Locust Shade Park was an underutilized park in the southern portion of Prince William County in VA, with approximately 2 miles of trails, including a power line loop and two connector trails blazed red. The Red trail was an unsustainable fall line trail with drastic elevation changes and erosion issues. In 2017 MORE volunteers began working with Prince William County to flag two advanced trails, a beginner trail and an intermediate corridor. The lower advanced trail, the Col du Shade, was completed in the summer of 2020. While the Col was under construction, volunteers flagged and cleared the corridor for a new beginner trail, Bolitas. This trail was opened in late 2020. At the same time MORE volunteers flagged and cleared an additional three miles for an intermediate corridor and a new upper advanced MTB trail, 95th Street. The cleared corridor has been opened and rideable since December 2020. The new advanced trail, 95th Street officially open in October 2020. Overall there are nearly 7 miles of single track trails at Locust Shade, 5 of those are multi-use and 2 are bike specific (1 mile directional). Both the bike only trail, the Col Du Shade and 95th Street, have multiple wood features. (5th Street has progressive drops, skinnies, a wall ride and a super found step down, the canon. The proximity of 95th St. to the parking area has made it a popular destination trail to session and hone your bike handling skills. Additional info about the trails at Locust Shade can be found on MORE's Website and on the Locust Shade Project on Facebook.
There are trails for every skill level at Locust Shade. One of the funnest is 95th St. 95th St. has multiple progressive features that allow riders to practice their skills over and over. Beyond that, there are nearly 5 miles of multi-use trails and one more bike specific, and demanding trail, the Col Du Shade. The Col has tight and twisty single track, two intermediate features, one brutal (short) climb, and a great bench cut along the side of a steep hill. The only thing missing at Locust Shade (4.5 rating) are trail blazes. While the builders have put together a nice map, it is sometimes difficult to figure out where you are on the trail. The park is small and framed by three major roadways so you really can't get lost here... Totally worth a trip to this little gem in Prince William County.
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