Wildcat Mountain - Virginia


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Length Difficulty Streams Views Solitude Camping
5.2 mls N/A
Hiking Time:
Elev. Gain:
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Resources:
3.5 hours plus a half hour for lunch
1,510 ft
The Nature Conservancy
Many of the trails, including the Tom, Wendy and John trails,
    enter private property. The trails are displayed as dashed on
    the map here, and are included for reference only.
    Please do not trespass on private property.
    Dogs are NOT permitted
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From:

e.g. 12000 Government Center Parkway 22035 or Fairfax VA
From VA691/Carter Run Rd. turn onto England Mountain Rd. (marked private). In 150 yards paved England Mountain Rd. becomes gravel, continue for 50 yards and park on the right at the Wildcat Mountain parking area and kiosk.

This is one of Virginia's hidden jewels, and also one of the very few hikes we have tagged as a for solitude. Managed by The Nature Conservancy the Wildcat Mountain Natural Area is situated on a plateau between three mountains, and has a virtual labyrinth of hiking trails. The two main loop hikes are 2.9 miles and 5.2 miles in length.

In the 1960's a large portion of Wildcat Mountain was bequeathed to The Nature Conservancy for stewardship, and is now available for public hiking. The main Wildcat Mountain Loop is well marked with yellow blazes, however most of the trails/fire roads in the preserve are not signed or blazed. The longer figure eight loop we have mapped here uses many of these unsigned trails.

From the parking area walk up the gravel road for 120 yards to the point where road veers left onto private property. Turn right, following the trail signs for the Wildcat Mountain Natural Area and shortly pass a chain gate. Begin the steepest section of the hike as trail makes several switchbacks for 0.4 miles before reaching a stone wall and intersection of the main loop.

Turn left following the trail signs as it descends the ridge for 0.6 miles before turning right and following one of the many small fire roads. The fire road will veer left uphill, then pass around a small rise before reaching a split in the road in 0.3 miles.

Stay left downhill and cross a stream. Climb 50 yards to the next intersection where the yellow blazed Wildcat Mountain loop trail turns right. If you wish to do the shorter 2.9 mile hike turn right and continue to follow the trail signs. For the longer 5.2 mile loop TURN LEFT OFF the blazed trail onto the unmarked fire road, and in 0.1 miles arrive at a four-way intersection with the named John Trail directly ahead uphill.

Turn left onto an unmarked fire road as is winds around the mountain before reaching the next trail junction on a ridge in another 0.2 miles. Turn right uphill on the ridge and arrive at the next intersection in 0.2 miles. Turn right on the Enon Church Trail (no signage here) for 125 yards to the next intersection. Turn left uphill off the Enon Church Trail and in 0.2 miles come to a stone wall.

At the stone wall the trail will split, the Tom Trail on the left/west side of the wall, and Wendy Trail on the east/north side. Stay on the right side of the wall and Wendy Trail as it turns right uphill for 0.1 miles to the intersection of the Mayberry Trail. Turn right onto the Mayberry Trail for 0.2 miles to a four way intersection with the John Trail (no signage at this junction, however just before arriving at the John Trail pass a sign on the left for the Mayberry Trail).

Turn right downhill on the John Trail shortly passing around a stone wall, then in 0.2 miles pass through an intersection with an unnamed trail on the left, and in 50 yards the signed Enon Church Trail on the right. Continue downward on the John Trail for 0.3 miles back to the four way intersection, and beginning of the John Trail you passed earlier.

Turn left uphill for 100 yards to the junction of a wider fire road. Turn right on the fire road for 0.3 miles and arrive at the Smith and Spring Houses. Continue straight (do not follow the yellow blazed trail to the right downhill past the Spring House), and once again join the yellow blazed Wildcat Mountain loop trail as it crosses over the earth embankment of a small pond. In 0.2 miles from the pond arrive at a stone wall and fire road intersection on the right. Remain straight following the trail signs for 0.5 miles where the trail turns right off the fire road. Follow the trail signs now downhill before arriving back at the beginning of the loop in another 0.3 miles.

