"A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered." -C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet
With September now here and fall close by, I keep reminiscing about one of our favorite hikes in Northern Virginia that is just lovely during the fall. Yes, there is actually some hiking in NoVA. No, you don't have to drive an hour+ to get there.
We lived just inside the beltway in Annandale and the parking for the Difficult Run trail took us approx. 20 minutes to get to. We followed the directions precisely on hikingupward.com on how to make this hike a loop. Okay, the first time wasn't precise at all as we went to the wrong side of the parking lot and started that trail, went almost 10 miles in the opposite direction, and didn't even suspect anything was up until we crossed 7 (super embarrassing). Just... make sure you are going towards the Potomac. The Difficult Run gets it's name from the creek (of the same name) that the trail closely follows as it flows out of the Potomac. It is not named so because it is difficult. I highly recommend doing the suggested loop and not just an out and back. The loop takes you back through some mighty poplar trees that are a stately sight to behold. The ratings on hikingupward.com are pretty true, as well. It is not a tough hike at all and you get spectacular water views up until the Great Falls. You could just go to the Great Falls directly (at the Great Falls State Park entrance), pay a fee to enter the park, deal with hoards of people, and no easy (plus beautiful) hike vs. free parking, hoards of people, and an easy (plus beautiful) hike. I think the choice is pretty obvious.
No comments:
Post a Comment