Prince William County Leaders Break Ground on Featherstone Trail Project

This morning, leaders from Prince William County gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the construction of the new Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge Trail Segment coming to Woodbridge. The new pedestrian trail will be approximately one mile consisting of natural surface trails, wetland boardwalk and two pedestrian bridges that will traverse protected landscape inhabited by protected plant and animal species. The trail will become part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail which stretches from the mouth of the Potomac River at the Chesapeake Bay to the Allegheny Highlands in Pennsylvania. Currently 20 miles of the PHNST extends through Prince William County.

“I am very pleased to be here today to break ground on another segment of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail that furthers cements the County’s commitment to building our trail network and meeting community demand as trails continue to be one of the highest-ranking recreation priorities for residents,” said Woodbridge District Supervisor, Margaret Franklin.

The key segment through the Featherstone Wildlife Refuge will complete the connection between Leesylvania State Park to Belmont Bay and follows the recent dedication of the segment through the Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge north of Veterans Memorial Park. 

Janet Bartnik, deputy director of Prince William County Parks and Recreation kicked off this morning’s ceremony by recognizing and thanking all those involved with the project from Parks and Recreation staff to valued partners who were in attendance, including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Virginia Department of Transportation, National Park Service, Prince Wiliam County Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Trails and Blueways Council.

“The project has been 9 years in the making due to careful planning and coordination required with our state and national partners,” said Bartnik. “This project represents the strong collaborative efforts for which our community is known.”

The trail is scheduled to be completed in October 2025.

To view photos from today’s groundbreaking ceremony, please visit our Facebook page.