Trip Idea
Explore the Virginia Piedmont along the Potomac River
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Multiple Parks
Paddle the Middle Potomac
- Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
- Reservations: No
- Activity: Paddling
- Pets: Yes
- Location: Potomac River Harpers Ferry-Riverbend Park
- Duration: 2–4 Days
- Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
- Time of Day: Day, Dawn, Dusk
Paddle from Potoma (sic) Wayside, at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, or another launch site and take out at Algonkian Regional Park or Riverbend Park (both Virginia side). Camp at sites along the C & O Canal Towpath, reserve a night in a historic lockhouse (river left upstream of Point of Rocks), reserve a cabin at Algonkian Regional Park (two-night minimum) or find a B & B or hotel. This trip can be combined with hiking and bicycling.
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Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
Hike Kephart Bridge Landing to Bles Park
- Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
- Reservations: No
- Activity: Front-Country Hiking
- Pets: Yes
- Location: Kephart Bridge Landing - Bles Park, Loudoun County, VA
- Duration: 1–2 Hours
- Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
- Time of Day: Day, Dawn, Dusk
The trailheads might at first seem difficult to find, but this segment of the PHT is one of the most accessible and developed in the corridor between White's Ferry and Scott's Run Nature Preserve. One can also access the PHT 1.4 miles upstream from Kephart Bridge Landing via a sidewalk along Riverside Parkway (no parking).
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Multiple Parks
Hike Algonkian Regional Park to Difficult Run
- Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
- Reservations: No
- Activity: Front-Country Hiking
- Pets: Yes
- Location: Algonkian Regional Park - Difficult Run VA
- Duration: 3–6 Hours
- Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
- Time of Day: Day, Dawn, Dusk
This hike is mostly wooded; some parts are rocky and some can be rocky. But you will see, in some places, exceptional displays of bluebells in spring and colors in autumn. Management partners include Loudoun County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services; Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority; The Nature Conservancy; Fairfax County Park Authority; and National Park Service, all are aided by volunteers with the Potomac Heritage Trail Association and others.
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- Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
- Reservations: No
- Activity: Front-Country Hiking
- Pets: Yes
- Location: trailheads for Scott's Run Nature Preserve and for Potomac Heritage Trail/Theodore Roosevelt Island/Mount Vernon Trail
- Duration: 4–7 Hours
- Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
- Time of Day: Day, Dawn, Dusk
The ten-mile Potomac Heritage Trail within George Washington Memorial Parkway is a popular path, connecting at some places to neighborhood trails, Turkey Run picnic area and Chain Bridge. Here, though, we suggest a longer hike connecting with another PHT segment in Scott's Run Nature Preserve, managed by the Fairfax County Park Authority. A combination natural surface path and road walk along Live Oak Lane connects the two.
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Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
Volunteer to complete the PHT in Northern Virginia
- Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
- Reservations: No
- Activity: Front-Country Hiking
- Pets: Yes with Restrictions
- Location: Northern Virginia
- Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Tags
Last updated: April 20, 2018