Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve | |
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Location | Fauquier and Prince William counties, Virginia |
Nearest city | Manassas |
Coordinates | 38°48′46″N 77°38′6″W / 38.81278°N 77.63500°W |
Area | 2,486 acres (10.06 km2) |
Established | 2002 |
Owner | Virginia Outdoors Foundation |
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve is a 2,486-acre (10.06 km2) Natural Area Preserve located along the Bull Run Mountains in Fauquier and Prince William counties, Virginia. Dedicated in 2002, the majority of the preserve is owned and operated by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF). It harbors a number of outstanding natural community types, some of which are rare in the Commonwealth. There are also quartzite cliffs and boulder fields around High Point Mountain within the preserve's boundaries.[1]
While most of the preserve is prioritized for scientific and educational activities, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation keeps 800 acres of the preserve open to the public on Friday-Sunday (8am-6pm) for low-impact uses such as hiking and wildlife observation.[2] On 25 November 2014, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation announced that the private landowner of the High Point Cliffs area on the preserve would close the cliffs to the public for an indefinite period of recovery and restoration, starting 15 January 2015.[3][4] As of October 2023[update], the privately-owned area is still closed to the public and there are no stated plans to re-open access.
The preserve is part of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation's Bull Run Mountains Special Project Area, which encompasses 12,800 acres (52 km2).[5]
Dogs are not allowed in the preserve.[6]