Sugarloaf Mountain Hike followed by trip to Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard

UPDATE: We will now meet at the East Lot which is about a 1/2 mile up the mountain. From Comus Road turn right into the park and then follow the road to the right for about a 1/2 mile to the East Lot. Park and meet the group by the port-a-potties.

Now that the Spring weather has actually arrived and looks like it will stayaround lets enjoy the day with a hike at Sugarloaf Mountain. Geologically, Sugarloaf is known as a monadnock,a mountain that remains after the erosion ofthe surrounding land. Here, that process took approximately 14 million years. At an elevation of 1282 feet, Sugarloaf stands more than 800 feet above the farmland below. The rugged cliffs on the summit are composed primarily of quartzite, the predominant type of rock on the mountain. The hike will be about 7 miles and include about a mile and a half of an uphill climb of about 500 ft in elevation to get to the summit.

The park is located in Dickerson, Md off of Comus Road. From Washington DC/Arlington take I-495 to Route I-270 north to the Hyattstown exit, circle under I-270 and continue on Route 109 to Comus, then right on Comus Road Below is a link to their web page as well as a link to the mountain map:

http://www.sugarloafmd.com/sl_directions.html

http://www.sugarloafmd.com/images/maps/102709_trailmap.pdf

We will meet in the parking lot right off of Comus Road at 10:30am and then head out for the hike at 10:45am. The hike will take about 3.5 hours including a stop at the main vista for lunch so pack a bag of food and some drinks.

After the hike we will head to the Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard which is loacted a few miles from the base of the mountain. They have a large outdoor patio that we can hang out in so feel free to bring some food and we can do a potluck while there. Those who want to do a tasting can go inside and those who just want to get a glass or bottle to enjoy can stay on the patio: http://www.smvwinery.com/visit.htm

It supposed to be partly sunny and in the high 50's on Sunday so a perfect day for a hike. Looking forward to seeing you all there.

Stacey