Where to day hike with kids VA

[jbo]

My family will be going out to mannasas va in july for a wedding, I would like to do a day hike or two either while out that way or on our way back to michigan, any suggestions on where to go with good parking and a nice section of the trail.

My wife and I have 4 children ages 4-10, they are accustomed to hiking all day but mostly flat ground here in michigan.

Thanks

[chknfngrs]

point your browser to Google and look up Sky Meadows State Park or ShenandoAh National Park, north district. Practically in Manassass backyard. Only if you're brave, head to Wolf Gap for a bit more wildness.

[jbo]

Thank you for the suggestions, I will look into those.

[chknfngrs]

I should have said the AT goes through both Shenandoah and Sky Meadows, but not Wolf Gap.

[bigcranky]

The classic day hike in that area is Old Rag, a summit in Shenandoah National Park. It's very popular, so you'd need to get there early for parking. It's not a super easy hike, roughly 9 mile loop with a significant elevation gain. The 10 year old is no problem, not sure about a 4 year old.

Links: Trip Advisor (yeah, seriously (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143051-d1509869-Reviews-Old_Rag_Mountain_Hike-Shenandoah_National_Park_Virginia.html)), National Park Service "preparing to hike Old Rag" page (http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/old-rag-hike-prep.htm).

Hope you enjoy the visit. It's a pretty area of the country (well, once you get away from the Northern Virginia suburban hellscape :) ).

[Mobius]

You can run a filtered search (based on terrain, sights, lengths, etc) on http://www.hikingupward.com/

It should help you narrow down your search to appropriate hikes close to you. There's lots of options in northern Shenandoah National Park and Massanutten that are all fairly close to Manassas.

Luray Caverns may be fun for that age range too and it'll be a lot cooler in the caves than it is outside in July.

[Studlintsean]

point your browser to Google and look up Sky Meadows State Park or ShenandoAh National Park, north district. Practically in Manassass backyard. Only if you're brave, head to Wolf Gap for a bit more wildness.

I agree with this. Only caveat is starting in Sky Meadows State Park requires a couples miles uphill before you get to the AT which could be a challenge with a 4 year old. One other option would be to star at 55 in Linden and either hike north or south to the first shelter. Both hikes are fairly easy with shelters in the ~3 mile range.

If I were in your shoes, I would consider Hawksbill (http://virginiatrailguide.com/2009/06/08/hawksbill-summit/) as it is fairly easy, includes part of the AT, offers awesome views, will give you a nice ride on Skyline Drive, and you can hit Skyland Resort for lunch on the way back.

[Studlintsean]

My family will be going out to mannasas va in july for a wedding, I would like to do a day hike or two either while out that way or on our way back to michigan, any suggestions on where to go with good parking and a nice section of the trail.

My wife and I have 4 children ages 4-10, they are accustomed to hiking all day but mostly flat ground here in michigan.

Thanks

Also consider Manassas Battlefield for hiking if you find yourself short on time and can't make it all the way to SNP. It is very easy terrain with lots of cool history (old houses, cannons, statues, etc) which would be great for the kids. I live about 5 minutes from the battlefield and hike/run there fairly often.