One of my favorite things to do in the DC area in the Spring is to drive outside of the city for a long hike. One of my favorites, if you’re looking for a good workout and spectacular views, is the Signal Knob hike in the George Washington National Forest. It’s a ten-mile hike, with an option to shorten it to about eight.
The hike is categorized as ‘difficult’, and I would agree. Though very manageable, the trail is very rocky in places, with an elevation of over 2100 feet. Good hiking shoes are a must and a walking stick wouldn’t hurt either.
It’s very well marked and easy to follow (though I would recommend printing out the route beforehand or saving it to your phone, as there are a few tricky spots). It’s a true loop, which I much prefer over out and back hikes, beginning and ending in the same parking lot but without any repetition in scenery.
Pack a snack to enjoy at the halfway point, and take lots of water, especially on a warm day. Then set out and enjoy the gorgeous views!
What are some of your favorite hiking regions?
After a great experience in Brotas, I’m really looking forward to hiking more in Brazil, but other than that my experiences have mostly been limited to Northeast America.
I still crack up every time I think about our hike that we took with you guys and I got us terribly, miserably lost and possibly killed when we walked into the Blair Witch Project. Fun times 🙂
I don’t typically go hiking in Toronto as there aren’t too many trails nearby aside from city parks or walking around the Toronto Islands, but the best hike I have ever done was the Inca Trail! Hopefully, I get time to explore more of South America and Central America in the future as there are a lot of interesting trail hikes up mountains and volcanoes in this part of the world worth doing!