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Visit Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia

It’s remarkable to think about, but you can find a great deal of wildlife not far from our nation’s capital, at Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge. It’s notable for becoming (in 1969) the nation’s first reserve dedicated to protecting bald eagles. The several nature trails here make for a worthwhile half-day trip.

Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge Hours and Parking

The refuge trails and parking lots are open year-round and always open at 0700. From April 1 – September 30, they’ll close at 1900. From October 1 – March 31, they’ll close at 1700.

Plants and Animals

Here you’ll find more than 200 bird species, over 200 plant species, 31 mammal species, and 40 reptile and amphibian species.

There are ticks in the area, so be sure to wear long pants and sleeves and a bug repellent that contains DEET. Avoid spending much time in grassy areas and inspect your clothing carefully for ticks after your hike.

History of Mason Neck

This reserve might have become a planned community and airport if not for the conservation efforts of “The Eagle Lady” Elizabeth Hartwell, a resident of the area.

The explorer John Smith of Pocahontas fame explored this peninsula in the early 1600s. Later on, it became home to George Mason IV, who played a leading role in the creation of the Bill of Rights.

Overview of Great Marsh Trail

One excellent and secluded trail is the Joseph V. Gartlan Jr. Great Marsh Trail. The Great Marsh is huge, at over 250 acres.

The parking lot here can easily accommodate 15-20 vehicles. If you show up early in the morning, you might have the entire place to yourself. At the far end of the lot is a bathroom that is well maintained. The trail is located just beyond it.

Almost immediately off to your right, you’ll come across a covered display area. Read the descriptions of the Great Marsh, the history of the wildlife refuge, and view the maps. You can pick up a hard copy map and guide to the wildlife refuge here as well. Just watch out for the bugs.

You’ll walk about 0.7 miles to the end of the trail.

A note of caution: even though you won’t find many people here early in the morning, you will find many of something else:

Spiders. Spiders everywhere.

They don’t keep to themselves off in remote parts of the forest. Instead, they’ll spin their giant webs directly across the walking trail. Keep your wits about you and always look for their brightly colored bodies suspended in the air on silky white threads. If you don’t pay attention, you’ll easily walk right into them, and then you’ll have a spider crawling around your body.

If you’re lucky, you’ll find it quickly and remove it safely using a twig or branch nearby.

If you’re unlucky, you won’t notice it until after it’s crawled down your shirt and bitten your flesh (this happened to me once, but it wasn’t too venomous, because I lived to write this article later in the day).

Here’s one good approach to keeping you and the spiders safe. Take a large branch and hold it out in front of you while you walk. Soon you’ll come across a web. Both the web and the spider will get caught around the branch, and you’ll be able to put it off to the side of the trail. The spider is unharmed, as will be the next pedestrian to follow you.  

You’ll pass a couple of benches on the trail in case you need to take a load off.

At the end of the Joseph V. Gartlan Jr. Great Marsh Trail, you’ll come to a nice lookout point. There’s a free spotting scope here. Look out across the marsh and listen to the sounds of birds and cicadas.

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Woodmarsh Trail and Eagle Point Trail

Two more recommended trails nearby are the Woodmarsh Trail and Eagle Point Trail. You can park in another free parking lot a short distance from the entrance to Mason State Park (parking at Mason State Park costs $10 per vehicle).

The Woodmarsh Trail is about 3 miles long, and takes about 1.5 hours to walk (walk this one next time). Eagle Point Trail is 1 mile long.

Like the other trail, it’s easy to find spiders and their webs directly in your path early in the morning. Use the same branch trick here to minimize bites.

On the Eagle Point Trail, one of the first places you’ll see is Eagle Point. This lookout area faces east, so you’ll be looking into the sun.

You might come across snakes in the area, but they will slither out of your way and into the underbrush when they hear you coming.

Fern Pass and Hickory Pass are a couple of additional stops along this trail. Toward the end of the trail, you’ll come across Raccoon Creek, another creek in a marshy area where you’re likely to see birds.   

If You Have More Time

If you’re not through exploring Mason Neck, there’s more to see and do here. You might explore Mason Neck State Park, which is located just down the road from the wildlife refuge.

If you’d prefer to spend some time indoors learning about history, there’s a fine museum dedicated to George Mason IV at Gunston Hall just a few miles away. You can tour the mansion and grounds during their normal business hours (typically 0930-1700 daily for the mansion, grounds close one hour later).