Name: Waterford and Winery (Rating: D)
Start: 2025-11-23T10:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-11-23T13:00:00-05:00
Location: Waterford Foundation

*You must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, [https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf](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 for a hike (5-6 miles, about 300 feet of elevation gain) that will take us back centuries in time. Our path will take us through Waterford village, one of only three National Historic Landmarks, and the surrounding countryside. First settled in 1733 by Quakers from Pennsylvania, Waterford is a unique collection of 18th- and 19th-century homes and buildings set within 1,420 acres of undeveloped land that looks much as it did when its early residents lived there.

We will go at about a 2.5 mph pace while moving, but will make a number of stops where the Vice President of the Waterford Foundation, who has been instrumental in expanding the trail network, will provide historical background and current perspective. In the village, we will see among other sites an early 1800s cemetery with Civil War veterans from both sides and the 200-hundred-year-old village mill that was central to the town's development.

Much of the hike will be exploring some of the countryside around Waterford, including a trail on the western side of Phillips Farm, which has nice vistas along Catoctin Ridge and back to the village. We also will follow the Phillips Farm Interpretive Hiking Trail through a Monarch butterfly waystation up Catoctin Creek to the dam that impounded the water to drive the millwheel. There are two small stream crossings. In a couple areas, we'll go beyond the official trail network to where the Waterford Foundation hopes to expand the trails in the future.

We will depart at 10:00 am from in front of the Waterford Old School Auditorium at 40222 Fairfax Street, Waterford, VA 20197.
GPS: 39.18673007744383, -77.60912218963709
**Plan to arrive 15 minutes early for sign in.** There is parking, but no open restrooms on weekends. The closest service station is a Shell on the corner of Routes 9 and 662, 2.7 miles south of Waterford.

I am limiting the number on this hike given the narrow streets and walkways in Waterford. Below are links to several websites about Waterford. I encourage reading up on the village before our hike to get the most out of the experience.
[https://www.waterfordvillage.org/](https://www.waterfordvillage.org/)
[https://www.waterfordvillage.org/visiting-waterford/phillips-farm-walking-trail/](https://www.waterfordvillage.org/visiting-waterford/phillips-farm-walking-trail/)
[https://www.waterfordvillage.org/visiting-waterford/waterford-walking-tour-lower-main-street/](https://www.waterfordvillage.org/visiting-waterford/waterford-walking-tour-lower-main-street/)
[https://www.waterfordfoundation.org/](https://www.waterfordfoundation.org/)
[https://www.waterfordfoundation.org/phillips-farm-land-use/](https://www.waterfordfoundation.org/phillips-farm-land-use/)
[https://waterfordcemetery.org/](https://waterfordcemetery.org/)

After the hike, there will be an optional visit to Terra Nebulo Vineyards, a small family-owned business whose property is part of a conservation easement with the Waterford Foundation. The winery is in an Amish-built reproduction of a 100-year old hay barn. No pets or outside food are allowed, but they serve wood fired pizzas and cheese balls and crackers. Please direct message me in Meetup if you would like to go as I need to give them heads up depending on numbers.
Address: 39892 Old Wheatland Road, Waterford, VA 20197
[https://www.terranebulo.com/](https://www.terranebulo.com/)

Dogs: permitted in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy on the hike only. ([https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy](https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy))

Hike Leader: Millie S 703-969-7305

Millie S 🥾🥾 

Northern Virginia Hiking Club (NVHC)

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Waterford and Winery (Rating: D)

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Northern Virginia Hiking Club (NVHC)

Waterford and Winery (Rating: D)

Northern Virginia Hiking Club (NVHC)

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