Archive for the ‘Northern Virginia’ Category
Virginia State Park Locations
Posted by Chris | Filed under Appalachian Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway, Central Virginia, Eastern Virginia, Northern Virginia, Roanoke/New River Valley, Shenandoah Valley, Southwest Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information, Western Virginia
If you’re looking for a listing of all the state parks in Virginia, then look no further. Below is a list of all the Virginia State Parks and links to their individual pages within the Virginia State Parks website.
Bear Creek Lake (BC)
Belle Isle (BI)
Breaks Interstate (BR)
Caledon Natural Area (CA)
Chippokes Plantation (CP)
Claytor Lake (CL)
Douthat (DO)
False Cape (FC)
Fairy Stone (FS)
First Landing (FL)
Grayson Highlands (GH)
High Bridge Trail (HB)
Holliday Lake (HL)
Hungry Mother (HM)
James River (JR)
Kiptopeke (KP)
Lake Anna (LA)
Leesylvania (LE)
Mason Neck (MN)
Natural Tunnel (NT)
New River Trail (NR)
Occoneechee (OC)
Pocahontas (PO)
Sailor’s Creek Battlefield Historic (SC)
Shenandoah River Raymond R. “Andy” Guest Jr. (SH)
Shot Tower (ST)
Sky Meadows (SK)
Smith Mountain Lake (SM)
Southwest Virginia Museum Historical (SW)
Staunton River (SR)
Staunton River Battlefield (SB)
Tabb Monument
Twin Lakes (TL)
Westmoreland (WE)
Wilderness Road (WR)
York River (YR)
Enjoy all the beautiful areas that Virginia has to offer!
Virginia Hikes Planned for This Spring
Posted by Chris | Filed under Northern Virginia, Trail Information, Updates/News
With the spring quickly approaching, I have a few different hikes that I want to get to within the next few months in the Northern Virginia area.
1. Bull Run Mountain Conservancy area
2. Raven Rocks
3. Buzzard Hill
4. Sky Meadows
Some of these have been posted about here on Virginia Hiker, but I have yet to get out on them and hopefully that will happen before May!
Have you been to any of these trails? Are they as good as they sound?
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Posted by Chris | Filed under Northern Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
This 7,247-acre memorial parkway, running from George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon to just below the Great Falls of the Potomac River protects the natural scenery along the river as a memorial to the celebrated Revolutionary War general and first president of the United States. Numerous places of historic interest and natural beauty lie along the route. From the south to north, they include Fort Hunt, where batteries guarded the river approach from 1898 to 1917; Dyke Marsh, a habitat for birds such as herons, egrets, rails, and ducks; Daingerfield Island, an area with hiking paths, recreational facilities, and the Washington Sailing Marina; Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary, a popular birdwatching area; Gravelly Point, a spot that offers an excellent view across the river to the nations capital; access to Columbia Island, on which are located the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove, the Navy and Marine Memorial, and the Columbia Island Marina; parking for the pedestrian bridge to Theodore Roosevelt Island; and Turkey Run Park, an area affording views of the palisades of the Potomac.
Mailing Address:
Turkey Run Park
McLean, VA 22101-0001
703-289-2530
Sky Meadows State Park – Delaplane, VA
Posted by Chris | Filed under Appalachian Trail, Northern Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane, VA
Just an hour’s drive from Washington, D.C., Sky Meadows State Park in Clarke and Fauquier counties, offers a peaceful getaway on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With rolling pastures and woodlands, the park boasts beautiful vistas of the foothills and access to the Appalachian Trail. Its rich history is shaped by the development of agriculture and the impact of the Civil War. Activities include hiking, fishing, picnicking, horseback riding, primitive camping, and nature and history programs.
Location: The park is less than two miles south of Paris, Va., via U.S. Route 50 to Route 17 South; or seven miles north of I-66, Exit 23 on Route 17 North. The park entrance is on State Route 710.