Turn left downhill at the end of the stone wall, retracing the route 0.4 miles back to the parking area.

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Hiker Reviews For The Wildcat Mountain Hike (5 Most Recent)
Review the Wildcat Mountain hike here!   Average Review Rating:

By: Rating: Date of Hike: Sunday, March 07, 2010
This was a really nice hike with a great bunch of old and new friends. The hike itself was short but had a couple of good climbs. The weather was perfect with sunshine and blue blue skies. After the hike, we were lucky to find Claire's at the Depot in Warrenton (http://www.clairesrestaurant.com/). What a great restaurant. One of the nicest I have been to in quite a while. It is open on Sundays from 10:30-2:00. Reservations are recommended but we arrived without having made one. The maitre d' went out of his way to arrange a table to sit the 8 of us. The service was wonderful. The staff had a great attitude. The food was wonderful. I would hike Wildcat Mountain again just to have an excuse to return to Claire's.

By: Rating: Date of Hike: Saturday, December 12, 2009
Great hike for this time of year.  No leaves on the trees so you can see some of the views, plus the ground is frozen rather than muddy.  I can image parts of this trail must get pretty soppy in the spring and early fall.  Most of the trails are rather wide or are fire roads with the exception of the first and last sections. The map was extremely helpful to avoid wandering onto private property since some of the trails are not marked.  Worth noting, no dogs allowed.  I didn't realize until AFTER the hike, but I saw one other person with a dog so I'm guessing it's not strictly enforced.

By: Patrick Rating: Date of Hike: Sunday, August 16, 2009
We did an afternoon/evening hike on this hot August day. The map and directions on this site are essential as there are turns and intersecting trails.  Tall grasses encroach the trail and we picked up a bad case of chigger bites.

By: Melissa Jean Rating: Date of Hike: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Went hiking with my sibs and Dad. Enjoyed the day. Saw a turtle and a snake skin in a tree. Many ticks. Even so it was a great day. The walk wasn't tough and was a good distance for a bunch of couch potatoes.  It took about two and a half hours with several fig newton breaks.  No views at all but the spring and Smith houses were nice. The ground was soft and damp and a nice change from foot hurting rock, Won't race back but am glad I went. Kudos to the Conservancy!

By: Rating: Date of Hike: Saturday, April 18, 2009

I really enjoyed this hike, more than I thought I would.  It was just tough enough to make me sweat but not too much to make me not enjoy the time out.  At just an hour from where I live, it is perfect.  I would recommend this to anyone in NOVA/DC area.  You can't beat the proximity that goes along with the remoteness

There are some good views from this hike but nothing spectacular and most likely very little when the leaves are on the trees.  There are a lot of interesting stone outcroppings and some creeks that needed crossing but I stayed dry.

There are maybe a half a dozen stone walls along the hike that used to serve as boundaries for a bunch of small farms that existed in the area during the 18th and 19th centuries.  You'll also come across both the small "Spring House" and the Smith house which is an old farm house that they have maintained.  I didn't know what the rules were for the house so I didn't explore it.

Wildcat Mountain is a great place to be out in nature.  I hiked this on a beautiful Saturday and only ran into a couple of people.

The main Wildcat Trail is only about 2.2 miles but you can go off on the longer loop that is recommended and you will enjoy it.  The whole area is a labrynth of trails so you could potentially create your own hike.

Like any time you go out into the woods, you should always bring a map.  It amazes me how many people I've seen on here who complain about the "confusing" trails at various hikes and how they got lost.  Always always always have a map with you.  While most of the trails in this area are decently marked, some intersections were not either because the sign had fallen down or whatever.  If you have a map, you'll do alright.

I can't really say anything bad about this hike.  Some might not like it because it doesn't have all that many great views or because its not strenuous.  I will definitely make this one of my regular hikes!


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