more stats
6.4 miles
Distance
834 ft
Climb
-840 ft
Descent
01:16:30
Avg time
-7 ft
Altitude change
124 ft
Altitude min
263 ft
Altitude max
131 ft
Altitude start
125 ft
Altitude end
-0%
Grade
-20%
Grade max
25.6%
Grade min
3 miles
Distance climb
3 miles
Distance down
5,049 ft
Distance flat
01:16:30
Avg time

Black Loop Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • E-Bike
  • Riding Area
    Fountainhead Regional Park
    Fairfax Station, Virginia
  • Difficulty Rating
  • Voted Difficulty
    Double Black Diamond (3 votes)
  • Local Popularity
    85 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 95 in E-Biking
  • Global Ranking
    #23500 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #2957 in E-Biking
  • State Ranking
    #140 in Mountain Biking · Virginia [+]
    • #5 in E-Biking
  • Blaze Color
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Direction
    One Direction
    Popular Direction Shown
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Moderate
  • eBike Allowed
    Yes up to Class 1
  • TTFs on Trail
    A-Frame, Berm, Bridge, Drop, Jump, Log Ride, Rock Garden, Skinny
  • Land Owner
    NOVA Parks

This is the hardest of the loops at Fountainhead. The trail is mostly more of a harder blue with several obstacles that really earn the black diamond rating. The start doesn't hold back with a hard rock climb from the blue trail. From there it eases off for a while. You'll have real fun flowy sections with short climbs and man-made rock gardens thrown in for good measure.
Later in the trail is when it starts to get real. I think it was around mile marker 6, that the drops start. While some of them are small and could be done by most intermediate riders, they get bigger as they go. I think the biggest is about a 6 foot vertical drop. So if you don't feel confident on medium/large drops, you'll want to scope them first. If you are comfortable, then most are pretty mellow, however one has a short landing that took me by surprise. So don't just bomb off them.
After the drop section there's a few more gnar parts, including one pretty rowdy rock garden. When you hit the little A-frame wooden features, you're coming up to it. Just know, it's going to get rocky and chunky.
The end of the trail has an easy and harder route, with the harder ending in a fun and wild decent with rocks and drops everywhere.
If you're an intermediate looking for some harder terrain, give this a go. You can easily go around the hard sections and the rest of the trail is pretty much a blue. Just keep in mind the full loop is around 12 miles.

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 2 rides
  • 14 miles average
6 Months
  • 94 rides
  • 13 miles avg distance
All
  • 632 rides
  • Last: Oct 18, 2026
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Black Loop Trail Reports

statusdatedescription
Oct 3, 2026 @ 12:39pm (America/New_York)
Oct 3, 2026
reporter Major erosion forming where people are avoiding the drop in the turn. The hillside below also needs some drainage work.
Sep 26, 2026 @ 12:56pm (America/New_York)
Sep 26, 2026
reporter Small tree down across trail, can ride over or around
Sep 2, 2026 @ 12:43pm (America/New_York)
Sep 2, 2026
reporter Large tree down across trail, blocking trail
Aug 19, 2026 @ 5:03pm (America/New_York)
Aug 19, 2026
Tree down blocking trail. Ride around to left
Jul 24, 2026 @ 3:36pm (America/New_York)
Jul 24, 2026
reporter
more »
Status:
on Oct 3, 2026
Avg: 4.5 (20 votes)
Your vote: 0

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      Directions to black-loop-40876 trailhead (38.718060, -77.324590)

      Photos

      211 more »
      mtb
      74 |
      Apr 12, 2026 @ 5:15pm
      Apr 12, 2026
      mtb
      76 |
      Apr 12, 2026 @ 5:08pm
      Apr 12, 2026
      mtb
      78 |
      Apr 12, 2026 @ 4:52pm
      Apr 12, 2026
      mtb
      81 |
      Apr 12, 2026 @ 4:52pm
      Apr 12, 2026

