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
19
NVHC Social (Rating: FUN)
Sudhouse DC, 1340 U Street Northwest, Washington, DC, USDetails
You must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf and then answer the question you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike.
Read the Liability Disclaimer: https://www.nvhc.com/signin.pdf
***PLEASE BE SURE TO ACCEPT THE WAIVER***
The Northern Virginia Hiking Club has an annual member appreciation event as well as an annual hike leader appreciation event. This is neither one of those. Join us for a Club social where we can all gather and get to know one another. The Club does not subsidize or cover any costs for the socials; all participants are responsible for their own expenses. Every attempt will be made to rotate venues around the DMV to make it more accessible, depending on where you live.
This time we will be at Sudhouse DC, located near the U Street/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo metro station in Washington, DC.
PARKING is available at parking garages located at 14th and U Streets (https://maps.app.goo.gl/uPjaDb5zA14GKvEm8 and https://maps.app.goo.gl/j3kFczLVViBhX1xQ6) Street parking is available, as well.
FOOD — They have a variety of options, seen here: https://sudhousedc.com/food824.pdf
DOGS: From the venue —> Dogs are welcome on the main floor/mezzanine only.
INDIVIDUAL TABS — everyone will be able to maintain their own tabs.
Hope to see you there!
12 attendees
Marys Rock Bushwhack (Rating: B)
Centreville Park & Ride, 14700 Lee Hwy, Centreville, 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.
Hike is a total of 5.5 miles and 1600' elevation gain. We will bushwhack off of the Appalachian Trail (AT) near the Panorama lower parking lot to Marys Rock. The bushwhack portion is about .8 miles and 1000’ gain, this is very steep and we move at ~ ½ mph with frequent rest stops. After completing the bushwhack to Marys Rock we will continue south on the AT until Byrds Nest shelter for lunch then return on the AT to Panorama parking. This portion is about 4.5 miles. This is rated a B level due to mileage and elevation gain, but please read the paragraph below carefully.
Bushwhacking involves walking off trail, rock scrambling with potential obstacles such as downed trees, brush, sticker bushes, rocks, mud, stream crossings, slippery leaves and very steep uphills. Clothes may get torn by sticker bushes. Only RSVP if you are up for this adventure.
We will only do this hike if weather and ground conditions are ideal.
**Due to the off trail nature we are limiting attendance to less than or equal to 20 people.**
No park entry fee if you park in the trailhead lot I specified.
Dogs are not permitted on this hike.
Leader: Ed Brimberg 703-944-9920 (C)
Carpools: Plan to arrive at the Centreville Park and Ride at by 7:15am, carpools depart at 7:30am. Suggested carpool fee is $6. The leader will be at the carpool location. GPS Coordinates: 38.836038, -77.455371, https://goo.gl/maps/hc3LRG7Hsy2wMJs18
Arrive at the trailhead by 8:45am, Panorama lower parking lot, do not go thru entrance station to Skyline Drive. GPS Coordinates: 38.660653, -78.321968 https://goo.gl/maps/8nXMXZvwuqoAofXc9
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.
AllTrails Map for hike: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/marys-rock-bushwhack-2016-11-16?u=i&sh=7cs7ov
Photos from previous bushwhack:
https://goo.gl/photos/zNoY5aPgNAWVDGVYADriving time to trailhead from carpool location: 1 hour 15 minutes.
You must be experienced in hikes of this distance and elevation gain.
15 attendees
Weverton Heights toward Compton Gap via the Appalachian Trail (Rating: A)
Dulles Town Center Park & Ride Lot, Virginia, 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 9.75-mile out-and-back hike along the Appalachian Trail with about 1,700 feet of elevation gain. We'll start at the Weverton Park and Ride and head north on the Appalachian Trail up to Weverton Cliffs for the view. Then another 4 miles or so on the AT for lunch. Then back the way we came.
Start time: 9:00 a.m. (meet at the trailhead parking area 15-30 minutes early for sign in)
Pace: 2.0 to 2.5 miles/hour when moving
Trailhead: GPS: 39.33295, -77.68326 https://maps.app.goo.gl/NduJqpjG7UiG86Je6
CARPOOLING: Carpools: Meet at the Dulles Town Center Park and Ride at 8:00am. The leader will not be at the carpool location. Suggested carpool fee is $5.
GPS Coordinates: 39.034079, -77.430102
https://goo.gl/maps/Lj1uBdayGR9GTS7VA
Neither the Club nor the hike leader is 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.
Leader: Dick Pregent 703-587-2359
Dogs: Dogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. Please contact the hike leader in advance if you intend to bring a dog.
https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy25 attendees
Signal Knob Loop (Rating: A)
Centreville Park & Ride Lot, 14700 Lee Highway, Centreville, 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 an approximately 10 mile circuit hike with an elevation gain of about 2300 feet on Massanutten Mountain in the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. The hike is predominantly on the Massanutten (orange blazed) and Tuscarora (blue blazed) trails, and includes good views from Buzzard Rock Overlook, Fort Valley Overlook, and Signal Knob. We hike at an average pace of 2.8 mph while moving, slower on the uphill and faster on flat or downhill terrain.
For those wishing to carpool, the suggested carpool location is at the Centerville P&R ( 38.836080, -77.455327). The driving time from there to the trailhead is about 1 hour. Please arrive at the Park and Ride by about 7:30 AM to allow drivers to leave by 7:45 AM. 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. Suggested carpool fee is $8.
Trailhead: Please be at the trailhead by 8:45 so we can begin hiking by 9:00.
Signal Knob Parking Lot https://maps.app.goo.gl/qHEVP5muq2K66JDPADogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy
Leader: Maryellen Trevisan
Park Entry Fee: $0.00
Rating: AHiking Map:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/custom-routes/copy-signal-knob-loop-trail-70cc914?u=i&sh=rr7xq625 attendees
Past events
4766
