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
27
Sky Meadows right side everything (Rating: A; ***FAST***)
Location not specified yetREQUIRED: 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.
The hike is about 12.5 miles with 1600 feet elevation gain in Sky Meadows State Park. We will start from the visitor center with a quick warmup climbing up North Ridge trail to the overlooks. After looping back down, we will head to lost mountain and hike almost every trail on the east side.
We hike at a pace of 3-3.5 mph when moving. Faster on flat/downhill sections. This is considered a fast hike. You must be experienced in hikes of this distance, elevation gain and speed.Leader: Xiaobin 857-408-1070
The hike leader will meet at the trailhead at 8AM.PLEASE NOTE: 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.
Trailhead: Sky Meadows Visitor Parking at 8AM
GPS Coordinates: 38.99193015785012, -77.96586598358779 https://goo.gl/maps/ppMunuKYabQcaH4w8Park Entry Fee: $10 or free if you have a Virginia State Park Pass or a receipt from participating REI stores in Virginia (details: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/pr-relz-detail?id=2016-05-18-14-32-37-164146-2x3)
Rating: A
Dogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy
Hiking Map: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uZ1XnrV92qQwTChGLe-bBFjNdtn5QcH7/view?usp=share_link
4 attendees
City Nature Challenge at Occoquan (Rating: D)
Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, 14050 Dawson Beach Rd, Woodbridge, 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.
(YOU DON'T NEED TO ATTEND THIS HIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CITY NATURE CHALLENGE. PLEASE READ ON!)
Come hike with us for up to 6ish flat miles on dirt trails along Belmont and Occoquan bays to survey birds, beasts, and blooms for the global City Nature Challenge. Even if you can't attend April 24, you can join this friendly nature competition and either survey on your own anywhere in DC, MD, and/or VA between April 24 to April 27 and/or help us (and other ordinary folks turned citizen-scientists) to identify our observations online from 4/28-5/10. You can find other in-person and/or virtual events here: https://citynaturechallengedc.org/events/
Our pace will range greatly, from dawdling to 3 mph with a plethora of stops. We’ll likely find nesting bald eagles, ospreys, and sunflower-yellow prothonotary warblers; uncommon spotted turtles; wildflowers, fungi; slinky snakes; and much more.
The hike leader is a Virginia Master Naturalist but more a jack-of-all-trades than a specialist in birding or botany. So birders, botanists, herpetologists, biologists, and others with specialized knowledge are especially welcome. But EQUALLY WELCOME ARE COMPLETE NOVICES who are excited to learn about (and protect) the goodies in our figurative and literal backyards.
IT'S EASY-PEASY TO JOIN US:
1. RSVP here.
2. Before you come, download the iNaturalist app and practice with it in your own neighborhood or in a local park. Basically you just photograph an animal, a bird, a plant, or fungi, and just upload the pic to the app or website on your computer. (No pets or cultivated plants, please.)
https://www.inaturalist.org3. OPTIONAL: Join the "City Nature Challenge 2026: Washington DC Metro Area" project on the app and join OBNWR’s own project on the app. (Not required but helpful to learn about relevant projects.)
iNat offers lots of tips, including videos, if you need help. But if you prefer some more personalized help, just post here or send the hike leader a private Meetup message.
MEET: 8 a.m. at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 14050 Dawson Beach Rd., Woodbridge, VA. Copy these GPS coordinates into Google Maps ( 38.644642, -77.244276 ) or click here for directions: https://goo.gl/maps/S1eA3aHXRCUDX5S88
https://goo.gl/maps/S1eA3aHXRCUDX5S88City Nature Challenge 2026 Washington DC Metro Area
iNat Project to join:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2026-washington-dc-metro-areaOBNWR iNat project to join:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=57206CASH: Please bring $1 cash (no change) to cover our $20 federal permit.
RESTROOMS: Near start, near middle, at end, and biobreaks in between.
