Went to Great Falls for the first time this weekend. I was horrified to see a throng of people going up and down the trails. Really took away from the experience. Are there any trails in the area that are less known?

Hans Huckibein Wrote:
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> Went to Great Falls for the first time this
> weekend. I was horrified to see a throng of people
> going up and down the trails. Really took away
> from the experience. Are there any trails in the
> area that are less known?

Check out the the CCT. Usually isn't that crowded. Has some really cool sections.

http://www.traillink.com/trail-reviews/cross-county-trail-(va).aspx

Hans Huckibein Wrote:
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> Went to Great Falls for the first time this
> weekend. I was horrified to see a throng of people
> going up and down the trails. Really took away
> from the experience. Are there any trails in the
> area that are less known?

Don't worry about that.

Transurban is putting in Hot Lanes, and they will issue a tiny easy pass that designed to be shoved up your ass.

Bull Run trail along the stream is good. Turkey Run off GW parkway.

Hans Huckibein Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Went to Great Falls for the first time this
> weekend. I was horrified to see a throng of people
> going up and down the trails. Really took away
> from the experience. Are there any trails in the
> area that are less known?


Most trails around here will be in moderate use during the summer, sort of unavoidable unless you drive far from the DC area.


Great Falls/MD side- way better than the VA side, but gets full on the weekends.

Harpers Ferry- the Overlook trail is great, gets a lot of use when it's nice weather. Do that one in conjunction with the longer Maryland Heights trail, which is not used as much and has good scenic overlooks and civil war sites.

Sugarloaf Mountain, MD- great hiking spot. can be a little crowded on the main trails near the parking lots but some of the loops are get pretty remote and you won't see anyone out there.

Mason Neck State Park- some neat little "walk in the woods" trails that don't seem to get used that much even when it's good weather.

Hans Huckibein Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Went to Great Falls for the first time this
> weekend. I was horrified to see a throng of people
> going up and down the trails. Really took away
> from the experience. Are there any trails in the
> area that are less known?


How far are you willing to drive?
Some good hikes to the west

Go out to Round Hill and hop on the Appalachian Trail at the Blackburn Trail Center. Head north for some great overlooks or hike all the way to Harpers Ferry.

Sky Meadows State Park out route 50 near Paris, VA

CCT Trail Wrote:
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> Hans Huckibein Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Went to Great Falls for the first time this
> > weekend. I was horrified to see a throng of
> people
> > going up and down the trails. Really took away
> > from the experience. Are there any trails in
> the
> > area that are less known?
>
> Check out the the CCT. Usually isn't that
> crowded. Has some really cool sections.
>
> http://www.traillink.com/trail-reviews/cross-count
> y-trail-(va).aspx

THanks. This looks pretty good. I'll have to check it out.

I second the suggestion of Sky Meadows State Park. It's very nice, but IIRC there is an admission charge at least on weekends.

It's unclear how far you're willing to walk and how far you want to drive to get to the hike.

Catoctin Mountain Park and nearby Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland near Thurmont, MD have some nice hikes.

George Washington National Forrest just over an hour west of Fairfax has nice hikes and no admission charge.

Shenandoah National Park has some of the best hikes in the area, but there is an admission charge and Skyline Drive, which runs the length of the park, often has a lot of traffic. Some trails are crowded in good weather, but after you get 1/8 of a mile off Skyline Drive the number of hikers drops dramatically on most all trails.

Below are some websites that list numerous other hikes.

http://www.midatlantichikes.com/

http://www.hikingupward.com/

http://www.trails.com/

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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. - John Cassis on manners

Ignoring juvenile attacks and remarks on the internet for over two decades.

Arguing by deflection or name-calling is an admission that you don't have a rational argument.

Try walking the bike paths around Reston. Do in the evening after it has cooled down. There is so much rich diversity to be found!

There is some sort of bike/running trail that is paved - Was a railroad bed. I saw it off of Gallows Road the other day when I went out to get a carton of cigarettes.

Johnny Smoke Wrote:
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> There is some sort of bike/running trail that is
> paved - Was a railroad bed. I saw it off of
> Gallows Road the other day when I went out to get
> a carton of cigarettes.

W&O trail, but it is always packed with bikers.

https://www.novaparks.com/parks/washington-and-old-dominion-railroad-regional-park

This is a better link for the CCT trail. There is also a mobile map app for the CCT.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/cct/

I think the Cross County Trail is a great idea, but do people really consider that "hiking"? A lot of sections are paved and it's right near residential areas and roads in a lot of places. I guess I just consider that as "going for a walk", not hiking.

Fountainhead Park and the entire Shenandoah have amazing hiking

Hike the AT, and there are no asshole bike riders to deal with.