Belvoir Mansion Historic Area - Home of Colonel William Fairfax - Established 1741

Welcome to the site of Belvoir, one of the earliest plantations in Northern Virginia established by the Fairfax family.  Signs along the trail begin one eighth of a mile fom the parking area and describe 18th century life on the plantation, use of the several outbuildings and activities at Belvoir.  the site and the Fairfax family graves were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1973.

A branch of this trail leads along the bluffs of the Potomac River.  Signs along the Potomac View Trail explain life in the area before and after the Fairfax family occupation, dating from the earliest use of the property by Native Americans to the establishment of the Army Post.

You will park at the Fairfax Village Neighborhood Center.  There are designated spaces reserved for Historic Trail parking only. 

This historic site and natural area is open to the public all year.  However, it is closed during hours of darkness.  Please tread softly and STAY ON THE TRAIL.  This area is managed by the US Army Garrison Fort Belvoir - Environmental and Natural Resource Division (703-806-4007).

There are no trash receptacles available along the trails.  Please carry out your own trash.  To allow for the continued enjoyment by all visitors, please do not remove any natural or historic objects from the area.  Pets enjoy a walk through the woods.  Unfortunately, they can get over excited if not controlled, subsequently scaring wildlife, trampling vegetation or perhaps getting lost or injured.  Please keep all pets on a leash to prevent harm to them or the area ans please clean up after your pet.

Please read the signs at the start of the trail and adhere to all policies posted. 

VIOLATORS SUBJECT TO PROSECUTION.

LOG REQUIREMENTS:

Stage 1. At the posted coordinates, you will find an informational sign for Belvoir.  On the sign, you will see a rendering of the mansion circa 1972.  In the bottom right corner of the sign, will be pictures of three artifacts recoverd from Belvoir.  the password is the largest item.  Use the caption for the photo (lowercase, no spaces) as the LOG PASSWORD.

Stage 2. Photo of you and / or your GPS at the Fairfax Grave (see additional waypoint).

In order to log a find, you need to have visited the spots indicated.

The Belvoir Mansion and Fairfax Grave sites are located on Fort Belvoir, a controlled access US Army installation. It is possible, however, to  enter through the Tully Gate by simply showing a drivers license.

Visitors who wish to enter Fort Belvoir and do not have a Department of Defense ID  must use Tulley Gate. Simply drive to the checkpoint, as directed, and show a valid state driver's license. The Visitor Processing Operations Center (VPOC) is located at Tulley Gate (just north of Route One and VA 7100).  For current information, call the VPOC at (703) 806-4892 or visit their web page.

CAUTION: While on post, be sure to strictly abide by the speed limits.  You can not rely on the same sort of buffer you might otherwise enjoy.  Also note that you must use a hands free device for your cell phone while driving on post.

If you'd like to plan to meet up, drop me a note and I'll see if we can work it out.

For further information see Wikipedia or Fort Belvoir's webiste.

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