OBNWR HOTSPOT ON eBIRD:
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L718641OBNWR BROCHURE & MAP:
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/occoquan-bay
https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/FINAL_OccoquanGenBrochure2018_0.pdfIMPORTANT NOTES: Adults only. No pets are even allowed in cars at this special refuge. We'll likely finish well before 1 p.m., but that's for planning purposes since we don't know what we'll discover on our hike.
BRING: Sense of humor, sense of awe, water, snack/lunch, fully charged cell phone with iNaturalist app, optional camera and/or binoculars, sunblock, hand wipes, bug spray, and dress for the weather.
WEATHER: We'll hike in light rain.
CITY NATURE CHALLENGE WASHINGTON DC METRO:
https://citynaturechallengedc.orgINATURALIST:
Nonprofit group's crowd-sourced scientific database.
https://www.inaturalist.orgVIRGINIA MASTER NATURALISTS (VMN):
http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.orgARLINGTON REGIONAL CHAPTER (ARMN) OF VMNs:
https://armn.org8 attendees
Bike Lane Brewery Hike - Short (Rating: C)
The Bike Lane, 11150 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, 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 hike runs at 8.90 miles and 380 feet elevation, just at the upper limit for a C hike. We will start at the Bike Lane Brewing &Café, at 11150 Sunset Hills, Reston VA 20190, at 9.00 am. From there we will follow the W&OD trail to Sunrise Valley Avenue. There we take a left and walk for half a mile through a residential area, then hitting the Difficult Run trail on Brittenford Drive. After about a mile, the Difficult Run trail merges with the Cross County Trail that brings us to Colvin Run Mill, where we will stop for our break. We may have a quick look at the tunnel to nowhere, to see if the works on the passway have started. After the break we will hike through Colvin Run Mill Park, all the time staying close to Colvin Run. The final part of the hike takes us through Lake Fairfax Park, and then ……. back to the Bike Lane Brewery, where we can rehydrate with noble liquids, maybe sitting outside. The weather forecast for Friday April 24 is promising.
Most of the surface is easy going, but there are some rocky parts, especially towards the end. There are two river crossings, one on well-spaced concrete pillars and one on large and well-spaced boulders. Please make sure that you take enough supplies and that you are prepared for the weather: sunscreen or raincoat!
Pace: 2½ mph when moving.
Leader: Willem Janssen, cell 202-280-4397
Rating: C
Map: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/map-october-23-2024-e3958a8?u=i&sh=g8n9nn
Dogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy
Trailhead: We will start at the parking lot at 11150 Sunset Hills, Reston, VA 20190
Coordinates: 38.948128, -77.330420
26 attendees
Rock Creek Park North (Rating: C)
Rock Creek Park Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW, Washington, DC, 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.
7 mile loop with a 679 ft. elevation gain that makes the hike the equivalent to a bit over 8.5 miles. (400 ft gain = 1 mile)
Per Park Permit Guidelines, this hike is limited to 20 Hikers
Description: Rock Creek Park is truly a gem in our nation's capital. This 1,754 acre city park was officially authorized in 1890, making it the third national park.
It offers visitors the opportunity to escape the bustle of the city and find a peaceful refuge, recreation, fresh air, majestic trees, wild animals.This hike starts from the Rock Creek Park Nature Center (Plenty of Free Parking; closed Mon/Tues), crosses Military Road heading north along the Western Ridge Trail, over the Boundary bridge and then south following the creek to the Valley Trail, and then back to the Nature Center.
Pace: pace is about 2 - 2.5 mph while moving.
Bring: adequate water/hydration, also snack/lunch, insect repellant as Tick Season is here and sturdy hiking shoes since there are rocky areas, tree roots and a stream crossing,
Dogs: Dogs are not welcome on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy.
Weather: weather in this location is HERE.
Meetup Location: we will meet in the parking lot of the Rock Creek Park Nature Center & Planetarium
(Closed Monday and Tuesdays) at5200 Glover Rd NW, Washington, DC 20015.
GPS Coordinates : 38°57'34.1"N 77°03'05.6"W
20 attendees
Past events
4786
