This is going to be my new go-to "want to get out of D.C. for a few hours on the weekend but don't want to commit to the two hour each way drive out to Shenandoah" hike. Well, I guess it would be, except I don't actually live in D.C. full-time. So maybe not.
Anyway, Great Falls is amazing, and is only about a half hour drive from D.C. (less if you live closer to bridge access to VA). Great Falls generally has a bunch of nice and easy hikes, and is split with part of the park in Maryland and part in Virginia. The Maryland side has the Billy Goat Trail, which is very fun and popular, but loses major points with me for how damn crowded it is all the time.
Difficult Run hit the sweet spot of being an easy to moderate hike (practically no elevation change, although the terrain itself was pretty rocky and difficult at times), with amazing views, and uncrowded except for a stretch of about 0.5 miles adjacent to a parking lot/picnic area. I picked this trail because I was hiking with a friend who got ACL surgery last year and couldn't do anything too strenuous, and this still felt like a decent workout without giving her any problems.
The hikingupward directions were spot on for the most part-- it's very hard to get lost. Just note that there are a lot of choice points, and you pretty much just want to keep following the River Trail until you hit the picnic area, at which point you cross back over to loop around on the Swamp Trail and a couple others. http://www.hikingupward.com/ovh/difficultrun/
There was also one small section of the trail that had washed out when my friend and I went last weekend. It was easy enough to hop down some rocks and follow the stream for about 50 feet and climb back up, but just a heads up-- not sure if this is a permanent fixture of the trail or what.
Trail Name: Difficult Run
Distance (RT): 5.1 if you follow the loop mapped out on hikingupward
Elevation change: 260 ft.
Time: 2 hrs (takes some time to check out the sweet views)
Anyway, Great Falls is amazing, and is only about a half hour drive from D.C. (less if you live closer to bridge access to VA). Great Falls generally has a bunch of nice and easy hikes, and is split with part of the park in Maryland and part in Virginia. The Maryland side has the Billy Goat Trail, which is very fun and popular, but loses major points with me for how damn crowded it is all the time.
Difficult Run hit the sweet spot of being an easy to moderate hike (practically no elevation change, although the terrain itself was pretty rocky and difficult at times), with amazing views, and uncrowded except for a stretch of about 0.5 miles adjacent to a parking lot/picnic area. I picked this trail because I was hiking with a friend who got ACL surgery last year and couldn't do anything too strenuous, and this still felt like a decent workout without giving her any problems.
The hikingupward directions were spot on for the most part-- it's very hard to get lost. Just note that there are a lot of choice points, and you pretty much just want to keep following the River Trail until you hit the picnic area, at which point you cross back over to loop around on the Swamp Trail and a couple others. http://www.hikingupward.com/ovh/difficultrun/
There was also one small section of the trail that had washed out when my friend and I went last weekend. It was easy enough to hop down some rocks and follow the stream for about 50 feet and climb back up, but just a heads up-- not sure if this is a permanent fixture of the trail or what.
Trail Name: Difficult Run
Distance (RT): 5.1 if you follow the loop mapped out on hikingupward
Elevation change: 260 ft.
Time: 2 hrs (takes some time to check out the sweet views)
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