This short out and back hike is about as good as it get's so close to the D.C. Metro area. Winding over two ridges before arriving at the Raven Rocks wall, you gain over 1,500 feet of altitude in total. As you can see from the elevation profile, this one can be a good workout.

With Saturday in the upper 50's, we managed to make this hike in t-shirts, instead of the fleeces we usually wear this time of year. And with spring not to far away, days like these make you want to head further west to hike in the larger mountains of West Virginia and western Virginia.

The view from Raven Rocks is one of the best in the area. This is also a popular area with rock climbers, as it can be accessed by a road 0.4 miles from the east.  With some of the rockiest trails in the area, make sure to wear sturdy footwear.

Scott's Run Nature Preserve, Difficult Run, and Riverbend Park all stretch along the banks of the Potomac River, just outside of the beltway. Riverbend Park is least well-known of the three.

We were originally planning to hike Scott's Run, but the parking area was jammed (which meant lots of people were getting out to enjoy the weather). So, we opted for Riverbend Park, just west of Great Falls Park.

The Riverbend Park trails intersect at a variety of points, creating many options for hike circuits. The Fairfax County Park Authority has placed benches along the Heritage Trail, which parallels the edge of the Potomac River. The benches are a great addition, especially for those hikers who may be a little older or would just enjoy a break with a beautiful view.

The trails are also in excellent shape with very few blow downs. So, if your not able to make it out to the mountains and still want to get outdoors, or if you're looking for something that would suit the whole family, consider this beautiful hike just outside of the city!

Check out the Riverbend Hike here

After the destructive November 22 ice storm in the central district of the Shenandoah National Park, the Potomac and Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) mobilized its trail maintenance crews, along with volunteers from hiking clubs across the mid-Atlantic, to help clear the trails of debris and blow-downs.

On December 9, our trail crew, led by Jim Tomlin, PATC overseer for the Great North Mountain area, cleared 3.1 miles of the Appalachian Trail, as well as the length of the popular Passamaquoddy Trail, which runs on the west side of Stony Man Mountain.

Volunteer trail maintenance is the cornerstone of the upkeep of our National Parks and Forests.

This was the stormy weekend in early October when a Nor'easter spun up the East Coast. So when I told some friends I was planning on going backpacking for the weekend, they politely asked me if I might have 'gone off my meds'. And as I was driving through sheets of rain on I81 Saturday, I began to see their point.

 Luckily, when I arrived at the trail head in WV, and met up with Mike from midatlantichikes.com who was leading a backpack that weekend, the storm had passed!

I tagged along with Mike and his group for the first day, then parted ways and hiked the 10 miles up the Cranberry River Valley solo. The valley had exploded in oranges, reds, and yellows. My gamble paid off

Check out the Cranberry River Hike here...