This turtle in the wetland plants of Little Hunting Creek is an example of the wildlife people may see from the overlook.
The Gum Springs community will have a new pedestrian and bicycle trail to Little Hunting Creek if the Fairfax County Park Authority’s (FCPA) plans proceed as outlined in a Jan. 13 public meeting.
The paved, 642-foot trail will be six feet wide and extend from the 23-acre, Mount Vernon-area Martin Luther King Jr. Park parking lot to the creek and wetland. The park is bordered on the south by Little Hunting Creek, a freshwater, tidal creek and wetland with headwaters in Huntley Meadows Park. The creek flows under U.S. 1 southeast to the Potomac River and experiences tidal effects two to three miles upstream from the river.
Around 44 percent of the park is developed with a baseball field, swimming pool, playground and tennis courts. The remaining areas have upland forests, a floodplain forest and several freshwater tidal wetland communities, according to FCPA.
At the meeting of 30 in-person and 12 online, park staffers presented preliminary trail design plans which will end with an eight-foot-wide boardwalk, a ten-by-twelve-foot observation platform overlooking the creek and interpretive signage.
Responding to a question, staff said there are no final decisions on lighting. Betsy Martin, president of the Friends of Little Hunting Creek, discouraged lighting because it “interferes with wildlife.”
Asked how trash and discarded fishing line will be managed, the staffers said that the county may install signs and invited recommendations. Since 2002, Friends of Little Hunting Creek (FOLHC) has conducted annual trash cleanups in the creek, typically collecting items like plastic bottles, tires and shopping carts.
Responding to Hollin Hall resident Dorothy Keogh on her fishing line concerns, one official said that fishing will not be allowed and that the platform will not be “at the water’s edge.”
The Park Authority surveyed 99 trees greater than six inches in diameter within 50 feet of the trail centerline and removed one damaged by a storm. According to Andrew Grabel, Public Information Officer, “While some brush and small growth may be removed, we do not anticipate that any other trees greater than six inches will need to be.”
A Different Name?
Linda Hollis, a descendant of West Ford, Gum Springs community’s founder, asked if the trail could be named for Ford, since it might be on land he owned. FCPA will consider that suggestion, staff said.
Queenie Cox asked if the trail will have public access points other than the design’s entrance, such as backyards. FCPA’s Section Manager Tom McFarland answered that the design has “the connection from the parking lot only.” Cox is the Lead Advisor for the Gum Springs Homeowners Organization.
Asked to comment on the trail’s importance, Cox said, “Water access from MLK Park to Little Hunting Creek and a recreational trail are important to Gum Springs because it protects and preserves natural spaces, encourages healthy outdoor activities, educates people to local history and fulfills a longstanding commitment made by Fairfax County to the Gum Springs community more than four decades ago.”
She clarified that the county’s committed to develop the Little Hunting Creek Stream Valley Park as “part of the approved 1979 Gum Springs Neighborhood Improvement Program and budgeted for $160,000.”
Schedule, Funds
Trail planning began in 2022, project manager Ken Trinh explained and FCPA held a public meeting in November 2023. FCPA is now preparing the final design, determining the total cost and securing funding and will seek permits and construction bids.
The start of construction depends on permitting, weather and seasonal permit restrictions, according to Grabel. Permitting could take a year or more.
Site Surveys
The archaeology report says, “Artifacts recovered from the fill horizon included primarily post 1907/1910 automatic bottle machine glass shards, several hard paste porcelain ceramic and tile shards and a few quartz and quartzite flakes. Only one post-1910 bottle glass shard was recovered … and one rhyolite flake … No new archeological sites were recorded.” The report recommends more archeological testing.
A 2023 survey documents multiple plant species in the area, like white oaks, sweetgums, winterberry shrubs, silky dogwood and wetland plants like pickerelweed and bulrush and one rare plant.
“Even though Little Hunting Creek runs through residential neighborhoods, there is very little public access, almost no place where people can sit and look at the water and watch wildlife. We think the creek should provide recreation and respite for all and the FOLHC has worked to improve access from nearby neighborhoods," Martin emailed.
FCPA is accepting public comments until February 13 at Parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov or at https://engage.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcpa-mlkjr.