Foliage map › Destinations › Virginia › Mason Neck
Mason Neck and Pohick Bay, Virginia fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color on the Mason Neck peninsula, around Pohick Bay and Mason Neck State Park, peaks around November 7, with the best viewing from roughly November 3 to November 11.
- Typical peak
- November 7
- Best viewing
- Nov 3 – Nov 11
- Color starts
- Around Oct 26
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Nov 20
- Elevation
- About 20 ft
Today’s estimate · based on a typical season
Typical season
Peak around November 7. Turn on JavaScript to see today’s estimated status and the five-week outlook.
Check before you go. Leaves.com dates are estimates based on typical years. Mason Neck State Park and the national wildlife refuge share an entrance road and hold managed deer hunts on a few weekdays in mid-November and December, so check the park’s page for closures before a late-fall trip.
Mason Neck State Park →The season at a glance
Bar height shows how good the viewing typically is on each day, from September 1 through November 30. Colors show the stage, from green through peak red to bare.
Open Mason Neck on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Mason Neck
Mason Neck is a wooded peninsula on the Potomac River in southern Fairfax County, about 18 miles south of Washington, between Pohick Bay and Belmont Bay. Much of it is protected land, so the color here is mostly hardwood forest running down to marsh and open water.
Mason Neck State Park covers about 1,856 acres. The Bay View Trail, a loop of about a mile, crosses a freshwater marsh on boardwalks with views out over Belmont Bay, and the Kane’s Creek Trail winds through dense hardwood forest. Bald eagles are seen here all year.
Next door, the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge was set up in 1969 as the first national wildlife refuge for bald eagles. Its paved Great Marsh Trail, about three-quarters of a mile, follows a wooded ridge to a platform over the 250-acre Great Marsh, and the longer Woodmarsh Trail loops through mature hardwood forest. From October through March the refuge is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pohick Bay Regional Park, at the base of the peninsula, has about 1,000 acres, more than eight miles of trails with glimpses of the bay, and a public boat launch. Farther down Gunston Road, Gunston Hall, George Mason’s home, has a River Trail that drops through the woods to the Potomac shore and a Bluff Trail that ends above Gunston Cove (closed Wednesdays). Meadowood, run by the Bureau of Land Management, mixes meadows and mature hardwoods with more than 13 miles of hiking trails.
Scenic drive
Gunston Road (Virginia Route 242) runs about 3.5 miles from U.S. 1 down the peninsula, passing the turnoffs for Pohick Bay Regional Park and Mason Neck State Park on the way to Gunston Hall. For a longer drive, head north to Mount Vernon and follow the George Washington Memorial Parkway along the Potomac toward Alexandria and Washington, with the paved Mount Vernon Trail running beside the river.
Rather not drive? See fall foliage tours, from train rides and boat cruises to guided hikes.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Skyland (Shenandoah NP), VA (65 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 23 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Already among the latest
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Mason Neck typically peaks much later. Low and beside the tidal Potomac, Mason Neck already has some of the latest color in the region.
Nearby destinations
- Washington, DCTypical peak Oct 31, 7 days earlier. 19 miles away.
- Baltimore, MDTypical peak Oct 31, 7 days earlier. 54 miles away.
- Skyland (Shenandoah NP), VATypical peak Oct 15, 23 days earlier. 65 miles away.
- Richmond, VATypical peak Nov 2, 5 days earlier. 78 miles away.
- Charlottesville, VATypical peak Oct 30, 8 days earlier. 82 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage at Mason Neck?
In a typical year, fall color around Mason Neck and Pohick Bay peaks around November 7, with the best viewing from roughly November 3 to November 11. Virginia State Parks puts peak at its coastal parks, including Mason Neck, in early to mid November. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
Why is Mason Neck later than Washington, D.C.?
Mason Neck is less than 20 miles from downtown Washington, and the Leaves.com model on its own puts both close to November 1. For this page we follow Virginia State Parks, which puts peak at its coastal parks, including Mason Neck, in early to mid November. The woods here are largely oak and hickory, and the Virginia Department of Forestry notes that oaks are among the last trees to color.
How long does peak color last at Mason Neck?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 26, and most leaves are down by about November 20.
Is Mason Neck early or late compared with the rest of Virginia?
Mason Neck typically peaks about 10 days later than the Virginia average of Oct 28. It ranks 6 of 6 Virginia destinations from earliest to latest.
What are the best fall hikes on Mason Neck?
The Bay View Trail at Mason Neck State Park packs forest, marsh boardwalks, and bay views into about a mile. At the wildlife refuge, the paved Great Marsh Trail leads to a marsh overlook, and the Woodmarsh Trail is a longer loop through hardwood forest. At Gunston Hall, the River Trail drops through the woods to the Potomac shore.
Can you see bald eagles at Mason Neck in the fall?
Yes. Bald eagles live on Mason Neck all year. The refuge was the first in the country set up for them, and the platform at the end of the Great Marsh Trail is a good place to look.
What trees color up around Mason Neck?
The woods on Mason Neck are mostly oak and hickory, with American holly staying green underneath, and sweetgum and beech grow nearby at Meadowood. Oaks color late, in rusty reds and browns. See the leaf guide to identify them.
The typical peak on this page follows Virginia State Parks’ guidance for its coastal parks, early to mid November, rather than the Leaves.com model alone, which puts this area about a week earlier. Estimates are for typical years, not live observations. How it works.
Sources: Fall foliage at Virginia State Parks: peak periods by region (Virginia DCR); Mason Neck State Park (Virginia DCR); Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge: trails (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service); Pohick Bay Regional Park (NOVA Parks); Gunston Hall hiking trails (Gunston Hall); Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area (Bureau of Land Management); Fall foliage in Virginia (Virginia Department of Forestry).