      Videos

      4 more »
      Fountainhead Black Trails | Part Two
      mtb
      40:32 | 556 | Jul 27, 2022 , Fairfax Station
      Fountainhead Feb 12 2022
      mtb
      16:21 | 591 | May 4, 2022 , Fairfax Station
      Fountainhead Black Trail // VA MTB
      mtb
      7:59 | 1303 | Aug 16, 2020 , Fairfax Station
      Just the drops on FH Black non GoPro views
      mtb
      0:16 | 373 | May 27, 2021 , Fairfax Station

      Trail Lists

      Routes with this trail

      ★ 4.0 • 12 miles • 1,504 ft • 17 • Loop •
      ★ 2.0 • 12 miles • 1,324 ft • 6 • Loop •
      FH Full Pull of the Green, Blue, & Black loops.
      4.7 ★★★★★
      20 Ratings
      5 ★ 70%
      4 ★ 25%
      3 ★ 5%
      2 ★
      1 ★

      4 Reviews & Comments

      Tavenator
      Don't be put off by the intro climb as you enter, hike-a-bike if you have to. It is not at all indicative of the rest of the trail. Every feature has an easy line so after the initial climb its quite easy to skip what you are not prepared for. Worth noting that a few of the flowy sections do have some "surprise" drops but they aren't big and only the smallest of them actually caught me by surprise while I was at speed. The main features in this area are drops. That's def the theme. I'm not amazing at hitting drops yet so I cannot comment on their quality but there are tooooons of them ranging from small to huge. If you are really into drops this might be the trail for you. If you have 0 interest in drops this one is mostly skipable as the hike-a-bike entry is simply not worth the flow you would find. The blue and green trails are muuuuuuuuch flowier.
      toddenlinger toddenlinger
      trail meanders unnecessarily in and out of ravines. its got miles, too many miles. its got a few fast, flowy, featured sections but way too much pedaling in between them. the landings on the drops are not steep enough (there is only one speed and thus a short landing zone...please then make the landings steep). i was not impressed with this or the few other trails i rode at fountainhead. i preferred the trails at locust shade instead.
      MaxCatMDWV MaxCatMDWV
      Bridge B8 is down hard near MM7.5 due to tree fall. Ride around detour to the right requiring Blue skills. Park staff and MORE trail liaisons are aware and working on resolution. No immediate plans for rebuild ($).

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      Frequently Asked Questions

      ▼ Where is Black Loop located?
      Black Loop is located in Fountainhead Regional Park, Fairfax Station, Virginia, United States. It is part of the Fountainhead Regional Park trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 38.71806, -77.32459.
      ▼ How hard is Black Loop?
      Black Loop is rated as Black Diamond difficulty. The physical rating is Moderate. The climb difficulty is rated Blue.
      ▼ What is the elevation gain for Black Loop?
      Black Loop has 834 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 840 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 124 ft to 263 ft.
      ▼ Is Black Loop a point to point trail?
      Yes, Black Loop is a point to point trail. The direction is One Direction. The trail type is singletrack.
      ▼ How long is Black Loop?
      Black Loop is 6.4 miles long. The trail type is singletrack.
      ▼ Are dogs allowed on Black Loop?
      There is no information about dogs being allowed on Black Loop. Check with local trail managers or the trail page for the latest access rules.
      ▼ When is the best time of year to ride Black Loop?
      Based on activity log data, the most popular months to ride Black Loop are:
      • October (40 activities)
      • April (39 activities)
      • November (39 activities)
      Check the reports page for current trail conditions.
      ▼ How do I access Black Loop? Where is the closest parking trailhead?
      The closest parking and trailhead locations to Black Loop are: View all parking locations in the area.
      ▼ How long does it take to ride Black Loop?
      Based on recorded activities, it takes an average of 1 hour 17 minutes to ride Black Loop. The trail is 6.4 miles long. Actual times will vary based on fitness level, conditions, and pace. View recent activity logs for more details.
      ▼ How busy is Black Loop?
      Black Loop is a very popular trail. There have been 3,410 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 3,508 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

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