A Great Local Hike One Hour From Washington D.C.

This past Sunday I hiked the trails in the Bull Run Mountains State Natural Area Preserve near Haymarket Virginia. The 10 trails wind through densely wooded terrain that includes elevations of 1,300 feet, which is rare in this low lying Piedmont area between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Washington D.C. I recommend these trails to anyone looking for a good half day hike only one hour from Washington D.C.

I discovered the Bull Run Mountains hike through the Internet. One of over 50 local hikes listed on Local Hikes.com, http://www.localhikes.com/, the Bull Run Mountains provide an easily accessible day hike on trails of moderate to easy difficulty in a State-designated natural preserve with diverse vegetation and Civil War history.

According to Websites of the Virginia Outdoor Foundation, http://vofonline.org/, which owns the 2,500 acre preserve, and the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy, www.brmconservancy.org/, which maintains 800 acres, including the trails located on the southern portion of the preserve, the Bull Run Mountains provide an important protective greenbelt that surrounds the densely populated Northern Virginia suburbs.

As I turned onto the beltway, I sipped espresso and tuned in to a Bruce Springsteen Satellite radio station. The drive on Route 66 West takes 45 minutes. Take the Haymarket exit, turn left on Route 15 South and then an immediate right on Route 55 West after crossing the bridge. After 2 miles, turn right on Turner Road, cross Route 66 again, and then turn left onto Beverly Mill Drive. You will see the trailhead on the right near the end of the road.

Once there, I picked up a trail map at the kiosk and selected one of several sturdy walking sticks, which someone had left leaning against the kiosk. I began the hike on the Quarry Trail. At 10 in the morning, I was able to avoid other hikers. The highway sounds receded. The birds chirped as if celebrating my escape. I was surrounded by Halloween oranges and various shades of yellows that mark the entry of another autumn.

The Quarry Trail extends 1.75 miles with moderate elevation and cuts through an area where Union and Confederate soldiers fired rifle shots at each other across Quarry Trench during the battle of Thoroughfare Gap on August 28, 1862. The Confederate victory allowed Lee's army to unite in Manassas. At Marker 8, I headed up Ridge Trail, which is 1.3 miles of moderate to steep incline.

According to the trail map, Ridge Trail ends at the intersection with Ridge Loop Trail at Marker 14. But I found the intersection confusing. In search of the spectacular views that I had read about on various posts, I retraced my steps looking for two extension trails that I had seen on the way up. Thanks to information from a hiker who knew the mountain, I walked back up Ridge Trail but this time I passed Marker 14 on a trail not shown on the map available at the trailhead.

Eventually, less densely populated pine trees replaced the leaved trees on the left side of the rocky trail opening up the blue sky. I stopped at a rocky perch far above the partially forested farmland of the Virginia Piedmont in the distance below. Having walked as far as I wanted, I began my return trip, taking Ridge Loop Trail back to Quarry Trail, walking now with a separated sole of the bottom of one of my Tecnica hiking boots. These trails are a treasure in an overcrowded area near Washington D.C.