Maryland’s Sugarloaf Mountain, the area’s best known example of a monadnock, features a network of zigzagging trails, just an hour’s drive from Washington, DC. While climbing Sugarloaf itself is the park’s key attraction, the Blue Trail (a.k.a. Northern Peaks Trail) triples the fun with rocky climbs to three nearby summits, plus a short detour to …
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The Rosemont Loop in Washington, DC’s Rock Creek Park comes from the annals of hiking obscura: the hike rarely appears on maps or even on the Internet. Leaving no stone unturned, however, those in search of complete mastery of Rock Creek Park can try this leafy and pleasant walk, wedged in a small strip of …
Like most marshy environments, the defining feature of the Mason Neck peninsula is, of course, the water that surrounds it. Despite being well upstream of the ocean, the Potomac River at Mason Neck still ebbs and flows with the Atlantic tides, and the inlets of Belmont Bay and Kane’s Creek give life to freshwater wetlands …
The Deer Creek Trail is, without a doubt, not the best trail in Maryland. It’s probably not even the best in Susquehanna State Park. But there is at least something soothing about the surroundings on this largely wooded loop hike, situated just off the Susquehanna River in northeast Maryland. Here lofty trees, many devoid of …
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The Portland Trail, just outside Ouray in southwest Colorado, offers close-up views of one of the area’s most striking features: a highly sculpted, bowl-shaped cliff face known as the Amphitheater. While composed mainly of grayish, volcanic rock, this west-facing wall is illuminated in the evening light, bringing out the whites, yellows, and purples and allowing …
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The Ouray Perimeter Trail, as the name suggests, forms a circuit around the picturesque town of Ouray in southwest Colorado. Far from being an easy city walk, however, this rugged track traverses high ledges, crosses deep canyons, and passes waterfalls and rocky outcrops in a half-day hike that offers vistas of Ouray from all sides. …
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Most DC residents who know the Billy Goat Trail brag of completing the iconic Section A—a rugged and challenging hike in Maryland’s Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. While Section A’s Potomac vistas and rocky traverses make it one of the area’s most popular hikes, there are in fact two other sections of the …
Continue reading Billy Goat Trail – Section B (Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, MD)
Today, Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park is beloved by picnickers, nature-goers, and adventurers on America’s East Coast. While few dispute the merits of conservation to protect majestic lands like the Blue Ridge Mountains, it is important to recognize, however, the costs of seizing land for federal protection. Shenandoah’s Fox Hollow Trail—situated across Skyline Drive from the …
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- Revolutionary War Series - The Crossing Trail in Virginia’s Prince William Forest Park is effectively a walk in the woods with a historic twist: the highlight of this short, easy circuit is where it crosses the old Telegraph Road, which served as the main artery for north-south travelers in the area for centuries. It …
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Prince William Forest Park spans 17,000 acres of peaceful woods, hills, and rolling streams on the edge of the Tidewater region of eastern Virginia, roughly 30 miles southwest of Washington, DC. The Birch Bluff Trail Loop offers a short but pleasant stroll that takes off just behind the Visitor Center near the park entrance. The …
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Live and Let Hike 