Arlington tunnel

addedalmost 2 years ago

across the street from the wallgreens parking lot there is a no parking sign at the end of a rock wall barrier. directly behind the sign and end of the barrier there is an opening that leads into a two run off drains. the one on the left is elevated and is probably only 4 1/2 feet high. it goes about a quarter mile down (i've measured it) and opens up to a larger area covered in graffiti. this upper tunnel is dry throughout the beginning and gets a bit wet towards the end. the tunnel on the right is much bigger although is wet the whole way down. the water only stands about an inch or two so it really isn’t a big deal with boots. most storm drains are worse. this tunnel has tons of pieces going down the whole thing. It lets out in the same place that the smaller one does and they both connect at the end. without a doubt this is one of the best spots in arlington and possibly northern va. i've explored a lot of the graffiti spots in the area and this is probably my current favorite. it's very secluded and hidden away. it's definitely one of the more active spots too, and it has never been painted over (as is the case with basically every storm drain and tunnel in arlington, although i've explored tunnels in fairfax that have been painted over). great place to paint/practice with no hassle or law enforcement. some big names from the dc area are up in the tunnel so it's also a cool place to check out in general.

confirmationalmost 2 years ago

Great guidance from the prior contributor. Thanks so much. I was in from out of town and what a big help. Let me emphasize the key points. 1/you need boots. It had rained for 2-3 days prior and there was 3 to 5 inches of water on the way thru the right tunnel. It seemed to be higher upon exit 5 to 6 inches. 2/ you need a flashlight or headlight, i couldnt have made it thru and out or painted without it. 3/ maybe dont go alone like i did. There aren't many dry spots to.put bags and paint down 4/ if you really want to paint maybe prime. The humidity from the water makes the walls thrusty and also drippy. But do what you got to do. 4/ loved painting there but just did something simplw with the time and paint i had. Great spot but prepare and be careful. East Mak