The Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) is a trail that follows an old railroad bed in King George County, Virginia. The railroad line was built by the federal government during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

to serve a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

base in Dahlgren; the line was later sold to the

Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. The track is now the RF&P Subdivision of the CSX Transportation system; the original corporation is no longer a railroad comp ...

and subsequently CSX Transportation before being abandoned. The DRHT is a trail from the western edge of King George County to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division. Intended for use as a public "Rails-to-Trails" project, the trail winds through rural King George and accommodates non-motorized, recreational users including hikers, bikers,

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

back riders, and runners. The trail opened with a

ribbon-cutting ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

on June 6, 2006. In 2018 the trail's owner, David Brickley, and the volunteer Friends of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail signed an agreement making the trail part of King George County’s park system while still owned by Brickley and maintained by the friends group. The County continues to support Virginia’s acquisition of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail and have it connected as a linear trail extension of Caledon State Park. The Dahlgren Trail has been designated a National Recreation Trail and part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.

References

External links

Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail website
{{coord missing, Virginia Rail trails in Virginia Protected areas of King George County, Virginia Heritage trails