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| By:
WkdWarrior
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Date of Hike: Sunday, April 25, 2010 |
| My husband and I were looking for an easy but long hike a short distance from DC, and this fit the ticket--there were some moderate hills that got us sweating a bit, but no more than a 2.5 on a scale of 5 for difficulty. There was some nice scenery--the ponds and streams are quite beautiful, and the Boy Scout-built bridges are fun--and we only encountered a couple people on the trail (close to HQ). What we were not prepared for, however, were the gnats--they swarmed and followed us EVERYWHERE. Definitely wear ample bug spray for this hike and keep your arms and legs covered if possible. I was also quite disappointed by the "Butterfly Alley" portion of the hike, which takes you in a straight line over grassland under huge buzzing power lines--there weren't many butterflies (the gnats had taken over), and it was not at all scenic. There were lots of muddy areas and we got a bit splattered, but as long as you're wearing sturdy sneakers, you'll be fine. Overall, a fine option if you're unwilling to drive for multiple hours from DC and are willing to deal with the bugs.
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| By:
Airwva
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Date of Hike: Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
| This was the first hike that my wife and I took together and I would highly recommend it for beginners. Didn't see much wildlife, however the scenery made up for it. The hike wasn't difficult but the trip around the Piney Run Spur was a decent workout. Can't wait to try it in the spring.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Friday, August 21, 2009 |
| The prior two reviews emphasize what I liked most about this hike: the solitude, and the little things. I had the entire property to myself on this hot and steamy Friday morning. It's true that there are no overwhelming vistas on this property (although the scenery at Gordon Pond is quite nice), it was the lesser views that were so pleasing: the bench at Piney Island, the bridges across the streams, Jonathon's Rock, and the multi-colored algae on Wortman pond.
A note of caution: keep your trail map handy. Though it is very accurate, there are many intersections along the way at which you will need to orient yourself.
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| By:
Walt G
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Date of Hike: Sunday, August 16, 2009 |
| I took my 6 year old daughter for a 3 hour hike on the recommended route minus the Legacy Loop. Basically a nice walk in the woods, not too strenuous and a few interesting things to see. The interesting sights are not big open vistas, but smaller things. Frogs in a stream, the Boy Scout built bridge on the Little Turtle Trail, a bleached turkey vulture skull, the wildflowers in Butterfly Alley. The quiet was nice, we didn’t see any other hikers on the trails.
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| By:
Libby
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Date of Hike: Monday, July 13, 2009 |
| The best part of this hike was the solitude, by far. My fiancee and I didn't see a single other person during our whole trek, which was a welcome change from some of the other trails we've done in NoVa. It was not physically challenging, though the gradual up and down grades did make for a decent work out. Definitely bring bug spray with you if you do it.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, June 28, 2008 |
I took MRSHyker here for her birthday. We did the circuit shown here. It was a very pleasant walk in the woods with some short, modest climbs thrown in to let you know you were in the mountains. We found the Gordon Pond area to be a nice break spot. If you're into flora and fauna you can find at least 12 different species of wildflowers here. Most of these will be along Butterfly Alley (the power line swath) but others can be found in the wooded areas as well. We saw White Avens, Deptford Pinks, Black-eyed Susans, Fleabane, Ox-eye Daisies, Foxglove Beardtongue, Scarlet Pimpernel, Venus Looking Glass, Hyssop Skullcap, Tall Bellflower, Butterfly Weed, Common Milkweed, White Vervain and Yarrow just to name a few.
Definitely bring a copy of the map but be aware of one possible point of confusion. It looks like there is only one place to ford Piney Run where the Little Turtle, Piney Run Spur and Farmstead trails come together but you have 2 chioces. If you cross at the southernmost one where an attempt at building a bridge is being made (See photo on this site.) you will arrive at one of the "historic cabins". There is no sign for the Piney Run Spur Trail at this point but it is to the left behind a wood gate of sorts. If you follow it north a short distance to the other ford you will find a more complete set of signs.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Sunday, June 22, 2008 |
| I took my two son's ages 7 and 11 out on a two and a half hour hike today on this trail.We printed out the map which came in real handy.We did maybe 3 to 4 miles and have planty of trails to still go out on.I will take my boy's back out here agian. We liked it over all and look forward to more exploration on this system.We will try to hook up with the AT next time!
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