Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 9:00am Washington Monument St. Park Parking Lot
(Directions)
Cost: $35-45. Discounted $35 dollar tickets available if you register now.
(Possibly park fees of about $5 not included)
TBA - HIKE AROUND SPARKLING LAKE SENECA
We
will walk this amazing 2.5 hour waterfront stroll through the rolling
foothill wilderness paths around the beautiful crystal water lake in
search of Eastern Box and Maryland Diamondback turtles sunning
themselves on logs and abundant Spring wildflowers. See wildlife by the
water as the lake scenery takes our breath away. When was the last time
you spent almost 3 hours just walking around a massive lake with
several creeks all around it? Come and make friends and make memories
on this really scenic social walk and talk tour. We will meet in the
parking lot near the lawn overlooking the lake. Bottled water and trail
snacks are included. Cost $25-29 if you register now. Must be registered in advance.
Time: 10:00am
Activity Level: Light to moderate walking around the lake, flat terrain, sandy trails 3-4 miles.
Meeting Place: the parking lot by the clearing at the lake
TBA - GREAT FALLS PARK AND THE BILLY GOAT TRAIL - FALLS AND FAUNA HIKE
We will begin our tour with a brief lecture about the history of the
area and the falls as everyone gets their bottled waters and trail
snacks from the guides. Then our adventure hike begin
s.
At Great Falls, the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it falls
over a series of steep, jagged rocks and flows through the narrow
Mather Gorge. The Potomac Canal offers a glimpse into the early history
of this country. Great Falls Park has many opportunities to explore
history and nature, all in a beautiful 800 acre park only fifteen miles
from the Nation's Capital. Bottled water and trail snacks provided. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 3.5 miles
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous (options available)
Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time:
9:00am Parking Lot Across the Street from Old Angler Inn Potomac,
Maryland. (Look for the guide in a Washington Walkabouts Tee Shirt by
the trailhead/bridge over the canal)
(Directions)
Cost: $25-29. Group rates available. Not recommended for children or pets due to some rocky terrain.
TBA - NATIONAL HERITAGE HIKE AND UNIQUE ECOLOGY TREK - LITTLE BENNETT CREEK AND THE GIANT ANT MYSTERY MOUNDS
Cost: $32- 42 per person depending on how early you register.
TBA - SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN AND THE QUARTZITE CLIFFS "MEET THE GROUP" HIKE
Sugarloaf
Mountain, bursting with wild flowers in the Summer, is D.C.'s closest
mountain. It is called a "monodnuck", which is a term that defines a
lone mountain that has survived after the rest of its mountain range
was eroded away. We will hike to the summit with spectacular 50-mile
views on a clear day and we will marvel at the unique and rare 85 foot
cliffs near the summit, made out of pure quartzite crystal! We will see
old Civil War battalion ruins, spectacular overlooks and unique rock
formations. Great Potomac River views for miles near the top! This is a
hike not to be missed for the amazing scenery and (for the the fun
winery nearby too). Bottled waters and trail snacks included. Cost
$32-42 depending on early registration. Must be registered in advance.
Group Meeting Time: 10:00am
Activity Level: Moderate
Group Meeting Place: "East View" Parking Lot on Sugarloaf Mountain (by the picnic tables).
(Directions)
We
will meet at the Harper's Ferry National Park and board a bus that will
transport us into the heart of this historic town with it's 18th
century and Civil War era architecture and original cobblestone
streets. After a brief lecture on the history of the town where the
Civil War began, we will hike over the river on the train bridge, along
the C & O Canal and up the Maryland Heights trail to a phenomenal
overlook where we can view the confluence of the rivers and see three
states, four counties and two famous rivers from our tall cliffside
perch. Bottled water and trail snacks provided. Must be registered in
advance. Duration: 4 miles.
Activity Level: Moderate
Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 10:00am Harper's Ferry Natl. Park Visitor Center (Directions) Cost: $32-42. (Park fee of $5 (approx.) not included).
TBA - LITTLE DEVIL STAIRS/BIG CANYON GORGE
As
we travel through the massive gorge with phenomenal rock formations,
that was created over 600 million years ago when a violent earthquake
split a mountain in two, we are following the constant flow of hundreds
of bubbling mini-waterfalls as we reach the summit of the Little Devil
Stairs. Once at the top, we just might be beseiged by an endless
variety of beautiful butterflies as we follow the fire road with
stunning views at over 3,000 feet high and abundant wild flowers. We
will come upon an ancient and deserted mountaintop cemetery that is all
that remains of the once thriving Appalachia community of early
settlers. All the tombstones of very young people and adults is
testament of the hardships Appalachia communities faced in the early
days of American history. Bottled water and trail snacks provided. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 7.5 miles
Activity Level: Moderate/Strenuous (we will take many breaks).
Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 9:00am Vienna Nutley St. South Parking Lot (Directions) Cost: $35-45. Limited number of $35 dollar tickets left if you register now.($5 possible park pass fee - not included)
SUNDAY TBA - WHITE OAK CANYON FALLS
ROOSEVELT ISLAND "MEET THE GROUP" HIKE - TBA
After
a brief lecture on the history of this 88-acre island, we will begin this very nice two hour walk by crossing the only foot
bridge that gets
us on the island. In the middle of the Potomac River, we will walk the
trails of this secluded island with flora and fauna and a history that dates back to the early 1600's. We will meet in the parking lot for
Roosevelt Island just off the George Washington Parkway. Bottled water
and trail snacks are included. Cost $25-29 while space available.
Must be registered in advance.
Meeting place: The parking lot off George Washington Parkway for Roosevelt Island by the footbridge.
(Directions)
Meeting Time: 6:00 PM (please arrive on time because of sunset schedule)Event Time: 6:00-8:00PM
Activity Level: Light - 2.5 miles of flat terrain, sandy trails and swamp boardwalk
TBA - GEOLOGY HIKE OF THE NATIONAL ZOO About 480 million years ago an arc of oceanic volcanoes merged with the
growing continent that would eventually become North America. Within
the grounds of the National Zoo and nearby Rock Creek Park,
metamorphosed sea floor sediment and a large fault zone bear witness to
this ancient geologic collision. We will examine a variety of outcrops
on our hike of about two and a half miles, utilizing a
loop of paved
trails from the zoo entrance at Conneticut Avenue to Rock Creek Park to
Klingle Road and back to our starting point. The walk will be neither
rocky nor muddy but some parts will be rather steep. Cost: $25-28
depending on early registration.
Must be registered in advance.
Meeting
Place:
the front entrance of the National Zoo at 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW,
Washington, D.C. 20008 (look for the guide in the Washington Walkabouts
T-Shirt)
Meeting Time: 10am (event is about 2.5-3 hours)
Activity Level:
Light to Moderate - we will be walking through many of the Zoo theme
garden trails for 2.5 miles and there will be much walking on small
paved roads.
TBA - STONEY MAN MOUNTAIN AND DARK HOLLOW FALLS
We
will take a drive along Skyline Drive to Skyland, the amazing resort
that at an altitude of almost 3500 feet, overlooks the Shenandoah
Valley, just outside of Luray, Virginia. We will take the trailhead up
about one thousand feet to reach the summit of Virginia's second
tallest mountain at over 4,000 feet, as high as almost 4 Empire State
Buildings! Imagine passing through a prehistoric looking forest where
the forest floor is covered in giant ferns. There are several wonderful
things to see on this excursion as we take the nature trail up the
mountain where a booklet tells us where to stop along the way to view
several natural wonders like "the tree whose roots split a boulder" and
much more. Then we will drive a short ten minute distance down Skyline
drive to Dark Hollow Falls to hike to the bottom of this stunning 85
foot waterfall. Our next stop will be to view Big Meadows, a massive
landscaped meadow, that was the first example of slash and burn
landscaping by Native Americans 10,000 years ago. It will be easy to
see why this fantastical landscape was considered a sacred Elyssian
Fields reserved only for the most honorable Buffalo hunters. Bottled
water and trail snacks provided. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 4.5 miles.
Activity Level: Moderate Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 9:00am Vienna Nutley St. South Parking Lot
(Directions)
Cost: $35-45 per person. $35 price is for early registration before deadline. ($10-15 per car park pass fee - not included).
TBA - CALVERT CLIFFS BEACH FOSSIL HUNT AND HIKE
We travel to a secluded and gorgeous beach by the Calvert Cliffs on the
Western Chesapeake Bay just 45 minutes from D.C. with white powder sand
shores and where we are met by a fossil expert who will give us a brief
lecture on the rich fossil history of our expedition site. Then we will
take a short hike by swamps and wetlands, where ancient natural tar
from tarpits that preserved extinct animal fossils can still be seen
bubbling up into the marsh waters. At our fossil digging location,
everyone is guaranteed to be able to find and keep their own fossils.
The scenic beach and waters with it's natural salt ponds are
spectacular. Our fossil expert will judge each persons fossil
collection at the end of the fossil hunt to determine the winner.
Bottled water and trail snacks included. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 1 mile. Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 10:00am Flag Ponds Nature Park (Directions) Cost: $35-42. Depending how early you register. Group rates available.
Children ages 6-17 $25. ($6 park pass fee - not included)
Suggested Things to Bring: towel, shovel or rake/ho, bucket, beach chair
TBA - WASHINGTON D.C. EVERGLADES ADVENTURE - HIKING THE KENILWORTH AQUATIC GARDENS
Hiking
hundreds of acres of aquatic water garden trails is like a cross
between being in the Florida Everglades and the Monet "Water Lillies"
painting. Bursting with dozens of varieties of wild aquatic flowers and
botanical landscapes - this national park is breathtaking to behold. We
will walk for about 3 miles over marsh boardwalks and water pond trails
and bridges to marvel at several species of unique aquatic plants. Most
likely, we will see lots of turtles, frogs and giant Blue Heron. This
is D.C.'s best kept secret. Probably the world's largest and most
beautiful National Park dedicated solely to aquatic gardens, botanical marsh landscaping and thousands of waterlillies. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 3 scenic wilderness miles surrounded by botanical and aquatic gardens.
