Green Circle Trail

About this route

The Green Circle Trail is a 6.06-mile loop around the City of Winchester, measured by the city from its origin at Millwood Avenue and E. Jubal Early Drive back to the same point via Jubal Early Drive. The city divides it into seven sections, each with its own mile-marker range: the University Area (0.0 to 0.3), Town Run Linear Park (0.3 to 1.0), Town Run Canyon (1.0 to 1.36), Old Town Winchester (1.36 to 2.12), the Amherst Street Corridor (2.12 to 3.16), Meadow Branch Avenue (3.16 to 4.25), and the Jubal Early Drive Corridor (4.25 back to 6.06). Surfaces change as the route changes character: paved path where it follows Town Run and other local streams, existing sidewalks and grid streets through Old Town and along Amherst Street and Meadow Branch Avenue, and marked share-the-road segments elsewhere. Along the way it passes Shenandoah University, Jim Barnett Park, the Shawnee Springs Preserve, the Town Run canyon, the Loudoun Street Mall, Glen Burnie and the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester Medical Center, and the Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve.

This is a city circuit that spends much of its length on sidewalks and streets, and a few stretches need planning. On Jubal Early Drive from just west of Plaza Drive eastward, the city states there is no alternative to share-the-road for cyclists other than the Bellview Avenue, S. Loudoun Street, and Featherbed Lane alternatives; the Jubal Early stretch itself is a four-lane divided road with no bike lanes and speed limits up to 40 mph. The city notes cyclists may want to choose the interim share-the-road alternative along Handley and Bellview Avenues, and warns them to use caution on the steep segments of Bellview between Handley Avenue and Lewis Street. Pedestrians not using that alternative route must use the sidewalk along the south side of Jubal Early Drive. City code requires cyclists to walk their bikes on the Loudoun Street Mall, where skates and skateboards are also prohibited; the green sharrow route via Clifford and Washington Streets covers almost the same distance. On Meadow Branch Avenue the sidewalk on the east side is incomplete, and the city encourages pedestrians to switch to the west side at Buckner Drive. Portions of the trail are still under construction, and the city's 2021 GIS map marks unbuilt permanent alignments alongside built permanent trail, built interim alignment, and existing share-the-road segments.

Several spur trails hang off the loop. At mile marker 4.25 a 0.66-mile spur, including an elevated boardwalk, runs into the 25-acre Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve, a calcareous muck fen the city describes as home to over 300 plant species and 180 kinds of birds, with at least nine plants on Virginia's Rare Plants List and three found nowhere else in the Commonwealth; it can be walked as a 1.32-mile out-and-back or closed into a 1.26-mile loop via the Stonehouse Court connector and Armistead Street. About 0.7 miles in, the 0.26-mile Shawnee Springs Trail offers a gravel alternative through the wooded heart of the Springs past remnants of the city's old waterworks settlement basins, rejoining the main trail at mile marker 1.0 so there is no need to double back. The trails at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, open daily and free, add 1.8 miles of paved surface at grades not exceeding 5% plus over a mile of mulch-covered trail. The Handley Half Circle spur, about 1.6 miles, combines with about 2.25 miles of the main trail for an approximately 3.9-mile western half loop that avoids what the city calls the busy Jubal Early Drive and S. Pleasant Valley Road area. Restrooms are available at the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor's Center near mile marker 0.3 and in Jim Barnett Park near mile marker 0.45. The trail is open dawn to dusk.

Why this difficulty rating: Winchester Parks & Recreation does not publish a difficulty rating or an elevation profile for the Green Circle Trail, so none is assigned here. The grade-related facts the city does state: the MSV spur's paved trails hold grades not exceeding 5%; the Kiwanis Par Course spur's grades are explicitly noted as not ADA accessible; Town Run Canyon is exited by a switchback the city describes as accessible; and the cyclist alternative along Bellview Avenue between Handley Avenue and Lewis Street has segments the city calls steep and warns riders to approach with caution. The city's GIS trail map adds a note of steep grade on many sections of Bellview Avenue.

