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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Now that spring has arrived, treat yourself to a walk through some of Reston’s most beautiful scenery. Here is the next tour in Modern Reston’s series of trail tours: a walk at Reston National Golf Course. This route is great in all seasons, with shade in the summer, vibrant foliage in the fall, and sunny fields in…

Now that the weather is mild and the flowers are out, I want to be outside all day long. This time of year offers perfect conditions for one of my favorite walks in Reston. The latest in our series of trail tours is our longest one yet: a 3.5-mile loop that offers some of the best scenery that Reston…

Are you a Reston runner? Or are you thinking about beginning a running program? Then you will love this article by Reston resident Jessica Hofheimer. Jessica is a certified RRCA running coach, Pilates instructor, blogger at PaceofMe.com, and mother of three. Here she provides an excellent guide to running in Reston, with information about many of her favorite resources in…

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…