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
21
Sugarloaf White Yellow Blue Purple Red (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.
Join me on this lovely 8.5 mile hike at Sugarloaf Mountain near Dickerson, Maryland with 1572 feet of elevation gain. We will meet in the parking lot at 8:45 am and start hiking at 9:00.
This hike has plenty of ups and downs, with a long climb late-ish in the hike, and then a final climb to the summit before we return to our cars. The climb to the summit is quite steep and rocky. However, you can choose to skip this section and follow the well-marked White trail back to the parking lot.
We will hike at a moderate pace of 2.5-2.7 miles per hour and stop at all intersections. Although there are no serious water crossings, there may be small streams to get across. We will enjoy a brief lunch or snack at White Rocks, about 4.5 miles into the hike.
We will park at the East View Parking Lot, take the White Trail down the mountain, the Yellow Trail back up, connect to the Blue Trail to enjoy the White Rocks overlook, then go up and over the Purple Trail, back to Blue, back to White, up Red to the summit, then Orange back to the parking lot--not quite a full rainbow hike, but close!
There are two porta potties available near the parking area, as well as one at the base of the mountain. There is a suggested donation of $5, and I encourage hikers to contribute.
Dogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy. If you plan to bring a dog on this hike, please contact me about the dog’s prior hiking experience in winter conditions on rocky trails.
Leader: Becky Reickel 301-471-3641
Carpools: Meet at the Centreville Park and Ride at 7:30 a.m. Suggested carpool fee is $5.00 per rider. The leader will not be at the carpool location and will meet the group at the trailhead. Anyone intending to carpool should post a message to the group to be sure someone else will be there. GPS coordinates for Centreville Park and Ride: 38.836080, -77.455327. https://goo.gl/maps/hc3LRG7Hsy2wMJs18
Trailhead: Meet at the Sugarloaf East View Parking lot at 8:45 am for our 9:00. start. GPS coordinates: 39.260338, -77.390338.
https://goo.gl/maps/HyHoWHCFEJXrcDYB8Park entry fee: Suggested Donation is $5
Rating: A
Map for the hike: 01302025 Sugarloaf Color Hike on AllTrails
https://api-v5.alltrails.com/explore/recording/activity-january-30-2025-5807a68-3?p=-1&sh=zg5qvz&utm_medium=map_share&utm_source=alltrails_virality6 attendees
Goats and Horses - Gabrielson Garden Park Reston/Oakton (Rating: C)
Walker Nature Center, 11450 Glade Dr, 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 is an 7.5-mile hike with 600 feet of elevation gain through the woodlands of Reston and Oakton. On the hike we'll pass horse paddocks and may even see a group of curious goats. This is one of my favorite sections of the Cross County Trail and probably the least traveled. Thanks to Tom Underwood for the photo.
We'll start at the Walker Nature Center and pick up the Cross County Trail (CCT) for an out and back of the northern half of CCT Section . Our turn will be at Gabrielson Garden Park,
Park on Glade Road so the Nature Center parking lot can be kept open for the Center's pre-school activities and drop-offs.We hike at a pace of approximately 2.5 mph while moving. You must be experienced with hikes of this length and elevation gain.
Dogs are welcome on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicyhttps://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolic
Leader: Steve Frith cell 703-629-0174
Park Entry Fee: $0.00
Map for hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/gabrielson-garden-goats-horse-steve-frith-4cc5400?u=i&sh=iypgzx30 attendees
Nicholson Hollow to Corbin Cabin (Rating: B)
Old Rag Parking (Ranger Station), 2577 Nethers Rd, Etlan, 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 Nicholson Hollow Trail is an 8 mile out and back hike with ~1150 feet of elevation gain. The hiking pace will be between 2.0 – 2.5 MPH while moving.
The trail is well maintained and follows the Hughes River for almost the entire hike ending at Corbin Cabin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corbin_Cabin where we will have lunch either at the cabin or near the river. There are 4 stream crossings in each direction in which you step from one big rock to another. Crossings are easy unless there has been lots of rain (I have seen hikers slip, fall in, and get their boots wet).
Park Entrance fee: $30/car. A Senior Pass or other National Park Pass will cover the park entrance fee.
Parking is at the Old Rag Parking Upper Lot at GPS coordinates 38.5718, -78.2941. This is the smaller of the two Old Rag Parking lots and is the one designated for horse trailers and RVs and across a footbridge from the Ranger Station. You'll need to pay your park entry fee or show your park pass at the Ranger Station.
Hike Difficulty Rating: B (Moderately difficult)
https://nvhc.com/hikeinfo/ratings/Map of the trail and parking can be found at:
pdf map
https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/02f6o85N70LS7SJnubqvPHFPA#Nicholson_Hollow_to_Corbin_CabinDogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. Please note that dogs may find it difficult to traverse some of the stream crossings.
https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicyGeology
This entire hike is on the older Billion+ year old basement rocks. These rocks consist of granites which are easy to walk on, one of the reasons this hike seams so pleasant.9 attendees
Turkey Run-Langley Oaks-Dead Run: Bluebells-a hunting we will go (Rating: C)
Turkey Run Loop Road, McLean, 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.
5 mile loop with 476 ft. of elevation
Please Note: The hike requires quite a bit of maneuvering
(rock scrambles, stream crossings, ascent/descent using ropes, over/under trees).This hike is only suitable if the Potomac River level is
not high and there has not been much rain in the previous
week which would make the streams difficult to cross.DESCRIPTION:
Come join me for this fun trail and enjoy this beautiful spring weather! We will descend from Turkey Run Park to the Potomac River to hike along the Potomac Heritage Trail for a short distance before turning off towards Langley Oaks Park on our way to Dead Run where we'll stop for a snack/lunch break lounging on the rocks! We will then head back along the River to the parking lot.Bring: adequate hydration, sturdy shoes, poles, snack/lunch
Pace: We hike at a pace of 2.0 to 2.5 mph while moving.
Dogs: No dogs on this hike per [NVHC Dog Policy]
Park Entry Fee: $0.00
Where to Meet: We will begin at Turkey Run Park Lot C1 off of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. There is plenty of parking.
I have a Honda Fit, the hatchback will be up.
Please arrive by 9:15 am to allow time for signing in. We'll start hiking at 9:30am.GPS Coord: 38.964339, -77.153148
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KDBQ5BdcVQRGHCnP7BLUEBELLS in Northern Virginia
Rehydration: TBD
Leader: Dawn Keeler message me here or text to 703 533 9231
27 attendees
Past events
4772
