Wheaton Regional Park Inner Loop - Moderate 3.5 miles

I know people who lived in the suburbs of Silver Spring for years without stumbling across this hilly gem that features a carousel, an adventure playground and Brookside Gardens. Let's explore the western half of the park on Sunday morning and catch a glimpse of all three.

We will start at the Pine Lake parking lot on the west side of the park and make a clockwise loop around the inner trails of the park, passing two ponds and the nature center on a roughly 3.5-mile circuit. The terrain varies from mulch to gravel to paved at various points. This is a short trip but there are three sizable hills spaced out along the route. Those might slow us down a bit, though I expect we will probably wrap up by noon.

We will mostly follow this route from Alltrails but could add slightly more if everyone is feeling up for it.

I know there are a number of casual restaurants in Wheaton that people rave about. If anyone has a favorite, I can likely be convinced to grab lunch afterwards.