Four Mile Run

In Arlington, the stream passes from the Piedmont through the Fall Line to the Atlantic Coastal Plain in a deep forested valley.

It quickly passes into Arlington County, where its uppermost course is a mix of open stream and two culverts that take it underneath Interstate 66 and a residential neighborhood in East Falls Church.

Located west of the stream between Columbia Pike and 10th Street South in Arlington, the foundation presently supports an automobile repair shop.

[6] General George Washington owned on the southwest side of the stream in the fall line a large parcel of wooded property which he surveyed in 1785, several years after the Revolutionary War ended.

[7] As part of this survey, Washington made a cut in the trunk of an oak tree to mark a corner of his property where a tributary (Long Branch (upper)) entered the main stream.

In the late 19th century, a small resort at Carlin Springs became a favorite respite for Washingtonians who would ride the train out for bathing and dancing.

According to publicity, it was an "architecture fashion plate," featuring ballrooms, restaurants, roller coasters, shoot-the-chutes, circus performances, and exhilarating rides.

In June 1972, rains from Hurricane Agnes caused the stream to overflow its banks, producing extensive flooding which was especially severe in a populated area on the coastal plain.

The source of Four Mile Run viewed from its first crossing at Gordon Avenue in McLean, Virginia
Columbia Pike crossing of Four Mile Run near the end of its section in a gorge
Four Mile Run crosses under West Glebe Road in its lower, channelized section
Mouth of Four Mile Run at the Potomac River
Carlin Springs historical marker