Reston lays claim to over 55 miles of winding pathways that make it a very walkable community. All of the paths are multi-use, and walkers, runners, bikers, and wheelchair users use them on a regular basis. According to a Reston Association survey, residents voted the paths as the most popular amenity in the community. Reston’s 133 individual neighborhood clusters come together with the pathways.
Some paths have exercise stations equipped with pull-up bars or sit-up benches, giving you an opportunity to make your workout more than a walk or run. Others twist and turn around natural beauty, such as Reston’s 4 man-made lakes. Local organizations, such as the Reston Runners take advantage of this setting and frequently hold running events on the paths.
The pathways are assigned a color and are marked with color-coded waypoints, as shown by the nearby map of the Blue Trail. The 5 trails that make up the network are:
- Green Trail: Town Center to Lake Anne
- Red Trail: Lake Thoreau Loop
- Pink Trail: North Point Loop
- Turquoise Trail: South Lakes Village Center to Hunters Woods Village Center
- Blue Trail: Tall Oaks to Lake Anne to North Point
Some gaps exist in the network, but organizations such as the Pedestrian and Bicycling Advisory Committee are working to extend the system to make Reston more accessible for walking and biking. The Committee is also working on adding more entry points to the W O & D trail, which also winds through Reston.
Whatever the use, the paths play a vital role in bringing the neighborhood clusters together. They also encourage residents to turn a shopping trip to the retail communities dotted around Reston into a walk. The pathways make it easy to walk to a broad range of stores, including Trader Joes and the shops of Reston Town Center, where you can dinner, a movie, or just sit by the fountains to do a little people watching on a summer night.
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