North Four Corners News ♦ April 2025

Enjoying Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park

By Linda Perlman

Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park is a lushly wooded area of trails along the Northwest Branch, located on the northeast border of NFCCA territory. The stream is a tributary of the Anacostia River, which flows to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.

The trailhead at the north end of Lockridge Drive (at Belton and Glenwild Roads) is clearly marked.

The Northwest Branch Trail is a natural surface (i.e., unpaved) trail adjacent to the water. It is open to walkers/hikers and offers a wooded oasis for nature-lovers. It is likely that you will see deer, rabbits, squirrels, birds, geese, frogs, fish, and perhaps beavers on your visit.

NWB Trail is a popular dog-walking area. Dogs are allowed on the trail and in the park but are required to be kept on a physical leash. Bicycling and horseback riding are permitted on the trail. There are no picnic tables or trash cans so, if you eat there, carry your trash out of the park.

The Loxford Terrace entrance to the Northwest Branch Trail is via a public-access path between the houses numbered 917 and 919.

Northwest Branch Park is an M-NCPPC park, so all its general park rules apply: parks close at dusk, pets must be kept on a leash, alcoholic beverages are not permitted, and both smoking and vaping are prohibited. Boating, watercraft, swimming, wading, and other water sports are prohibited on streams or other park property.

You can access the park from within the neighborhood where Lockridge Drive ends (check out the vernal pool); off Loxford Terrace between homes numbered 917 and 919 (unmarked); and from the Northwood-Chesapeake Bay Trail next to Northwood High School. You also can get on the trail over the bridge on Colesville Road/Rte. 29 off Burnt Mills Dam. ■

Editor’s Note: To locate the vernal pool, enter the Northwest Branch Trail from the northern end of Lockridge Drive (where Belton and Glenwild Roads intersect). Continue straight past the first bridge (don’t turn onto the bridge). When the trail turns sharply to the right, don’t turn; instead, continue going straight, down the hill, to the shore of the Northwest Branch. Turn right and travel about 10 yards. The vernal pool (a large but shallow depression in the ground which fills up only during the spring) will be on your right.

Vernal Pool Article 1 Vernal Pool Article 2