 Mile races. A special shoutout to the King George Middle School Running Club, the “Running Warriors” and their sponsor, the KGHS DECA team and Mrs. Dee Strauss, their faculty sponsor, for their support at the Fall Festival races.

Speaking of the Big WOW, this was the last event to be sponsored at the national level by the Wilsons Disease Association. We have years and years worth of gratitude to express to Constantin Langa, his wife Nichole, and the many other family members and friends who have made this event possible!

Parking improvements are also a focus of ours in this season. Our improvement of the Indiantown Road trailhead is completed; we owe a huge thanks to the Community Foundation for funding this project, as well as Potomac Paving for their great work. The parking area now features a paved entrance and new gravel spread and sloped for better drainage and has more parking spaces. We are still working on a gravel laydown area near Owens, which is comprised of a small parcel at the junction of the trail and Owens Drive, which was donated to us by Roger Williams. Many thanks to Roger! And thanks to the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region for their financial support of this project!

Warren Veazey and Sailor (the Veazey family Great Pyranees) installed a new boardwalk across the persistent muddy spot near mile marker 2.0. This project was made possible by a grant from the Keep Virginia Beautiful 30 x 30 Annual Grant Program. The boards are set so that a work vehicle can drive over them, but our main focus is making that area of the trail more accessible for wheelchairs; accessibility is a big objective for the trail.

Planning is underway for the 2022 King George Race Series. There will be some changes in store for the 50K and HHH Half Marathon in August. We’re planning to start and finish these races at the town of Dahlgren retail/commercial area, instead of the previous starting line at the Bloomsbury Trailhead. Also, we’re hoping to include a 5th event in the series: a ten-miler encompassing the trails at Caledon State Park and the Dahlgren Trail.

Fall is a great time of year to be out, and a nice natural surface path under the trees that are changing color is an unbeatable experience. We hope to see you out there soon! ​

On September 25th, 2021, the Friends of the Dahlgren Trail and the Langa family hosted the 7th Big WOW (Walk on Wilson’s) on the DRHT. The goal of the WOW is to raise awareness for Wilson’s Disease (WD), a rare genetic disorder, and to support the WD Patient Registry for early diagnosis and treatment efforts. To learn more about WD and the WD Patient Registry please click here.

A beautiful day resulted in a wonderful family event that really showcased what the DRHT means for our community. Constantin Langa, one of the many volunteers who helped clear the trail of the rail ties over 15 years ago, was afflicted with the neurological symptoms of WD, which turned him from a very healthy and strong young man to a person who needs 24/7 assistance for daily living. To learn more about his story, please click here. The Dahlgren Trail has been used to bring awareness to our community about this debilitating disease.

For this Big WOW, our community came together once again to support this cause. The Friends of the DRHT prepared the trail and helped to ensure a smooth event. KG Fire and Rescue had an ambulance on standby and for tours. This was a particularly fun activity for the children as the EMT staff let them see the inside of the ambulance. The main event, a walk down the beautiful trail, kicked off with an endearing speech by Nichole Langa, Constantin’s Langa’s wife, and a group picture.

The attendees, including Constantin Langa riding in an off road chariot courtesy of Ainsley’s Angels of America, took a walk down the trail. As the sun beams were bursting through the trees, the signs along the trail with facts about WD and the laughter of friends and family, created a fantastic reminder of the impact that the DRHT has had on bringing our community together.

Since 2015, and in its 7th year of hosting the Big WOW, the DRHT has provided a venue for helping raise awareness of WD and bringing our community together. A BIG THANK YOU goes to the Friends of the DRHT, David Brinkley (who attended and is the owner of the trail), KG Fire and Rescue, the Langa Family, and all the attendees. Without these wonderful people the Big WOW wouldn’t be what it was, an event that illustrates the power of love and community.

Welcome to August on the Dahlgren Trail! We're so excited to tell you about our big events from a couple weekends ago!

