Capital Hiking Club

Park Map / VA Bus

$36 plus park fee or pass. Harder rock scrambling hike: 9½ mi., 2500 ft. ascent. Easier out-and-back hike: up to 10½ mi., up to 2500 ft. ascent.

December is one of the better times to tackle Old Rag, when it is considerably less crowded than it is in the warmer months. The views from the delightful scramble along the mile-long summit ridge of exposed rock make Old Rag nearly everyone’s favorite mountain in these parts. We’ll climb the famed peak via the classic circuit from Nethers on the Ridge Trail, Saddle Trail and Weakley Hollow Fire Road. An easier but longer choice: an out-and-back hike on the Fire Rd and Saddle Trail in which you can turn around at any point and avoid the rock scrambling.

-------------------------------------

COVID PRECAUTIONS
All participants should be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Anyone experiencing symptoms of upper respiratory illness should not attend the event.

***

RESERVATIONS
Capital Hiking Club is a non-profit group, and the public is invited on all trips. Reservations are accepted as late as Friday, but reserving before Wednesday night helps ensure your spot and prevent cancellation of the hike due to low sign-ups. RSVP through Meetup and pay through PayPal. Please be sure your RSVP gives your full name and phone number and where you'll be boarding the bus. We don't want to leave you behind!

FIRST-TIME HIKERS
If you're a first-time hiker with us, please notify the leaders in advance so they can make sure you have the info you need. Hikers must be able to keep at least a 2 mph pace.

BUS STOPS: VIRGINIA ROUTING
Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes before times listed below. All our bus stops are Metro accessible. If you're driving to meet the bus, we strongly advise using the Vienna bus stop, as parking is extremely limited at the others. Bus stops and times are as follows (click links for maps):

PATC Map 7 / MD Bus

$36 plus park fee or pass. Morning hike options – Long hike: 6½ mi., 1700 ft. ascent; Moderate hike: 4½ mi., 1200 ft. ascent.

An early December Capital tradition, this outing has a bit of everything – hiking, history and holiday atmosphere. For hiking, we offer morning routes to the Cliff Overlook with its picture-postcard view of Harpers Ferry, and a longer hike to Maryland Heights.

For more history and early Christmas ambience, check out the decorations in Harpers Ferry, where shops, museums and lunch opportunities abound. Special events will be going on all day around town.

-------------------------------------

RESERVATIONS
Capital Hiking Club is a non-profit group, and the public is invited on all trips. Reservations are accepted as late as Friday, but reserving before Wednesday night helps ensure your spot and prevent cancellation of the hike due to low sign-ups. RSVP through Meetup and pay through PayPal. Please be sure your RSVP gives your full name and phone number and where you'll be boarding the bus. We don't want to leave you behind!
Because this is a paid event, we cannot offer a waitlist should the hike fill up. If spots subsequently open up, they will become immediately available to anyone and everyone.

FIRST-TIME HIKERS
If you're a first-time hiker with us, please notify the leaders in advance so they can make sure you have the info you need. Hikers must be able to keep at least a 2 mph pace.

BUS STOPS: MARYLAND ROUTING
Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes before times listed below. All our bus stops are Metro accessible. If you're driving to meet the bus, we strongly advise using the Vienna bus stop, as parking is extremely limited at the others. Bus stops and times are as follows (click links for maps):

Park Map / Trailhead hike, no bus

$5. Long hike: 12½ mi., 2000 ft. ascent. Moderate hike: 8 mi., 1400 ascent.

Meet at Cleveland Park Metro (East Side) at 9:00 AM

You can be assured of a good hike, and a convenient, in-town opportunity to enjoy nature before the frenzy of Christmas day. The 1,754-acre park – one of the largest urban parks in the world – boasts 32 miles of wooded trails. We’ll walk to the park via the Melvin Hazen Trail, Western Ridge Trail, Valley Trail, and several connecting trails.

***

COVID PRECAUTIONS
All participants should be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Anyone experiencing symptoms of upper respiratory illness should not attend the event.

***

RESERVATIONS
Capital Hiking Club is a non-profit group, and the public is invited on all trips. Reservations are accepted as late as Friday, but reserving before Wednesday night helps ensure your spot and prevent cancellation of the hike due to low sign-ups. RSVP through Meetup and pay through PayPal. Please be sure your RSVP gives your full name and phone number and where you'll be boarding the bus. We don't want to leave you behind!

FIRST-TIME HIKERS
If you're a first-time hiker with us, please notify the leaders in advance so they can make sure you have the info you need. Hikers must be able to keep at least a 2 mph pace.

LIABILITY
By RSVP'ing for a CHC hike, you acknowledge and accept that hikers are responsible for their own safety and must assume risks and liability for all outings. CHC leaders, officers, and representatives shall not be liable for any injuries, loss or damage to persons or property, direct or consequential, arising out of any trips or club activities. Participants will be asked to sign a waiver the day of the hike.

CANCELLATION POLICY
To cancel and receive a full refund less a $5 processing fee, you must change your RSVP to "No" on Meetup before 12PM the Thursday before the hike. If you change your RSVP after 12PM the Thursday before the hike, no refunds will be issued.

PATC Map N / No Bus

$5. Long hike: 9½ mi., 1000 ft. ascent. Moderate hike: 7½ mi., 500 ft. ascent.

Meet at Tenleytown Metro (West Side) at 9:00 AM

Here’s the perfect opportunity to walk off your Christmas holiday caloric spree and experience under-appreciated local in-town scenery. From Tenleytown, we’ll head south through deeply wooded Glover-Archbold and Palisades Parks up to the C&O Canal Towpath. The moderate hike continues along the towpath towards town and ends at the Rosslyn Metro station. Long hikers backtrack to the Whitehaven Parkway (a woodsy trail, not a highway) and continue along that trail to end at Woodley Park Metro.

***

COVID PRECAUTIONS
All participants should be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Anyone experiencing symptoms of upper respiratory illness should not attend the event.

***

RESERVATIONS
Capital Hiking Club is a non-profit group, and the public is invited on all trips. Reservations are accepted as late as Friday, but reserving before Wednesday night helps ensure your spot and prevent cancellation of the hike due to low sign-ups. RSVP through Meetup and pay through PayPal. Please be sure your RSVP gives your full name and phone number and where you'll be boarding the bus. We don't want to leave you behind!

FIRST-TIME HIKERS
If you're a first-time hiker with us, please notify the leaders in advance so they can make sure you have the info you need. Hikers must be able to keep at least a 2 mph pace.

LIABILITY
By RSVP'ing for a CHC hike, you acknowledge and accept that hikers are responsible for their own safety and must assume risks and liability for all outings. CHC leaders, officers, and representatives shall not be liable for any injuries, loss or damage to persons or property, direct or consequential, arising out of any trips or club activities. Participants will be asked to sign a waiver the day of the hike.

CANCELLATION POLICY
To cancel and receive a full refund less a $5 processing fee, you must change your RSVP to "No" on Meetup before 12PM the Thursday before the hike. If you change your RSVP after 12PM the Thursday before the hike, no refunds will be issued.