The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) is a 100% volunteer supported organization that formed in…read more1927 for the purpose of building and maintaining the Appalachian Trail (AT). PATC was the 1st club of the now 30+ clubs who preserve the AT & its side-trails from Maine to Georgia. While they run hike groups, the primary purpose of the organization is to get people involved in trail management including keeping the footpath clear of natural overgrowth and blowdowns; building and relocating sections of the footpath, building and repairing shelters and other structures, caring for overnight sites as well as educating Trail users. PATC covers 1000 total miles of trails in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia & Virginia, including 240 miles of the AT. This is the headquarters location, but their are chapters all over the region. The HQ has a small store, but you can also order online via the website. In additional to the website you can find information on events via https://www.meetup.com/PATCVolunteerEvents/

I don't recommend anyone to book a cabin reservation through PATC. I had a terrible experience this…read morepasted Labor Day weekend. I booked a reservation for friday and saturday stay, unfortunately I wasn't able to get to the cabin. My partner and I drove a F150 4x4. We came across several issues on the road to name a few, we entered a dirt road and shortly after we encountered a fallen tree obscuring the road we barely passed through scrapping the top of the truck. Secondly, we arrived at the gate and were unable to drive up the hill due to the lack of maintenance on the road. It had so many deep potholes and the left side of the road was so uneven even if we were to pass through, we could've potentially damaged the truck. Third, a car followed us up the hill and waited at the shared parking space watching us as we attempted to drive up the hill several times. We felt uneasy and unsafe to be completely honest. It was getting dark, and we left. I emailed them over the weekend and since i didn't get a response i called today. I spoke to Ben the cabin coordinator, he was very disrespectful, rude and unprofessional. He disregarded my email and said he would get to it eventually. I tried explaining all this over the phone, he didn't care to listen and refused to help me. I requested a refund since i didn't stay in the cabin due to the poor road conditions. I've never been spoken to with so much hostility specially when i paid a fee to become a member. I tried explaining what occurred and he didn't want to hear it and said, "if i want to go back and forth and argue he can through email" and "the membership isn't for me". Ben didn't try to solve the issue in any way. If you're looking to book a cabin save yourself the headache and book through Airbnb at least they are open 7 days a week and they provide good customer service. I hope the phone calls are recorded because management should look into Ben's demeanor.

Grading on the curve of "it's in Maryland", this is a fantastic trail!…read more If this were west of the rockies though, it would be A-OK. There is one tiny section where you actually have to scramble. The rest of it is pretty much a moderate hike with some lite route-finding. We saw multiple snakes on the way in, which were the highlight. Definitely worth doing if you're in the area, but probably not worth a dedicated trip if you're in DC proper.

Not a reflection of the trail as a whole, but when I stopped back on this occasion I was dismayed…read more It was one thing during the peak of the COVID era when there were signs up saying this trail was to be undertaken in one direction only. People were throwing around all sorts of silly rules out of desperation in those days. I doubt any lives were saved by this; maybe the theory was to reduce human contact but realistically, we're talking about hiking in open air. Public health aside, I return to find even now there are still signs saying to take the trail one way. And having done it both ways many times, it's the wrong way! Absurd. Supposedly there's some justification, but I think that grown adults can figure out how to hike in two directions without running into each other. As an overall natural resource, it remains a gem (though it must be noted that the Billy Goat B trail downstream is currently closed due to damage). But whoever is making these stupid rules shouldn't be in the business of making rules at all. Thankfully some rebels were taking the trail in the northernly direction, as well they should.

Located in the Derwood/Rockville area of Moco!…read more My alumni association recently did a hike here but I missed it so I decided to explore this trail on my own. I visited on an early Sunday morning. I parked off Avery Road and there were a few cars already there. The change of scenery was nice. I enjoyed the scenic and peaceful views!

This is a lovely park, with plenty of hiking options and the feel of being in deep woods while…read moreactually located in the middle of town (Rockville). The lake itself is gorgeous, and always so picturesque.... I have hiked the Lakeside Trail a few times, which is about three miles and mostly wooded, with two creek crossings (one easy, the other more difficult, requiring stepping on stones that could be slippery or even, at times, underwater). The first time we hiked the trail we did get lost as we skipped the difficult creek crossing and ended up going straight, and almost right back out of park...so bring water to drink and wear (or bring) a pair of shoes that can handle the creek water (it's not safe to swim--so I'm assuming, or wade around--in). UPDATE: Part of the Lakeside Trail has construction going on around it (near the easier stream crossing) and last time we encountered it we decided to turn around rather than trying to get around the mess...but there are other parts of the trail to explore, including hiking along the path that' intersects with Rock Creek Trail (or you can go around the other end of the Lakeside Trail, close to the Avery Park entrance...) Usually when we're here we don't do the entire trail, anyway, but turn around at various points, depending upon how long we want to walk. Although the park does get busy on weekends (and it can be difficult to get a parking spot at the Avery Park lot) the further along the trails you go the less people you'll encounter. Weekdays are also pretty peaceful. I look forward to visiting the Meadowside Nature Center when it reopens--this is located at the other park entrance at Muncaster Mill Road.