Activity Level: Easy
Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 10am at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens main parking lot.
Cost: $25-29 per person depending on how early you register.
TBA - CUNNINGHAM FALLS, MOUNTAIN LAKE VISTAS AND CHIMNEY ROCK FORMATION CLIFFS
Cunningham
Falls is Maryland's tallest waterfall. We will do a short warm-up hike
by the mountain high spring fed lake and beach to the waterfalls where
time will be available to climb up to the top of the falls. Then we
will break for lunch and time to walk on the beaches of the 1,200 foot
elevation spring water mineral lake. Then, after a quick visit to the
nearby nature center to see the displays of the wildlife of the area
that includes the "flying squirrel", we will engage in our second hike
by an area very close to Camp David, on trails that the President's
enjoy as part of their official retreat. We will make our way to the
incredibly scenic Chimney Rock at elevation 1800+ feet. These natural
chimney rock formations are hundreds of millions of years old at the
top of the gorgeous Catoctin mountains. Bottled water and trail snacks
provided. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 4.5 miles
Activity Level: Moderate
Group Meeting Place: Cunningham Falls State Park, Lake Parking Lot - by the picnic tables
Meeting Time: 10:00am
Directions
Cost: $35 if you register by deadline or $45 after (Seasonsal $5 park pass fee - not included)
TBA - OLD RAG MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE HIKE
This
is Virginia's only "alpine-like" mountain with giant egg shaped
boulders at the top with names like Round Boy and Big Man, weighing
several tons. We will go up the saddle trail to the first ridge summit
at several thousand feet high. At the first ridge summit - imagine what
it will be like to see 80 mile views in all directions on a clear day.
Look down at the hundreds of rare and endangered giant hawks, American
and Golden Eagles, thousands of feet below, who love to soar on the
warm air currents created by the sun shining on the granite cliffs and
mountain face. We will take many breaks to rest and enjoy the
breathtaking scenery, going up this mountain. Then we will descend
through the beautiful mountain scenery back through the woods of the
Shenandoah National Park abundant with wildlife. Bottled water and
trail snacks provided. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 5 miles.
Activity Level: Moderate/Strenuous. Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 9:00am Vienna Nutley St. South Parking Lot (Directions) Cost: $35-45. $35 tickets available if you register now. Group rates available.
Children ages 12-17 $25. ($5-8 park pass fee - not included)
TBA - ROSE RIVER CANYON FALLS LOOP - SEE WATER CHUTES, NATURAL WATER RACES AND BIG WATERFALLS
A
slightly difficult but beautiful and short hike with some rough, steep
parts of trail. The trail descends through the Rose River Trail approx.
1.4 miles to the Rose River Falls, then acsends the lower Dark Hollow
to the Dark Hollow Falls and exits at Skyline Drive. Water parallels
the trail almost all the way and there are numerous falls, pools, and
cascades. About halfway through the hike, an excellent campsite near
water provides the opportunity for a lunch spot. This is an
extraordinary trail filled with the beauty of water, old homesteads, an
old copper mine, summer wildflowers, and much more. Bottled water and
trail snacks provided. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 4.5 miles
Activity Level: Moderate
Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 9:00am Vienna Nutley St. South Parking Lot
(Directions)
Cost $35-45. Discounted $35 dollar tickets are offered for early registration. Group rates avl.
Children ages 6-17 $25. ($10-15 car park pass fee - not included)
TBA - CEDARVILLE STATE FOREST AND UNIQUE ECOLOGY - CARNIVOROUS PLANTS - HIKE TOUR
This
is one of D.C.'s most unique hikes through sandy wetland trails and
pine forests and the only place we know of in the D.C. area where real
carnivorous plants like the Venus Flytrap and Pitcher Plants grow
naturally in the Cypress Swamp. Our scenery will constantly change on
this hike from Pine Forest and sandy trails to wetland trails and
Cypress Swamp trails. Bottled water and trail snacks provided to the
group. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 6.5 miles
Activity Level: Moderate
Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 10:00am Cedarville State Park Visitor Center (Directions)
Cost: $32-42. . Group rates available.
Children: $25 - ages 10-17 (does not include possible park admission fee)
At last, fun and friendly group hiking tours that offer organized, guided hiking day treks for singles and solo travelers, so that you or your group can come back again and again and experience the best of off-the-beaten track scenic wilderness trails, so close to Washington D.C. yet a world way. Washington Walkabouts is commited to doing all the organization work for you, so that all you, your friends or your group have to do is show up at the meeting place and we take it from there. Our hiking day excursion formats are so enjoyable, that you'll want to come back again and again to encounter more of nature at its finest and to see the magnificent scenes change over the four seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall.
Washington Walkabouts
Questions - email us at: washingtonwalkabouts@hotmail.com