Sugarloaf White Yellow Blue Purple Red (Rating: B)

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.

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 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!

The weather is supposed to be in the 20s and low 30s on Tuesday, but with a high of 41 Sunday and 54 Monday, I don't think we'll have any ice on the trails.

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 $4.00 per rider. The leader will not be at the carpool location and will meet the group at the trailhead. Anyone intending to carpool may want to 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/HyHoWHCFEJXrcDYB8

Park 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_virality