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
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MOVED AGAIN: 3 Falls Hike, Dark Hollow, Rose R, Lewis (Rating: A)
Centreville Park & Ride, 14700 Lee Hwy, Centreville, VA, USDetails
You 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 very scenic 9.3 mile hike with 2205' elevation gain that takes us to 3 waterfalls. Starting from Fisher's Gap, we will take the Rose River Trail and then ascend up the scenic Hogcamp Branch. Rose River Falls is 67' high, most of which requires a short off-trail rock scramble to see. We will then head to Dark Hollow Falls and make a pit stop at the the Big Meadows Visitor's Center. Finally we will take the Lewis Spring Trail to Lewis Falls and then return to Fisher's Gap on the AT.
We hike at a pace of around 2.5 mph when moving. Slower when going up or down steeper hills. This will be a strenuous hike.
Footwear: Hiking Boots
Water: 2+ Liters Water
Food: Bring Snacks and Lunch
Restrooms: Available at Visitors Center
Bring: Suntan Lotion, Tick and Bug Spray
Dogs: NO DOGS ARE PERMITTED ON THIS HIKE (NOT ALLOWED AT DARK HOLLOW)MEET AT CARPOOL OR TRAILHEAD
CARPOOL: 7:15 AM meet at the Centreville Park and Ride (14700 Lee Hwy, Centreville, VA 20120; GPS coordinates 38.8360800085118, -77.45532790182091).
TRAILHEAD DEPARTURE: 9:15 AM Fisher's Gap parking, mile post 49.4 on Skyline Drive; GPS coordinates 38.53429577646414, -78.42075399673675.
Suggested carpool fee is $8 per person.
Hike Leader will be at the carpool at Centreville.
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.Hike Maps (we will start at Fischer's Gap):
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/3-falls-reverse-5f268dfPark Entry Fee: $30 for the day, $55 for the year, $0 with NPS Annual or Lifetime Senior Pass
Rating: A
You must be experienced in hikes of comparable distance, pace and elevation gain.
Caroline Steinberg 703.489.1315
12 attendees
Leopold's Preserve (Rating: D)
Leopold's Preserve, 16290 Thoroughfare Road, Broad Run, VA, USYou must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet ~~S~~tatement/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 hike is 5.5 miles, with about 150 feet of elevation gain. Leopold’s Preserve is a private, 380-acre nature preserve protected by a conservation easement held by the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (NVCT). NVCT is a land trust dedicated to preserving and protecting natural and historic properties in Northern Virginia.
We may be too early for wildflowers but we will see if the beavers have rebuilt the dam.
If we are very lucky, we may meet the Preserve Manager Nick to tell us a bit about the recent improvements to the preserve.
For those interested we will have an additional half mile afterwards to cross the street and see what waterfowl are in the pond. Optional Starbucks nearby for coffee break afterwards.No Dogs on this hike.
This hike is basically a loop, with a shorter loop about halfway through the hike. We will hike at a pace of 2.5 – 3.0 mph while moving. Please be sure you can hike this speed.
Parking and Trail Head Coordinates:
GPS: 38.81624966174774, -77.6746526899102
Directions: Exit I-66 onto Route 15 south in Haymarket (Exit 40). From Route 15, turn right (west) onto John Marshall Highway (Rt. 55). From Route 55, turn left onto Thoroughfare Road (SR 682). Continue a short distance and the paved road turns to gravel. Cross the railroad tracks and in just a few hundred yards you will see the parking areas located to the left (Parking Lot East) and right (Parking Lot West).
We will meet in the East Lot. There is one porta-potty.Leaders: (c) Joanne Arnold 571-213-0216
(c) Sharon Morris 571-215-6517
(c) Tom Morris 571-776-9021Rating: D
Meet at 8:45AM at the parking lot.
Parking Fee: $0.00
Park Entry Fee: $0.0025 attendees
Fountainhead Regional Park (Rating: C)
Fountainhead Regional Park, 10905-10887 Hampton Rd, Fairfax Station, 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.
Eight miles and 750' of elevation gain. Note: the hike is on the borderline of a B level hike. Though there are no big climbs, there are quite a few fairly steep up and downs.
Hike starts at 9 am. Please arrive 15 minutes early so we can get signed in and start on time.
We'll begin the hike from the main parking lot of Fountainhead Regional Park on the Bull Run/Occoquan Trail. After about a half mile, we'll leave the main trail and work out way back to the east side of the park. After passing a couple of deserted cars, we'll return to the parking lot.
We hike at a pace of ~ 2.5 mph while moving. You must have experience with hikes of this length and elevation gain.
Meet at the Fountainhead Regional Park, 10875 Hampton Rd., Fairfax Station, VA 22039. Enter the park and drive about a half mile to large parking lot on the right.
GPS: 38.724751, -77.330068Porta Johns at the parking lot
Dogs are welcome on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicyhttps://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolic
Leaders: Dane Luck
Park Entry Fee: $0.00
31 attendees
NEW DATE: Capital Crescent/Glover-Arcbold Trail Loop (Rating: C)
Westmoreland Hills Local Park, 5315 Elliott Drive, Bethesda, MD, 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.
8.5 Loop Hike with maximum 433 ft of elevation gain
Description: We will begin our hike in Battery Bailey Park and proceed to the Capital Crescent Trail to Fletcher's Boathouse in Georgetown where we will take a short break in the picnic area overlooking the Potomac River. From there we will proceed along the canal tow path to Foxhall Road where we will get on the Glover-Archbold Trail to Massachusetts Avenue and back to our starting point..
Pace: We will hike at 2.5 to 2.7 mph while moving.
Info: There are restrooms at Fletcher's Boathouse where we will stop for a break and along Massachusetts Avenue where we can stop for coffee/lunch in Spring Valley (Compass Coffee/Starbucks/Pizzeria Paradiso/Millie's).
Bring: Adequate 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 use them. Insect repellent and sunscreen also recommended. A fair portion of our hike will be shaded.
Fee: N/A
Dogs: No dogs on this hike. NVHC Dog Policy.
Weather: the weather for this location can be found HERE.
Where to Meet:
We will meet at **Battery Bailey Park **parking lot 38° 57.131′ N, 77° 6.568′ W. There are 22 parking spaces in the lot as well as parking in the neighborhood on Elliot and Duvall. Take a Left onto Duvall Street behind Westmoreland UCC at 1 Westmoreland circle, Bethesda, MD; then a right onto Elliot. The park is at the end of Elliot. I have a Honda Fit w/ Hatchback up. Please arrive at 9:15 am to get signed in and ready to hike at 9:30 am.
You must be able to hike this distance at the above pace, any questions regarding that please contact me. Dawn 703 533 923128 attendees
Past events
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