Bluebell Trail — Attraction in Manassas Park

TLDR: park at Atlantis Waterpark, wear hiking boots or shoes you don’t mind getting muddy, consider long pants, check the weather, enjoy the gorgeous bluebells (with your eyes, not your hands), leashed dogs welcome

As part of the floodplain forest (where bluebells thrive), it was pretty muddy. I’m glad I wore hiking boots! Bluebell Trail parking is at Atlantis Waterpark. I set the Bluebell Trail as my driving destination thinking that it would put me closer to the trail, but I ended up at a shooting club because Google tried to send me down a road that was closed. I met a family that said they had been looking for the trail all day! I spoke with one of the workers who directed us to go back out to the road and go left at the T and then the next left. If you enter Atlantis Waterpark into Google from the Shooting Club, it will try to send you down the closed road. There was no entry fee to enter the park near the Shooting club, but the booth attendant at the park entrance to get to the Atlantis Waterpark asked me where I lived but then waived me through. I think if you’re a resident or Fairfax County or the surrounding counties, there’s no entrance fee.

Once you park at Atlantis Waterpark, walk back down the road you just drive in on. You’ll have to cross the road to get to the trail—it’s on the opposite side from the frisbee park. The entrance has a little fence thing, which was apparently Christopher Wear’s Eagle Scout Project. Thank you, Christopher for making the entrance easier to find!

It’s a lovely trail but because I got a late start and spent time trying to find it, I only got to see a short bit of it before turning back to avoid the rain. I arrived at the trail around 6:15ish in the evening and there were a lot of gnats out in full force. If bugs gross you out, consider wearing long pants / sleeves.

I’m not sure if it tends to rain more there as it is part of the floodplain forest, but it started to rain shortly after I arrived. Next time I’ll try to remember to check the weather. I really liked the short bit that I did see and hope to...

Unfortunately I wasn't here when the Bluebells were in peak, but it was still a good hike with pretty scenery. The trails are wide enough for hiking but can get a little muddy in places. There are wooden platforms over the swampiest areas. You can see the stream for long stretches of the hike and there are also some wide open places. Along the way there are a few park benches if you want to rest. I was a bit disappointed since I didn't see the Bluebells but I'm still going to give the park 5 stars since I've seen pictures of the Bluebells in bloom and they're really phenomenal, plus the hike is still good with or without them. My advice if you're going to go is to look up when they'll be in bloom...

A pretty trail and super muddy after an April rain. Sneakers and boots were coated in mud on their bottom 1/3 with pants ends also splattered.

Many people joined the trail as noon approached and had to step aside multiple times to allow passage. More than 35 people seemed to be on the trail at the same time, nearly all unmasked.

The trail has boarded paths just wide enough for two people that alternate with wider dirt pathways. There are a couple of areas where stepping over logs might be necessary and the trail is within earshot of the shooting range, so there were occasional bangs in the distance.

Highly recommend for pictures of the bluebell flowers in the spring and...