Highlights

• 6.06-mile loop originating at Millwood Avenue and E. Jubal Early Drive, divided by the city into seven sections with mile-marker ranges
• Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve spur: 0.66 miles with an elevated boardwalk into a 25-acre calcareous muck fen
• Preserve holds over 300 plant species and 180 kinds of birds; at least nine plants on Virginia's Rare Plants List and three found nowhere else in the Commonwealth
• Shawnee Springs Trail: a 0.26-mile gravel spur past remnants of the city's old waterworks settlement basins, rejoining the main trail at mile marker 1.0 with no need to double back
• Museum of the Shenandoah Valley trail network, open daily free to the public: 1.8 miles paved at grades not exceeding 5% plus over a mile of mulch-covered trail, with outdoor art exhibits
• Town Run Canyon section, opened September 27, 2016, exits the canyon by an accessible switchback up to East Cecil Street
• Handley Half Circle spur (about 1.6 miles) crosses the John Handley High School grounds designed by the Olmstead Brothers, forming a roughly 3.9-mile western half loop
• Self-guided smartphone audio tour of the Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve, plus interpretive signage for seasonal migratory bird watching
• Ruth Jackson Memorial Park, at E. Cecil and S. Kent Streets in the Town Run Canyon section, offers a resting area and interpretive signage about Ruth's Tea Room
• Old Town section passes the Loudoun Street Mall and the seasonal splash pad
• Passes the historic Shawnee Springs Preserve, site of Sheridan's Civil War Field Hospital

Map and trailheads

Approximate locations for orientation only. Carry an offline map — cell service is unreliable on much of this network.

Know before you go

Route type

Loop

Surfaces

Paved, Boardwalk, Gravel, Mixed

Setting

Urban, Park

Amenities

Parking, Restrooms, Shade, Picnic facilities

Parking

The city lists public parking by trail section. University Area (0.0 to 0.3): Jim Barnett Park at the Lowery Tennis Courts, and the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor's Center. Town Run Linear Park (0.3 to 1.0): Jim Barnett Park, the Visitor's Center at 1400 S. Pleasant Valley Road, or Shawnee Springs Preserve. Town Run Canyon (1.0 to 1.36): Court Square Autopark via the South Kent Street entrance/exit, or on-street parking. Old Town Winchester (1.36 to 2.12): four downtown parking garages with 24/7 access, on-street parking, and parking lots. Amherst Street Corridor (2.12 to 3.16): on-street parking and MSV trail parking at the entrance loop opposite the Wood Avenue intersection. Meadow Branch Avenue (3.16 to 4.25): on-street parking and John Kerr Elementary School, weekends only. The MSV network also includes a trailhead with a small parking area at the west end of Jefferson Street. The city's published location marker for the trail facility is on S. Pleasant Valley Road, Winchester, VA 22601.

Restrooms

Restrooms are available at the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor's Center (1400 S. Pleasant Valley Road) near mile marker 0.3, and public restrooms at the Christianson Familyland area of Jim Barnett Park near mile marker 0.45, alongside parking and playgrounds. The Kiwanis Par Course spur connects to further restrooms among the Jim Barnett Park amenities. In Old Town, self-cleaning public restrooms at the south end of the pedestrian mall by the splash pad carry a $0.25 fee and are seasonal. Whittier Park, on the 0.16-mile Whittier Avenue spur, has no restrooms.

Water

The city lists Water Fountains among the features of Jim Barnett Park, which the trail passes through between roughly mile markers 0.3 and 1.0. The Green Circle Trail's own Facility Snapshot lists only Bicycle Paths, Shade Areas, and Walking Trails Paved, and no drinking water is identified elsewhere along the route, so carry your own for the remainder of the loop.

Fees

The city publishes no entrance or use fee for the Green Circle Trail itself. The MSV trail spur is stated to be open daily free to the public. The self-cleaning public restrooms at the Old Town splash pad carry a $0.25 fee. Parking costs differ by trailhead: the city lists public parking at Jim Barnett Park and the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor's Center with no stated charge, while the four Old Town autoparks charge $2 per hour with a $30 daily maximum, and downtown meters run $0.50 (blue label) to $0.75 (red label) per hour, enforced 9 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, with weekends and designated holidays free. Meter time limits range up to four hours; the city states that parking longer than four hours without paying the meter is a violation and a ticket may be issued.