This is such an amazing big, lush, tranquil park connecting multiple neighbourhoods and at least…read moretwo smaller parks, such as Valley Crest Park. The trails are shaded and part paved, part unpaved, and mostly flat. The round stepping stones (pictured) across certain sections of the creek, believe it or not, were one of the biggest initial draws for me, and they were actually even more fun to hop through in person, not to mention that the surrounding views and sounds were gorgeous! I appreciate this green space being maintained and available to the community.

This suburban greenway connects some neighborhoods and athletic facilities. It gets to the point…read morewhere you can hear birdsong and not cars while being a pretty small stretch of land. The creek has a couple of easy crossings. It's not a destination and I just stopped in on the way to something else, but green spaces like this (even when they are brown for the winter) are important.

We were headed to Scotts Run for a hike and found that it was closed so we happened upon Difficult…read moreRun. The parking lot was tight. It was a Saturday and when we got there (around 1pm), only a few spots were available and when we left (~3:30pm) there were cars lined up waiting for people to leave. This was our first time and we were not sure which way to go as the maps were not 100% clear. After asking some folks which way they directed us to the trail (turns out it was their first time also). The direction they sent us took us in the direction of Great Falls. The path was easy, flat and not difficult at all. There was lots of tree cover that kept things cool. The path follows a stream. The water was very clear and we could see tadpoles and fish. Overall a nice walking trail. Would not mind going back to explore more or it.

This isn't going to be confused with ease, but it's not too difficult as well. Hiking this is a lot…read moreof fun. The amount of wildlife you'll see, it's a fun spot. Yes it can get busy due to being a popular destination. My recommendation is to get here early. Bring a backpack with lunch. Love that this is slightly rugged. Amazing rock formations. You can get to Great Falls from here. That alone is winning. The views are quite nice, and it's always a pleasure to hike this area. Definitely wear good shoes.

Plummers Island is an island covering 12-acres seated in the Potomac River approximately nine miles…read moreupriver from Washington, DC. Owned by the U.S. Nationals Park Service, the island purportedly holds the distinction of being the most scientifically studied island in North America. Every plant species present in this island has been catalogued and its DNA analyzed. Getting to the island is most easily done by boat or kayak, or you can attempt to forge the waterway at the island's southeastern tip, where there is a makeshift log bridge.

This 12-acre island is located in the Potomac River in Maryland. You have to do a short hike to…read moreget here through the forest and then cross some rocks or ride a small boat. A cabin is located at the top of the island and has some nice views. The Washington Biologists Field Club takes care of the island and conducts research there.

Came here with a group for kayaking. Only they ran out of kayaks before noon. So some of us had to…read morerent standup paddle boards instead. There is a slightly more expensive pricing for folks not residing in Fairfax, Loudon, Alexandria, or Arlington counties. But they don't really verify...so as long as you put down an address within those counties on your waiver, then you are good to go. See my pics for the pricing as of Aug 2023. The Sat I came, they seemed very short staffed with only two people managing the rental payments and forms and then another 2 manning all the boats/boards. So we pretty much ended up having to launch and bring back our vessels ourselves. They have very limited 2 person kayaks and they require kids under 12 to be in a boat with another adult so be prepared. In addition to kayaks they have jon boats and stand up paddle boards. You can bring your own vessel but there are launch prices. The lake is quite large so 1 hour is still not enough to explore its entirety even if you were powering through. The boat rental process is this: 1) Each person needs to fill out a waiver (just one page), you need to keep the yellow paper on you and return it when you come back. 2) Payments can be done per person or by group and they accept Apple Pay 3) Go down to the dock, hand them your form 4) They will tell you which vessel you can pick and hand you life vests and paddle(s) 5) Go have fun 6) Return the vessel 7) Bring back the yellow form to the rental house Not sure why we need to keep a piece of paper on us while out on the water. I've rented boats in many other places and all they needed was the vessel back. I guess to prevent theft...but they log the number assigned to the vessel on the form prior to you renting so...But at least there isn't an entrance fee to this park and there isn't really much else to do besides activities around the water front. There is a trail that leads to Bull Run, but there isn't say a playground, picnic area, or sports fields. Parking is pretty limited but you can park along the side of the road.

One of my dogs favorite hiking spots. The bike trails are good too, although this park is nestled…read moreway out of suburban NOVA areas like FFX.