Drive Time: Northern Virginia, 45 minutes to one hour; D.C., over one hour; Richmond, two hours; Tidewater/ Norfolk/ Virginia Beach, three hours; Roanoke, two and a half hours
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Posted by Chris | Filed under Northern Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
This 28 acre memorial, located in Arlington, Virginia protects and interprets the elegant antebellum home known known as Arlington House, which was completed in 1817 and owned by the Curtis and Lee families. Robert E. Lee lived in this house for 30 years, before the outbreak of the Civil War. On April 17, 1861, Virginia seceded from the Union; on April 20, Lee resigned from the U.S. Army; on April 22, he was appointed commander of the state’s military forces; and in May, Virginia and Lee’s forces joined the Confederacy. On April 1865, the war ended when Lee surrendered his army’s weapons to Union Commander, Ulysses S. Grant, at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. In 1955, Arlington House was designated as a memorial to Robert E. Lee, a man who had gained respect of Americans in both the North and South.
Visitors touring Arlington House enter by the impressive marbled-columned, front portico and continue through rooms on the first and second floors. The house, which is located adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery, is open daily except Christmas and New Year’s Day. Access from Washington D.C. is a short walk or drive across the Potomac River by way of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, to the Arlington Memorial Cemetery visitor center parking area, and a short walk up the hill to the mansion. From within Virginia, the area is reached by the George Washington Memorial Parkway. A shuttle service and the Metro subway’s Blue Line stop at Arlington Cemetery.
Address:
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Turkey Run Park
McClean, VA 22101-0001
703-557-0613
Website:
http://www.nps.gov/arho/
Bull Run Mountain Conservancy
Posted by Chris | Filed under Northern Virginia, Trail Information
Description: The Bull Run Mountains Conservancy manages 800 acres of forest on the southern end of Bull Run Mountains. Despite its small size this venue has a fairly interesting network of trails. I rate most of the trails as easy although segments of the trails that follow the ridge can provide a pretty good cardio-vascular workout. For this reason I rate the overall hike as moderate. The primary loop is only about4.6 miles in length but additional out-and-backs to visit graveyards, mill and homestead ruins, quarry sites, a fantastic view of Fauquier County and a pretty unique trash dump puts the total mileage at about7.4 miles. This was also the scene of a very important Civil War military engagement, the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap, the results of which had major implications for the Second Battle of Manassas. Visit The Bull Run Mountain Conservancy Site for more information.
Trail Notes: The conservancy uses a unique trail marking system designed and installed by Boy Scouts. Each trail intersection has a post with colored discs. Note that there are still blazes on the trees. These are from previous management and may not match the color on the post. Post color has priority! Also, as of 11/05 the color coding of some trails have been changed andd some trails have been combined. Unofficial, unsigned or blazed trails are shown as orange on this map. The following description uses these changes.Some, but not all, of the intersections have signs. What is there is correct. Also note that the section of Ridge Trail north of the BRMC boundary is not under the Conservancy’s jurisdiction and is not blazed or maintained. Finally, the map shows an “un-named” trail that parallels the Old Quarry Trail (Blue) and follows the northern portion of Cattlet’s Run. This is not an official trail but one worth exploring.
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Bull Run/Occoquan Trail
Posted by Chris | Filed under Northern Virginia, Trail Information
Originally Written by Andy Hiltz
The word ‘Occoquan’, translated from the Doag Indian dialect means ‘at the end of the water’.”
“Early colonial settlers adhered to the English custom of naming water courses by the tidal characteristics, A broad tidal stream was called a river and a small tidal stream, a creek. The water channels above the tidal level, however, flowed in one direction only and were named ‘rundles’ or ‘runs’.”
“The Bull Run-Occoquan stream valley was originally inhabited by the Taux and Doag groups of the Powhatan Confederacy which were rapidly diminished during the early years of European settlement. During this time the Run served as a wilderness highway and surveying landmark. Although virtually untouched by the American Revolution, the Bull Run-Occoquan stream valley was the site of the first and major Civil War battle fought over the defense of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad crossing. During the reconstruction years, this same railroad line brought prosperity briefly to the town of Clifton, famed for the ‘paradise springs’ and the first location in the county to be serviced by electricity. The power plant remains standing below Hemlock Overlook.”
“During the Civil War, Bull Run was the site of military medical, supply and evacuation units during the first battle of the Civil War, the Battle of First Manassas. That battle is re-enacted at Bull Run every year on Memorial Day to help keep alive that sad part of our country’s history.”
(Excerpt from Happy Trails, a guide to Northern Virginia Regional Parks published by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA)) (more…)
