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Fraser Preserve
 

Fraser Preserve
Fraser Preserve © TNC
 
Gray Tree Frog
Gray Tree Frog © Steven Q. Croy

Why You Should Visit
The Fraser Preserve boasts about 110 species of birds, including the bald eagle, and 300 varieties of wildflowers. A short hike offers glimpses of the many natural habitats found in the Piedmont region, including clear fast streams, lush cold-spring swamp, marsh, mature hardwood forests, open meadow, ponds, river and stream floodplain forests and thickets, steep rocky bluffs, springs and seeps, and various stages of old field succession. The terrain slopes toward the Potomac River, which forms the northern boundary of the preserve.

Location
Fairfax County

Hours
Daily dawn to dusk

Size
220 acres

Conditions
There is a total of about 2.25 miles of walking trails within the preserve, and there are also several opportunities for loop walks. In addition, paths within the preserve connect on both the east and west sides with public paths on land owned by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Visitors desiring a lengthier hike may wish to utilize the NVRPA trails in conjunction with the preserve paths.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
For information, contact the Virginia State Office:  (434) 295-6106 . Please review Preserve Visitation Guidelines.

Trail Map
Download a trail map of Fraser Preserve (pdf, 109KB). 

Note about Parking
A gate has been re-installed at the entrance to the gravel road heading into the preserve. Visitors and volunteers should park on Springvale Road, or Allenwood Lane, making sure to not block the road or gate. The gravel entrance road is now part of the trail and will add 0.6 miles to your hike.

Directions
From Interstate 495: 

  • Take Georgetown Pike (Route 193) approximately six miles to Springvale Road (Route 674) 
  • Turn right on Route 674 and continue to the intersection with Route 603 (look for a restaurant - Chez Francais - on your left.) 
  • Turn left onto Route 603 for about 20 yards, then turn right on Route 755. 
  • Continue for about a half-mile to the preserve entrance, which is gated. The road into the parking lot serves both the Conservancy and the Calvary Baptist Church. From the parking lot one path leads east, the other west.

What to See: Animals
Among the mammals known to live here are the mole, eastern chipmunk, gray squirrel, woodchuck, skunk, raccoon, whitetailed deer, fox, and beaver. Several species of turtle found here, including the wood turtle, usually live farther north.

There are many amphibian species present, including the southern leopard frog, spring peeper, gray tree frog, American toad, two-lined salamander and northern red-backed salamander.

The Fraser Preserve has about 110 species of birds, including 39 nesting species and the bald eagle. Among the nesting birds are the red-shouldered hawk, ruby-throated hummingbird, downy woodpecker, scarlet tanager, and blue-gray gnatcatcher.

What to See: Plants
The tremendous variety of wildflowers at Fraser may be directly attributed to its diverse habitats. About 300 species of wildflowers have been identified in the preserve; of special interest are the following unusual or rare species: purple cress, marsh marigold, purple fringeless orchis, false (white) hellebore, and poison hemlock.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Fraser Preserve was acquired in 1975, as a gift from Mrs. George (Bernice) Fraser. Originally inhabited by members of the Anacostan, Piscataway and Tauxenent tribes, the bottomlands along Fraser's river border have yielded many Indian arrowheads, pottery shards and stone weirs (dams used in taking fish from the Potomac). These historic sites were studied extensively by American University, and the artifacts discovered are displayed in their museum.

The area now known as Fraser Preserve was once part of a tract of five million acres granted by King Charles I in 1649 to seven nobleman friends. In 1710, the land was passed on to the Fairfax family and eventually to Thomas Lee, the first of the famous Virginia Lees. Wheat farming prevailed in the area from about 1790 to 1840, and it is likely that the tract was farmed until post-World War I times when agriculture declined in Fairfax County.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
Mrs. Fraser also donated a small inholding within the preserve to the Calvary Baptist Church. No boundaries delineate the two properties. The Conservancy and the Calvary Baptist Church share the common goal of maintaining Fraser Preserve in its natural state.