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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.
Предстоящие события
21
Bull Run-Occoquan Trail to Hemlock pond (Rating: B)
Bull Run Marina, 12619 Old Yates Ford Rd., Clifton, 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 us for a hike on the Bull Run-Occoquan Tr starting from near the Bull Run Marina and going to Hemlock Pond.
Need to Know Information:
*Hike Starts: 9:00 AM (Please arrive a 8:45AM to sign in)
*Distance: 10 miles
*Elevation gain: 958 feet elevation gain
*Pace: Moderate Pace of 2.0-2.5 mph when moving.
You must be experienced in hikes of this distance, pace and elevation gain.
*TRAILHEAD Location: Parking lot at the intersection of Old Yates Ford Rd and Kincheloe Rd 38.743867, -77.384127 https://maps.app.goo.gl/73nXizz68AEdJYya6
*Park Entrance Fee N/A
*CARPOOLING: For those who are looking to carpool, feel free to use the comment section to organize.
*AllTrails map: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/custom-routes/bull-run-occoquan-tr-to-hemlock-pond-e21f5cfNeither the Club nor the hike leaders are responsible for coordinating transportation to/from the trailhead. Carpooling is organized by the participants and they participate at their own risk.
*Dogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicyhttps://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolic
Leaders: Becky M. 703-229-9699 and David C. 571-643-3897 and Sadie Mae 🐕20 участников
Bear Church Rock (Rating: A)
Graves Mill Boundary Access, Graves Rd, Madison, 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.
A 9 mile hike with ~2100' of uphill with a visit to remote Bear Church Rock and excellent views on central SNP via Staunton River and Jones Mountain Trails. In addition we will take two side trips to see remnants of chestnut trees and the Jones Mtn cabin.
Hike rating: A-difficult
https://nvhc.com/2020/hikeinfo/ratings/
Optional — There are 2 side trails that you may eliminate to reduce the difficulty down to a B-hike.Pace: 2 - 2½ mph going uphill, a bit faster downhill
Leader: Harvey
Driving Time to trailhead: 1 hr 30 minutes from Centerville Park and Ride. Feel free to organize car pools in the comments section below.
Park entry fee: $0
Dogs: permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy
Hike map:
pdf map:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oL2vdQVmAdvq-IOU7TzzF0jbzK_-NQ0q/view?usp=sharing
GaiaGPS map:
https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=13.5/-78.4030/38.4521&layer=GaiaTopoRasterMetersGeology:
Bear Church Rock is one of the few hikes on the older (1+ billion year old) basement granites. I find this granitic rock easier to hike on than the more ubiquitous Cotoctin formation which is prevalent for much of the AT in northern Virginia and Maryland.In addition there are recent Debris-flow deposits which are the result of catastrophic landslides from excessive rain. A storm in 1995 caused debris flows and floods in the area between the Robinson River to the North and Conway River to the South in Madison County. As much as 2¼ ft of rain fell in a 50 sq mi area, which resulted in about 1,000 debris flows in Madison County. We will see evidence of these debris flows as we hike up the Staunton River at the start of the hike.
15 участников
Bluebells and wildflowers (longer hike)- Seneca Regional Park (Rating: C)
Seneca Regional Park, 101 Seneca Rd, Great Falls, 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.
Seneca Park has some of the best Bluebell fields in Northern Virginia. We did a shorter version of this hike last Friday, 3 April 2026, and the bluebell fields were spectacular. Go take a look athe photos posted for the 3 April 26 Bluebell hike if you'd like a preview. They should be in their full glory next week. This is an enjoyable ~ 7.3 mile hike with ~780 feet of elevation gain.
We'll start by hiking through a full growth hardwood forest of Elm, Ash Trees, and Tulip Poplars, the tallest deciduous tree in North America. We'll then connect to the Potomac Heritage Trail with its wildflowers and massive Sycamore trees. The hike is a loop with an "out and back" tail. Part of the hike will be along the Patowmack Channel created by a series of islands in the river.We hike at a pace of aprox. 2.5 mph while moving. You must have experience with hikes of this length and elevation gain. There are no formal restrooms available at the Park. GPS Coordinates:39.03'00.1"N 77.20'04.3"W for the Trailhead.
Dogs are welcome on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicyhttps://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolic
Leaders: Steve Frith cell 703-629-0174
Willem Janssen cell 202-280-4307Park Entry Fee: $0.00
33 участников
Laurel Run-Hidden Falls (Rating: A)
Centreville Park & Ride, 14700 Lee Hwy, Centreville, VA, US## Details
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.
You must be experienced with hikes of this distance, elevation gain, and pace. This hike is just shy of an A+ hike.
This is a strenuous 10 mile hike with 3000' elevation gain in the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. The hike begins on the Laurel Run trail which will ascend to the top of Great North Mountain. We then take a left and follow the ridge on the North Mountain Trail with several overlooks. We descend on the Falls Ridge trail then on an unofficial trail to a beautiful hidden waterfall where we will have lunch. The trail down to the falls is quite steep, and there is a brief scramble to reach the base of the falls. I suggest poles as it may be tricky to negotiate with the fallen leaves. Then we retrace our steps with a 1000' climb to the Stack Rock trail and take the Laurel Run Spur trail (.8 mile road walk) back to the cars. We hike at a 2.5 mph when moving.
Dogs are not recommended because of the scramble near the base of the falls. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy
Carpools: Meet at the Centreville Park and Ride at 7:15am. Drive time to trailhead about 90 minutes. Suggested carpool fee is $10. Trailhead parking is limited so carpooling is recommended. The leader will be at the carpool location. GPS Coordinates: 38.836038, -77.455371
Meet at the Laurel Run trailhead by 9:00am, GPS Coordinates: 38.902889, -78.732754, park on the side of the road near the yellow gate.
In the event the gate at FR252 is closed, the alternative parking is just before the gate. This will add about 3 miles to the hike. The gates are scheduled to be open, but with the recent staffing cuts, we may encounter a closed gate.
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.
Park Entry Fee: $0
Rating: A
Written Map for hike.
Alltrails: Hidden Falls##
7 участников
Прошедшие события
4761
