We were lucky the with weather, and the temps stayed in the high 80’s with low haze. There were great views on the Austin Mountain ridge of the Furnace Mountain summit, as well as a  vista from the Furnace Mountain summit overlook, back to the Austin Mountain ridge we had just hiked a few hours earlier.

The Austin and Furnace Mountains loop is one of the most strenuous day hikes in the Shenandoah National Park. Not only is the hike long, at over 13 miles, but the steep descent down the Austin Mountain ridge, and long climb up the exposed Furnace Mountain trail, makes the 3000+ vertical feet of gain seem even that much harder.

If you’re looking for a challenging day hike in the SNP, this may well be a good choice. But remember to filter some water at Madison Run before heading up the Furnace Mountain Trail. The long ascent up the ridge is exposed in a lot of places, and you can go through some water fast!

It's not often that we find a brand new hiking area so close to Metro Washington DC, and never one with as much to offer as the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES).

With multiple circuits possible, from the shorter 1.8 mile Farmstead Loop passing a wildlife pond, valley views, two old homesteads, and several pastures, to combining the Farmstead Loop with several of the higher mountain loops to form a 6.2 mile perimeter hike. This area has a hike for everyone.

The Robert and Dee Leggett Foundation purchased Mountain View farm in 1999 as a home for the Blue Ridge Center and to preserve the land's history. If you’re looking for a new hike close to the metro area, the BRCES is one you may want to try before the word gets out :)

Douthat State Park is one of Virginia's jewels. Voted among the nation’s 10 best state parks, it has more than 43 miles of trails. Beards Mountain has just as many beautiful vistas as the Blue Suck Falls Hike, which is the other circuit hike in the park. Both hikes feature lots of Mountain laurel, which blooms in early June.

We were last at Douthat at this same time last year. It was even more beautiful than we remembered. The trails are in fantastic condition with good blazing and signage throughout.

We'll have to make it back again next spring to hike Beards Mountain and make it to the two overlooks that we missed this time out. But we don’t really need a reason :). We could visit this park again and again, just for the beauty of the valley.

Cacapon Resort State Park is a beautiful area of over 6,000 acres. There is something for everyone here. A virtual labyrinth of over 20 miles of hiking trails, a trap shooting range, horseback riding, swimming and boating, as well as fishing in the large lake and reservoir. The park also has accommodations of 24 cabins and a main inn for weekend getaways.

Cacapon is a derivative of a Shawnee Indian word meaning "medicine waters". West Virginia is renowned for its fabulous state park system, and Cacapon is a perfect example. However what we did notice, is that although there were quite a few people enjoying the parks other facilities, we didn’t see another hiker on the trails.

We plan to make it back in the fall to explore some of the other trails and possibly do some horseback riding. If you are looking to find an out of the way place that is still close to the DC area with plenty to do, this is it!

Little Schloss is just one of the many beautiful circuit hikes possible in the Great North Mountain area. Little Stoney Creek is also a favorite with backpackers, with many camping sites along its banks. The vista from Little Schloss is spectacular. This area also experiences an explosion of Mountain Laurel in early to mid June.

I also got an early start, getting on the trail at 8 am on Saturday because of the strong line of storms that were forecast to go through the area in the afternoon. Sure enough, you could hear the thunder in the distance during the last mile of the hike. Just made it back to the parking area before the clouds opened up :)