About us
THE CLUB www.nvhc.com
The Northern Virginia Hiking Club (NVHC) offers a range of hikes of various difficulty levels in Virginia, Maryland, DC, and beyond. The club also offers other outdoor events occasionally. NVHC members reflect the rich diversity of the Washington DC Metro area. Annual membership fee is $5. Guests are welcome and enjoy a month’s free participation in the club events. NVHC is a nonprofit organization and donates funds to local parks and trail maintenance organizations from time to time. The selection of the parks and organizations is based on club usage - it is our way of giving back. Monies vary each time - $7,200 was donated in 2023.
Members are required to accept the liability disclaimer by typing “Accept” in the fields presented when they join the club.
DIFFICULTY RATINGS
NVHC hikes are assigned difficulty ratings. A combination of linear distance and elevation gain is used to determine the rating, with 400 feet of elevation gain considered to be equivalent of 1 mile of linear distance. With the “miles” derived from elevation gain added to the linear distance, following are the ratings:
A+= Very Difficult (19 miles or more)
A = Difficult (13 miles or more, but less than 19 miles)
B = Moderately Difficult (10 miles or more, but less than 13 miles)
C = Moderate (7 miles or more, but less than 10 miles)
D = Easy (Less than 7 miles)
For example, a nine-mile hike with 1,000 feet of climbing would be rated B (9 + 2.5 = 11.5).
Elevation loss is not measured in this system. Also, the difficulty rating is separate from the pace of the hike, which is determined by the leader, and is usually specified in the individual hike descriptions.
RSVP ETIQUETTE
Often there are limits on the number of participants on NVHC events, set by our leaders. This creates wait lists on Meetup. If you find yourself in this situation, we request that you keep in mind the interest of the leaders and your fellow hikers, and follow the guidelines below:
- If you RSVP’d “yes” for a hike, change your RSVP to “no” as soon as you decide not to go, so that someone else can go.
- If you RSVP’d “yes” to overlapping events on the same day, decide on one as soon as possible, and change your RSVP to “no” for all others.
- If you are on a wait list and decide not to go, remove yourself from the list.
DOGS ON HIKES
Dogs are welcome on NVHC hikes at the discretion of the hike leader. Several restrictions apply including advance notification to the leader, dogs being well behaved, and their being kept on a six foot leash. See dog policy located at [https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy] for details.
Upcoming events
14
Beaverdam Reservoir (Rating: C)
Brambleton Park West, 22404 Water Vista Drive, Brambleton, VA, 20148, Ashburn, VA, USYou must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf and then answer the question that you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike.
This is a pleasant 7.3 mile/ 212 foot elevation gain hike around Beaverdam Reservoir with plenty of water views. For those of you who like numbers the reservoir is 350 acres and holds between 1.3 and 1.5 billion gallons of water.
We will meet in front of the Visitors Center at 8:45. The Visitor Center, with the trailhead, is new and the GPS mapping apps are still updating.
The Reservoir Park Main entrance is located within the Brambleton Community Park West Baseball field complex, accessed from Belmont Ridge Road in Ashburn.
The address is 22211 Water Vista Drive Ashburn, Virginia.
The GPS coordinates are: 39.00223 N, 77.53529W.
We hike at a pace of ~ 2.5 mph while moving. You must have experience with hikes of this length and elevation gain.
Meet in front of the Visitor Center at 8:45am for sign-in. Restrooms are available.
Dogs are welcome on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicyhttps://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolic
Leaders: Steve Frith cell 703-629-0174
Park Entry Fee: $0.00
Map for hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/reservoir-park-trail?sh=iypgzx&utm_medium=trail_share&utm_source=alltrails_virality32 attendees
Pinnacles Loop (Rating: B)
Pinnacles Overlook, Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, VA, USYou must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf and then answer the question that you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike.
The hike is in the central district of Shenandoah National Park, with a length of about 7.5 miles and ~1800' of elevation gain.
- We will hike down from the Overlook on the Hannah Run Trail to the Catlett Mtn Trail.
- Where we'll turn left, go 200 ft to the next intersection, and
- Turn left on the Catlett Spur and head to our low point of 2165 ft where the Spur meets the Hazel Mountain Trail.
- There we'll turn left to head up to Skyline,
- Taking a short left jog to cross the road and onto the Meadow Springs Trail and up to the AT.
- Turning left we'll continue on the AT past Byrd's Nest #3 Shelter to "The Pinnacle", third highest peak in the park at 3514 ft and the highest point on our hike.
- After lunch/snack, we continue down the AT 0.1 mi
- Turn left and take a short 800-ft BUSHWHACK to Skyline Drive.
- Turn left and walk back on the road 0.4-mi to the trailhead and our cars.
Pace: We'll hike at ~2.5 mph when moving.
Dogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy
Rating: B
(although it is a bit harder B-rated hike with a short BUSHWHACK)
Leader: Harvey
Carpools: Feel free to organize carpools in the comment section below. It is 1-hr 20-min from Centreville Park & Ride to the trailhead you should leave there by 7:25a to reach Pinnacles Overlook by 8:45
Neither the Club nor the hike leaders are responsible for coordinating transportation to/from the trailhead. Carpooling is organized by the participants and they participate at their own risk.
Start time: 9:00 (try to be 15 min early to check in)
Trailhead: Meet at the Pinnacles Overlook on Skyline Drive just south of MP 35. Enter the park at Thornton Gap, proceed south on Skyline Drive.
Park Entry Fee: $30 or free with National Park Pass
You must be experienced in hikes of this distance, pace and elevation gain, including a bushwhack.
Trail Maps:
A pdf map of the hike can be downloaded here:
https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/034ZM_FvNVppn8VIj1vHu7Djg#Pinnacles_loop
A GaiaGPS map of the hike can be found here:
https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=14.3/-78.3175/38.6230&pubLink=aWIo752proPj9zakVwSWq1p5&routeId=ddb9db79-641d-40a1-8ba1-ac17852058d325 attendees
Sky Meadows State Park - Lost Mountain (Rating: A)
University Blvd Park and Ride, 7201 New Stable Way, Gainesville, VA, USYou must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf and then answer the question that you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike.
The hike will be about 11 miles with 1,200 feet of elevation gain. The hiking pace will average about 2.5 miles per hour.
Route Overview: We’ll start from the Sky Meadows Visitors’ Center parking lot at GPS coordinates (38.991732, -77.966120) and hike to and across Route 17 to the Lost Mountain area of the park.
Route Detail: Please see the posted photo for a general path overview.
Carpools: Meet at the University Blvd Park and Ride at GPS coordinates: (38.80136, -77.59032) by 8:00 AM which is off Route 29 and across from the new Sheetz store located at 7201 New Stable Way.
Please note that the carpool meetup location is across from the Sheetz store, it is not at the Sheetz location itself.
The leader will be at the carpool location but neither the Club nor the hike leaders are responsible for coordinating transportation to/from the trailhead. Hikers are not guaranteed to get a ride to the trailhead from the carpool location. Carpooling is organized by the participants, and they participate at their own risk.
It is about a 35-minute / 28-mile drive from the University lot to the Sky Meadows Visitor Center parking lot.
Trailhead: For those meeting at the Sky Meadows Visitor Center (GPS coordinates: (38.991732, -77.966120), please be at the Sky Meadows Visitor Center parking lot no later than 9:00 AM. Please note that the park opens at 8:00 AM.
Fees:
• Suggested carpool fee is $3.
• The Sky Meadows park entry fee is $10 or free with a REI receipt or Virginia state park pass.
Dogs: Dogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy
Leader: Jim Hollis (703-927-7189… please use text)25 attendees
Prince William Forest Park (Rating: B)
Prince William Forest Park Visitor Center, 18170 Park Entrance Rd, Triangle, VA, USYou must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf and then answer the question that you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike.
10 mile circuit hike with 790 feet of elevation change.
Description: A scenic hike along the Quantico Creek and the adjoining forest. We will hike several trails - Laurel Loop, South Valley, North Valley, Taylor Farm Rd, and a few shorter connector trails.
There are several rolling hills, but they are short and spread out. It will be a good winter workout!
The pace will be about 2.5 mph.
Info: There are restrooms at the Visitor Center area where we start as well as Turkey Run Education Center where we will make a brief stop.
Bring: At least 2 liters of water/hydration, snacks/lunch, and sturdy hiking shoes since there are a few rocky areas and tree roots along the way. Hiking poles if you normally use them.
Winter weather can be unpredictable, so I'll be closely monitoring weather conditions as the hike day approaches.
Fee: The park entrance fee is $20 unless you have a National Park Pass. Military, veterans, and gold star family members are also eligible for free admission. I
https://themilitarywallet.com/military-free-admission-national-parks/
Dogs are welcome. NVHC Dog policy: https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy
Meet at the trailhead parking lot 15 minutes early to allow everyone to sign in and get ready to hike at 9:30am.
Prince William Forest Park link: https://www.nps.gov/prwi/index.htm
You must be able to hike this distance and elevation gain, any questions regarding that please contact me.
Meeting Place Instructions:
We are meeting at the Pine Grove Picnic Area near the visitor center. There are two parking areas in an L shape - you can park in either area, but we will meet down near the playground (currently under construction).
Take the SECOND left after entering the park and continue straight ahead into the large lot. GPS Coordinates 38.56040, -77.34952
Optional post-hike rehydration at Stonebridge Potomac Town Center.
Any questions, please message me here or text/call @202-528-0456. If you text me, please include your name.35 attendees
Past events
4670
