hiking
hiking
Trail Tour: Northern Virginia scenery doesn’t get any better than this Great Falls trail
No series of local trail tours would be complete without this one. I think this is the most beautiful Northern Virginia trail, and if you hike only one local spot, this is the one to choose. When you live only nine miles from a National Park Service site, you should probably go check it out. If you haven’t been to…
November 17, 2016Trail Tour: A Picture-Perfect Waterfall at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve
I had no idea anything this close to the Beltway could be so beautifully serene. This waterfall along the Potomac River is located at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve in McLean, which is a Fairfax County Park located 25 minutes from Reston Town Center. It’s a gorgeous park, especially as the leaves are changing. The trail is short and…
October 17, 2016You Can Find Fossils on the Beaches of Calvert Cliffs State Park
This is well known in Southern Maryland, but I had no idea until recently: some of the beaches there have tons of fossils! The Calvert Cliffs, located south of Chesapeake Beach in Calvert County, Maryland, contain sedimentary deposits from the Miocene age (6 to 20 million years old), and those fossils wash up on the beaches. The…
September 12, 2016Creative Date Night Ideas in Northern Virginia: Beyond Dinner and a Movie
If your date night routine is getting a little too, uh, routine, then it’s time for something new. Whether you’re looking for free date ideas or something more extravagant, we have lots of suggestions for things to do in the Reston area of Northern Virginia. BE ROMANTIC ☐ Rent a boat for two at Lake Anne or…
August 13, 2016The 2016 Reston Summer Bucket List
Reston really shines in the summertime. This season of fun always slips by too quickly — don’t miss it! Here’s a list of some of the best things to do during summertime in Reston and nearby parts of Northern Virginia. How many of these things can you check off this year? You’ll want to bookmark this page and refer to it…
May 31, 2016The Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Things to Do in the Reston Area
This area is filled with great opportunities for outdoor recreation! One of our most popular articles of all time is our Ultimate Guide to Kids’ Indoor Fun in the Reston Area. The next logical step is a guide to outdoor fun, but this time we didn’t limit the excitement to kids’ activities. Here are our favorite ways for…
April 21, 2016The Wild and Wonderful Virginia Bluebells at Riverbend Park
Stop what you’re doing and go outside — spring flowers are blooming! In the DC area, our beautiful Japanese cherry blossoms get most of the attention this time of year. Less well known, though, are the native, blueish-pink wildflowers known as Virginia bluebells. Unless you’re a gardener or hiker, it’s possible that you haven’t even noticed…
April 8, 2015Start the New Year with a First Day Hike at Virginia’s State Parks
If you’re like lots of people, you start each year invigorated and committed to getting fit. It’s a fresh start! You are motivated! And then you discover an overcrowded gym packed with all the other resolution-makers, and the thrill is gone. Or maybe you spend the first day of January in your traditional spot on the sofa, recovering…
December 30, 2014Trail Tour: The Splendor of Lake Newport in the Fall
We promised tours of two gorgeous trails that you cannot miss during the peak of Reston’s fall foliage. Last week we featured a path along the water at Lake Audubon. It has been so fun to hear from some of you who’ve explored that trail since then! I’m really glad that many of you enjoyed it….
October 30, 2014Trail Tour: Lake Audubon’s Breathtaking Fall Scenery
It’s time for another trail tour! Last month we featured a trail that was ideal in the late summer heat. This month, we will give tours of two Reston trails that you absolutely can’t miss during the fall. Reston is known for its magnificent trees, and the next few weeks are their crowning glory. There’s no better time…
October 21, 2014