The 66 Parallel Trail runs for approximately 20 miles from Centrevillle to Dunn Loring generally on the north side of I-66. The following information is meant to help users access the trail, navigate gaps and prepare for conditions along the way. For orientation purposes, directions below are generally given west to east.

There are more than a dozen locations to access the 66 Parallel Trail, connecting neighborhoods, parks, retail and transit centers, with additional, smaller spurs connecting even more communities along the route. 

1. 

   Connections from the Route 28/I-66 interchange in Centreville, including Braddock Road, Walney Road and Route 29
2. Audrey Drive (Cabells Mill neighborhood, Centreville) 
3. Veronica Road (Cabells Mill neighborhood, Centreville) 
4. The Stringfellow Road Park & Ride Lot (Fairfax)
5. Fair Lakes Shopping Center (behind Walmart to the Fairfax County Parkway) 
6. East Market Shopping Center (off-trail by Whole Foods, the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, Monument Garage, Fairfax Corner)
7. Fairfax Farms Road (parallel roadway to US 50 WB)
8. Waples Mill Road (NE Quadrant of US 50 Interchange) 
9. Phoenix Drive (provides access to Jermantown Road)
10. Route 123 from Oakton and Fairfax City (use the light on the Chain Bridge Service Road/north of Eaton Place at the Moose Lodge to connect)
11. Bushman Drive, Oakton
12. Platten Drive, Oakton
13. Blake Lane/Sutton Road/Country Creek Road/Virginia Center Boulevard, the trail uses neighborhood roads by Oakton High School and the Vienna Metrorail Station
14. Connection to Yeonas Drive (west of Southside Park)
15. Cedar Lane, Vienna
16. Gallows Road, across from the Dunn Loring Metrorail Station

The Parallel Trail generally was built next to the highway by VDOT with the I-66 Express Lanes. You can experience engineering and design feats (especially tunnels, switchbacks, and nature) and at the interchanges of I-66 and US 50 and I-66 and Route 123. However, there are points where the trail veers away from the highway:

• East Market Shopping Center/Fairfax Corner – The trail exits off I-66 at the Fairfax County Parkway and follows Fair Lakes Circle past Kohl’s and Whole Foods, turns on to Fair Lakes Parkway and then crosses over I-66 on West Ox Road. The trail loosely follows the highway via a combination of sidewalks, shared use paths and sharrows (lanes shared by vehicles and bicycles) on Post Forest Drive and Random Hills Road, taking you by the Monument Drive Commuter Parking Garage and Transit Center as well as Fairfax Corner. 
   
• Random Hills Park – This section of trail is slated to be built by the Fairfax County Park Authority, but currently should be considered a “gap” in the trail. Kind Samaritans have provided directional signage to help travelers navigate across Random Hills Road between the park and the townhome community. Please note the final stretch before the paved trail begins again is a short dirt  that will require you to dismount briefly. Construction has begun on this section of Random Hills, and the shared use path should be completed in 2026.
   
• Oakton High School to the Vienna Metro – The trail rejoins street level at Blake Lane, which you will cross to pass Oakton High School on Sutton Road. In front of the school, turn right on Country Creek Road and experience Fairfax County’s only protected two-way cycletrack that is shared with passengers boarding buses (please yield to transit users). The bike lanes continue past the Vienna Metro Station where access back to the 66 Parallel Trail resumes. 

For the recreational rider, the 66 Parallel Trail opens up many new options to navigate through Fairfax County without a car. The new 10’ path guarantees a very smooth and comfortable ride, with minimal bumps through the tunnels. There are notable changes in elevation when the path goes above the highway, as well as at the end of the trail in Centreville and up to Gallows Road in Dunn Loring.

The trail is separated by 4’ concrete jersey walls when it is at the same elevation as the highway. At certain points the trail will dip behind the sound barrier, but at road level, you can see, hear and feel the Interstate traffic going by as you are riding. There are definitely less stressful trails available in Northern Virginia for more recreational use. But if you are seeking an east-west route, interesting views and scenery, the 66 Parallel Trail might be the option for you.

If you don’t have a bike, there are Capital Bikeshare Stations at the Vienna and Dunn Loring Metrorail Stations, giving travelers another way to complete their journey without using a car.

From the end of the 66 Parallel Trail, bikers can connect to the W&OD Trail via Gallows Road to continue their journey into Arlington, and find further connections into DC.

Expansion of the trail west into Prince William County is the goal, but is dependent on funding from that jurisdiction.

For further information about the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project, please visit VDOT's project details page, which includes details about design and plans, noise walls, descriptions of each section of the project, other nearby trail projects and an interactive map that will help provide background information .    

Please submit requests for trail maintenance (litter and potholes) to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) via their online customer portal at https://my.vdot.virginia.gov/ or call 1-800-367-7623 (1-800-FOR-ROAD). 

For non-maintenance requests or inquiries regarding the 66 Parallel Trail, contact the Fairfax County Department of Transportation Active Transportation Team.