We've been conducting the 50K race on the Dahlgren Trail since 2009. That first year we had 53 runners. The following winter, a half marathon event was added, which attracted 88 runners. Later in 2016, we decided to add a coinciding half marathon to the August 50K, and it became very popular. Since that time, the total number of participants for both races has historically been about 100-120. Fast forward to this year - numbers were the highest ever in both races and for the combined total of 176! While the numbers are proof of the event popularity, we particularly enjoy hearing about participant's fondness for the trail. We have received many compliments, including, “great trail,” “well maintained,” and “thanks for providing this great opportunity to enjoy this area.” These types of comments make our work worth it!

We can't say enough about our race directors – both current and past. After many years of establishing great events and a great reputation for our trail, Vic Culp turned the reins over to Arsenal Events, Kristen and Ken Loescher. They're doing a great job for the running community overall, and we are their biggest fans. They're continuing the tradition of great races on a great trail, and we couldn’t be more thankful! Runners also can't say enough about the event volunteers. In the words of one Arsenal Events staff member, “I have never heard so many complements after a race.” Thanks to our aid station volunteer teams led by Paula Van Alstine, Rod Schlemm, Jim and Elizabeth Buckley, and the King George Cross Country team!  These volunteers provided positive energy on the course, giving the runners a boost! Special thanks to the Chief Petty Officers from Dahlgren for their help with parking and hamburger-flipping, and the King George Amateur Radio Organization for providing vital safety support. Our volunteer and maintenance coordinator, Warren Veazey, makes sure the trail is ready to go and the volunteers are well equipped – we wouldn’t be here without you, Warren! Last but not least, we express appreciation to the race sponsors: Exit Realty in King George, and Anytime Fitness in Dahlgren. Anytime Fitness provided some amazing volunteers too! 

50K Winners: Natalie Daniels from Fredericksburg won the women’s category in 3:53:55. For men, Alex Hetherington from Vienna finished in 3:41:21. Alex has entered and won the race several times in the past. Natalie is the Assistant Cross-Country coach at KGHS and not only won the women's division, but was second overall!  We were pleased to see Steve Desantis from Alexandria, who has completed every one of the 13 races.

HHH Half Marathon Winners: Colby Miller from Henrico was first in 1:20:36 for the men.  For the women, Rebecca Ivester from Fredericksburg won in 1:39:57. Congratulations to everyone who participated! Click here to find the full race results!

Mark your calendar for next year’s HHH Half Marathon and 50K, to be held on August 6th.

Please consider supporting us with your purchases on Amazon. Here's how it works: Go to www.smile.amazon.com and use the "AmazonSmile" tab on the left to choose our charity profile: Friends of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail. That's it! There is no cost to you, and 0.5% of your eligible purchases will be donated to us so that we can continue to improve the trail for everyone, all year round.
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We’d also like to thank the National Park Service; we've been working with them to develop a Master Plan for the trail.  The effort has been hobbled by the COVID pandemic, so we've extended the work for another year. The Master Plan will represent the vision for the long term development of the trail. We depend greatly on what you, our trail users, would like it to be. Please don't hesitate to forward your thoughts using our comment form, here.

We hope to see all of you on the trail.  Fall is coming and a great time to get out there for a hike or a bike ride!

Keep Virginia Beautiful will award its annual “Green Grants” each day during the month of June.  Friends of the Dahlgren Trail, in King George Virginia, received a grant award of $750 for its Community Beautification project. 

Government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for Keep Virginia Beautiful "Green Grants," and were asked to describe how they plan to tackle an environmental concern in their community regarding Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.
 
A special focus of the "Green Grants" this year is to support diverse groups and underserved populations by adding five additional grant awards, for a total of thirty-five awards. There are areas on the Dahlgren Trail that need raised bridges or boardwalks to ensure safe and equitable access for those with limited mobility. Funds from the Green Grant will be used to build a raised boardwalk in a chronically muddy and sometimes impassable section of the trail. The particular area to be improved is located at approximately mile 1.9, which is one of the most commonly visited and used sections of the Dahlgren Trail, near the trailhead.
 
The mission at Keep Virginia Beautiful is to engage and unite Virginians to improve the natural and scenic environment.  Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided $254,500 for 320 different environmental programs and projects all across the Commonwealth, due to the generosity of their partnership with Altria, as well as additional support from Coca-Cola, WestRock and Keep America Beautiful.