Permits

The city publishes no permit requirement for using the trail. The only reservation requirement noted along the route is for the larger picnic shelters at the Christianson Familyland area of Jim Barnett Park, which the city states require advance reservation. Winchester Parks & Recreation notes that park hours may differ for facilities operating by permit.

Hours

Open dawn to dusk. Winchester Parks & Recreation states park hours as dawn to dusk unless using a facility with specifically stated operating hours or by permit, and refers users to the Winchester City Code for the full operating policy. No seasonal closure of the trail is published, though the city does not explicitly state year-round operation. The four Old Town autoparks are accessible 24/7.

Dogs

Dogs allowed on leash

Accessibility

The Town Run Canyon section exits the canyon by means of a switchback the city describes as accessible, connecting up to East Cecil Street. The Christianson Familyland area of Jim Barnett Park near mile marker 0.45 offers an accessible playground along with parking and public restrooms. On the MSV spur, the city states the paved trails are ADA-accessible with smooth surfaces and grades not exceeding 5%. The city explicitly notes that grades on the Kiwanis Par Course spur are not ADA accessible. No accessibility rating is published for the main loop as a whole, and the sidewalk on the east side of Meadow Branch Avenue is incomplete.

Stroller friendly

Not yet verified

Good with kids

Not yet verified

Seasonal notes

The self-cleaning public restrooms at the Old Town splash pad are seasonal, as is the splash pad itself. Guided nature walks at the Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve are held in spring and fall, focused on birds, flowers, trees, and signs of the season; contact the Rec Center at (540) 662-4946 for dates. Because the Preserve is a bird sanctuary, the city confines its habitat cutting work to mid-August through mid-October and March 1 to April 1. Winchester Parks and Recreation posts real-time facility status on its Facility Status page, through the Statusfy app, or by phone at (540) 490-9565.

Weather exposure

The city lists Shade Areas among the trail's features in its Facility Snapshot. By the city's own section descriptions, the stream-corridor stretches through Town Run and the Shawnee Springs Preserve run through wooded ground, while the Old Town, Amherst Street, Meadow Branch Avenue, and Jubal Early Drive segments follow sidewalks and streets. The agency does not publish an exposure rating.

Cell service

Not yet verified

Emergency

Not yet verified

Hazards and wildlife

• On Jubal Early Drive from just west of Plaza Drive eastward, the city states there is no alternative to share-the-road for cyclists other than the Bellview Avenue, S. Loudoun Street, and Featherbed Lane alternatives; the Jubal Early stretch is a four-lane divided road with no bike lanes and speed limits up to 40 mph
• The city's interim cyclist alternative via Handley and Bellview Avenues has steep segments between Handley Avenue and Lewis Street where the city tells riders to use caution
• Pedestrians not using the Bellview Avenue, S. Loudoun Street, and Featherbed Lane alternative route must use the sidewalk along the south side of Jubal Early Drive
• Bikes must be walked on the Loudoun Street Mall under Winchester City Code; skates and skateboards are also prohibited there
• Sidewalk on the east side of Meadow Branch Avenue is incomplete; the city encourages pedestrians to switch to the west side at Buckner Drive
• Portions of the trail are still under construction; the city's published map marks unbuilt permanent alignments and built interim alignments alongside built permanent trail
• Much of the route follows existing city sidewalks and grid streets shared with traffic; the city's GIS map marks signalized intersections along the way
• The Abrams Creek spur terminates at Pennypacker Springs, which is private property
• On park trails, the city asks users to report downed trees or washed-out bridges to Winchester Parks and Recreation at (540) 662-4946

The Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve spur passes through a 25-acre calcareous muck fen the city describes as home to over 300 plant species and 180 kinds of birds. At least nine of its plant species appear on Virginia's Rare Plants List and three are found nowhere else in the Commonwealth; the Virginia Division of Natural Heritage has identified more than a dozen rare Virginia plants growing there. The city states that no other limestone-floored wetland in Virginia has as many rare plants. The Preserve is a bird sanctuary, and interpretive signage along this section supports seasonal migratory bird watching. Jim Barnett Park, on the route, includes a fishing lake.

Read the Virginia wildlife and safety guide