Maryland or Virginia Weekend hike

[huevos rancheros]

Im looking to do a nice little section in either northern virginia or maryland this weekend. I live in DC and plan on driving somewhere friday afternoon. Does anyone have a suggestion for a fun little 25 mile jaunt? What kind of shelter availability will there be for 2 section hikers? any advice on shuttles would be appreciated.



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[Long feet]

Hey,

I just moved to the DC area a few months from California, so whatever hikes you find I would really like to know. Also, if you ever want to do some weekend trips let me know. Thanks.

[wilconow]

The AT in northern va/md isn't very rugged. low elevation and lots of road crossings. if you're looking for a nice physical challenge, the roller coaster out on rt 7 is pretty nice. maryland has a lot history and overlooks.

you may consider doing a loop in massanutten mountain or great north mountain. lot less people, tougher hiking, better views, and unlike the AT, it's easy to do a loop so you dont have to worry about getting a shuttle or doing an out and back.

[BlackCloud]

Get the AT map set for Shenandoah NP. It's 2-3 hrs driving from DC, depending where you go. There are a dozen exellent loop hikes and any 25 mile stretch of AT thru Shenandoah is easy and pretty.

Not familiar w/ shuttles......

[Creek Dancer]

Get the AT map set for Shenandoah NP. It's 2-3 hrs driving from DC, depending where you go. There are a dozen exellent loop hikes and any 25 mile stretch of AT thru Shenandoah is easy and pretty.

Not familiar w/ shuttles......

Good idea. Also, check out the website for the Potomac AT Club for ideas. They maintain many of the trails and shelters in the area (not just the AT) and the website has some great information. There might be shuttle information on the website as well. www.patc.net (http://www.patc.net)

[twosticks]

Funny, I'm planning the same thing myself, but for next weekend. I'm going to be doing half of Marlyland. There are a lot of beautiful hikes all over the VA/MD area but I'd like to say that I have almost one state down. :D

[huevos rancheros]

Hey everyone...thanks for the input. Im actually heading out there with a new hiker, so the easier historical sections in maryland may actually be a good introduction to hiking for her. any recommendations on the maryland side of things? thanks again.. Long feet..drop me a PM if you want to talk more about hiking etc.

[wilconow]

if you're interested in the history, then you want to make sure you pass by campton gap/gathland state park in maryland. also, washington monument state park. probably a good idea for a 20 miler is to start at the 40/70 big parking lot and go into harpers ferry, or vice versa

[huevos rancheros]

Wilconow--thanks for the advice. We did the section from 40 to Harpers Ferry. It was a nice easy going section that can easily be done in a day. We stayed at Rocky Run Friday and then at a campsite off the C&O on Saturday.

[knicksin2010]

Just started college in DC and I'm looking foward to hiking out of HF columbus day weekend. I'm going to try to yoyo the 4 state challange sat/sun and make an early morning train monday back to Union, or I might explore N virginia

[Blissful]

We're going to do the rollercoaster section from Ashby Gap to Harper's Ferry the last weekend of October. Then we will have completed the trail in VA from Tye River to Harper's ferry.