Black Loop Mountain Biking Trail

more stats

6.4 miles

Distance

834 ft

Climb

-840 ft

Descent

01:14:29

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

01:14:29

Avg time

Black Loop Details

Activities
- Mountain Bike
- E-Bike
Riding Area

Fountainhead Regional Park
Fairfax Station, Virginia
Difficulty Rating

Black Diamond Rate
Voted Difficulty

Double Black Diamond (3 votes)
Local Popularity
85 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 90 in E-Biking
Global Ranking

#4739 in Mountain 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

Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts (MORE)
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Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Manahoac

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week

0 rides

6 Months

82 rides
21.5 km avg distance

All

590 rides
Last: May 31, 2026

c1	c2	c3	c4
January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September	October	November	December

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Black Loop Trail Reports

status	date	description
	Jun 27, 2026 @ 10:38am (America/New_York) Jun 27, 2026	reporter Small tree down across trail, can ride over or around
	Jun 4, 2026 @ 5:00pm (America/New_York) Jun 4, 2026	reporter
	May 31, 2026 @ 4:28am (America/New_York) May 31, 2026	reporter Small tree down across trail, can ride over or around Middle of Jump Line
	May 9, 2026 @ 5:59pm (America/New_York) May 9, 2026
	Apr 7, 2026 @ 6:45pm (America/New_York) Apr 7, 2026