Sierra Club Potomac Region Outings (SCPRO)

Join the Sierra Club Potomac Region Outings (SCPRO) on Saturday, November 30 for a scenic 4-mile out-and-back on the C&O Canal Towpath to the Olmstead Island Overlook of Great Falls.

Hiking conditions will be on flat terrain with nice views of the Potomac River and Great Falls from the Maryland side of the river. Roundtrip will be 4 miles car-to-car. Participants will NOT need a National Park pass for this hike.

We'll meet at the Great Falls Parking (Billy Goat) across from Old Angler's Inn at 8:45 AM and start hiking at 9:00 AM. Parking is free but fills up quickly so best to arrive early! If you need a ride please self organize your own carpool.

This hike will go on [light] rain or shine. Take 1 liter of water, comfortable shoes, comfortable clothes, and snacks.

Note: SCPRO requests a $2/person donation to support our many volunteer-led activities.

Join us for a six mile circuit hike starting at Battery Kemble Park in Washington, DC. Battery Kemble was a fortification used for the defense of Washington during the Civil War.

From the parking lot, we will proceed south on Battery Kemble Trail. At the Wesley Heights Trail, we will head east to intersect the Glover Archbold Trail. Heading south on Glover Archbold, we reach the C&O Canal path and then head west to Fletcher Cove. We will stop briefly at the cove and then finish the hike by heading north along the Palisades and Battery Kemble Ridge Trails.

During the hike, we will be under forest canopy with the exception of the C&O Canal path, which is exposed to the sun.

Trail Information

Length: 6 miles
Estimated Time: Two and a half (2.5) hours
Hike Pace: 2.5 mph
Trail Type: Dirt, stairs, grass, and gravel.
Elevation Gain: 650 feet
Hike Type: Circuit
Stream Crossings: There are five minor stream crossings by stone. Water depth is three to six inches.
Skill Level: Moderate

What to Bring: Sunscreen, hat, water, sunglasses, and insect repellant.

Dogs Are Permitted: Per National Park Service regulations, dogs are permitted on this hike provided they are on a leash.

Facilities: There are no restrooms at Battery Kemble Park. Restroom facilities are available at Fletcher Cove, which is at mile 4.5 of this 6 mile hike.

GPS coordinates: 38.9283787,-77.0955592

Contribution and Costs: SCPRO requests a voluntary $2/person donation to support our many volunteer-led activities. You can become a Sierra Club member by clicking “Join” on the Virginia Sierra Club’s site http://www.sierraclub.org/virginia.

Optional Lunch

For those interested, join us for lunch at th Black Coffee restaurant (4885 MacArthur Blvd NW, Washington, DC) (1.3 miles).

Directions

From MacArthur Boulevard in Northwest DC, turn (left if inbound, right if outbound) onto Chain Bridge Rd. Go one-half mile to the park entrance on the right. Follow the winding park road to the parking area.

Leader: Paul (571) 365-5166 (C)

Join us not too early on Sunday morning for an approx 6 mile hike in the Meadowood Recreation Area in Lorton, VA. The hike is fairly easy with wide trails and an elevation gain of less than 500 ft. We will meet in the parking lot. Note: there are no facilities at the park.

The Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area is about 25 miles south of D.C., on the Mason Neck peninsula. Stretching across more than 800 acres of public lands, Meadowood offers 13.4 miles of hiking trails, 7 miles of horseback riding trails, 6.6 miles of mountain biking trails, and two universally accessible trails to Hidden Pond. The site also offers two fishing ponds, environmental education programs, horse boarding stables, geocaching, picnic areas, trails, pollinator garden, and bird watching sites.

Level: Easy - will maintain 2.5 mph pace.

Bring: Light hiking shoes are sufficient and dress for the weather. Bring water and a cap and/or sunglasses.

Carpool: There are no organized carpools but you may solicit riders in the comments section.

Cancellation Policy: Heavy rain cancels

Cost: Sierra Club Potomac Region Outings kindly requests a modest $2 donation per person to help defray expenses of our all-volunteer program. In addition to cash donations, you may also donate using PayPal https://bit.ly/46jTw5Y. (If you don’t have a PayPal account, tap Sign Up and follow the prompts to sign up.) Log in to your account. Go to Send, enter [email protected] as the Recipient, enter the amount you want to send, use Family and Friends as the payment type, enter your payment method (PayPal balance, bank account, or credit card), review the details, and click Send Payment.

Carpool: Participants can post carpool requests/offers to arrange with other participants in the Meetup Comments section.

RSVPs will close Saturday at 8pm so please cancel before then if your plans change so any Waitlisted participants can join with plenty of notice.